Silvesterpfad: route and times
The tourist board's New Year's Eve page lists the 2026 trail for 31 December from 14:00 until 02:00 the next morning, with food and drink from 11:00. The trail runs from Freyung via Am Hof, the Graben, Stephansplatz and Kärntner Strasse to Neuer Markt. Rathausplatz and Riesenradplatz in the Prater are also part of it, and there are eight locations in all, each free to enter.
At midnight, the trail plays the Blue Danube waltz and the Pummerin, the great bell of St Stephen's Cathedral, rings in the new year. The bell rings only on special occasions. If you want to see the cathedral by day, our St Stephen's Cathedral tickets guide covers tower and catacomb tickets.
Where to stand: Most of the trail follows narrow old-town streets. If you want more space, or are with children, Rathausplatz and Riesenradplatz are the two big open squares in the programme. The Riesenradplatz winter market stays open from 12:00 to 02:00 that night, so you can eat there before midnight. The Christmas market at Rathausplatz closes on 26 December, and its ice rink is shut on 31 December.
New Year's Concert tickets: why 2027 is gone
The Vienna Philharmonic plays the same programme three times at the Musikverein. Its ticket information page gives these dates and price ranges for the 2026–27 concerts:
| Concert | Date and time | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| Preview Performance | 30 December 2026, 11:00 | €25–€545 |
| New Year's Eve Concert | 31 December 2026, 19:30 | €30–€980 |
| New Year's Concert | 1 January 2027, 11:15 | €40–€1,320 |
The concert page names Tugan Sokhiev as the conductor in 2027. All tickets for the three concerts are drawn by lot, only on the orchestra's website. Applications for this season were accepted from 1 to 28 February 2026, the page now says the registration period has ended, and results went out by email in March.
How the lottery works, for 2028
The orchestra had not published dates for the next draw when we checked on 23 October 2026. The rules below are those of the 2026–27 draw and its registration FAQ. The last application window was in February, so start watching the orchestra's site early in 2027.
Applications by post, email or any other route are not considered. Wheelchair users apply through the same form; each wheelchair place comes with a companion seat. Applying for the Preview Performance as well as the main concert gives you a second chance to hear the same programme.
If you have no concert ticket
The 1 January concert is broadcast live from the Musikverein from 11:15. The tourist board says several hotels serve brunch with the broadcast on screen.
For a ticketed evening on 31 December, the State Opera's traditional New Year's Eve Die Fledermaus starts at 18:00 and ends at 21:30, leaving time to reach the Silvesterpfad before midnight. Standing places go on sale from 10:00 on the day; our State Opera standing room guide explains how to buy them. The tourist board also lists New Year's Eve galas at Vienna City Hall and the House of Strauss for people who want to dance into the new year. If waltzing appeals, Vienna's ball season follows in January and February; see our Vienna ball tickets and dress code guide.
Getting home after midnight
The tourist board's transport hours page says the U-Bahn runs 24 hours on Friday and Saturday nights and on nights before public holidays, every 15 minutes. New Year's Day is a holiday, so the night of 31 December falls under that rule. NightLine buses run from 00:30 to 05:00 every 30 minutes. Wiener Linien's special timetable for New Year's Eve 2026 was not available to us when we checked, so look at it in the operator's app on the day.
One change catches visitors this winter: the tourist board notes that a central section of the inner-city S-Bahn route is closed from 7 September 2026 until the end of October 2027. Plan on the U-Bahn rather than the S-Bahn through the centre. Our Vienna public transport tickets guide compares single tickets with 24-hour tickets for the night.
New Year's Day
If you want to be outdoors on 1 January, the Schönbrunn Christmas market is open 10:00–19:00 every day from 25 December to 6 January, and the Riesenradplatz market in the Prater has weekend and holiday hours of 11:00–22:00 until 6 January (tourist board market listings, checked 23 October 2026). Both make a walk-and-eat afternoon after the concert broadcast.
