Martinstag Vienna 2026: Goose and New Wine on November 11

1. An ordinary Wednesday in Vienna, a holiday in Burgenland

November 11, 2026 falls on a Wednesday. The date is fixed: it does not follow a moving calendar. The day does not appear, however, on the official list of 2026 public holidays published by the City of Vienna. Monday, October 26 (national holiday) is on that list. Offices, shops and restaurants therefore run as usual in the capital on November 11.

Burgenland is the exception. Saint Martin is its patron saint, and November 11 is a holiday there (Festtag): government offices and businesses close, and schools are off. The status is regional, and it still needs checking against the state’s own law. The unofficial site Feiertage Österreich, which summarizes Austria’s holiday calendar, lists November 11 among the Burgenland holidays.

For a visitor, the consequence is simple. A Wednesday works like any weekday, with the usual restaurant and Heuriger hours: book the goose, and order the new wine by the glass. Pack something warm: wetter.de, as a rough guide, gives about 45°F (7°C) by day and 36°F (2°C) at night for November in Vienna, with about 2 inches (50 mm) of rain on average. Excursions to Burgenland concentrate on the nearby weekends and are covered separately (see section 6).

If your stay runs through Christmas, the Advent markets are a different topic, covered in our Vienna Christmas markets 2026 guide.

2. Why people eat goose on November 11

November 11 commemorates the burial of Saint Martin of Tours in 397, according to the German Wikipedia entry consulted on October 18, 2026. Wikidata, however, gives November 8, 397 as the date of death. Both dates coexist: tradition holds November 11, and that is the date celebrated. If you cite the date, write « burial on November 11, 397 » rather than « died on November 11. »

As for the goose, the most cited explanation is not a legend at all. The Martinsschoß was a feudal payment due on Saint Martin’s Day, often paid in kind, and geese were among those payments. According to the most common account, the Saint Martin meal marks the end of the farming year and the settling of dues, more than any punishment.

The legend of the goose that betrayed Saint Martin, who hid to avoid becoming a bishop, is later: it is attested only from the 16th century. It explains, after the fact, an older custom, and it should be told as a story, not as established fact.

3. Martinigansl in Vienna: where, how much, when to book

Two Viennese restaurants serve Saint Martin’s goose during the season, and both publish their dates online. Only the Gmoakeller shows a 2026 price. The table below reflects the listings checked on October 18, 2026.

Source: gmoakeller.at and nigls.at, checked on October 18, 2026. 2025 reference: €34.80 at the Gmoakeller and €34.90 at the Nigls (vienna.at, 2025).

The Gmoakeller serves the goose with red cabbage and chestnuts, two kinds of Knödel, and a baked apple with lingonberries. At the Nigls, the 2026 price appears on a PDF price list that the page does not reproduce. Do not assume it: ask when you book. In 2025, the Nigls asked for a reservation two days in advance, according to vienna.at.

For a wider reference point, the unofficial Feiertage Österreich site gives €30 to €50 per portion, sides included, for 2024, without naming a restaurant. It also notes that goose cost roughly three times as much wholesale in 2022 as in 2020. The Gmoakeller falls within that range.

Both restaurants require advance booking. The Gmoakeller is closed on Sundays, so check the day before you reserve a table.

Keep one point in mind: where the goose comes from. A 2025 campaign by the NGO Vier Pfoten claims that 72% of geese and ducks eaten in Austria are imported, and calls for labeling. The original source is not open: we could not consult it, and the figure is not established. It is an NGO position, and it should be presented as one.

4. New wine in Vienna: Heuriger, Sturm and Alter

New wine keeps the name Heuriger until November 11, then becomes Alter, according to the City of Vienna. Young wine, still cloudy and barely fermented, is called Sturm according to a city tourism guide: it is sold from late September to mid-November, and it is drunk quickly, because it keeps only a few days after pressing.

The word Heuriger also names the place: the wine tavern where you drink the house’s own wine. Establishments licensed to sell their own production hang a bunch of pine branches, the Buschen, at the entrance. That is the sign to look for in the wine districts.

The table below lists the opening hours of six Heurigen in Mauer, in Vienna’s 23rd district, as listed by wien.info.

Source: wien.info, Heurigen in Mauer page, checked on October 18, 2026 (the page shows no visible update date).

According to wien.info, the Heuriger Wiltschko opens at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, and the Weinbau Beranek lists 9 a.m. during service periods. The wien.info page mentions neither Sturm nor the dates of new wine; it refers you to each establishment. Confirm the day’s opening directly with the one you choose.

Viennese Heuriger: drink new wine on November 11

€15 to €30 per person Late September to mid-November Wiltschko opens at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays

• November 11, 2026 is an ordinary Wednesday in Vienna: only Burgenland takes the day off.
• New wine remains a Heuriger until November 11, then becomes Alter.
• The Heuriger Wiltschko opens at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, according to wien.info.

Grinzing is the best-known and most touristy district. A German guide considers the Grinzing taverns that cater to bus groups much weaker than family-run addresses. A traveler forum recommends Sievering, Neustift am Walde, Nussdorf or Stammersdorf instead. For Mauer, take the 60 tram: the trip is a little longer than to Grinzing, according to wien.info.

If you want to leave Vienna that day, the Vienna Forest tour sold on Viator is one option. It lasts about four hours, includes a wine tasting, and its title promises an underground lake. The detailed itinerary was not in the data we consulted, so a stop may differ from the title: confirm with Viator before you book.

Who is it for? Travelers who want to combine wine and nature around Vienna and can spare a half day outside the city. It is not a tour of Vienna itself.

The catch is the start time. A 9:30 a.m. departure ends around 1:30 p.m., which clashes with a goose lunch at noon. A 2 p.m. departure leaves lunch at noon, but you return around 6 p.m., after about four hours of touring.

We checked the Viator listing on October 18, 2026: the tour runs on Wednesday, November 11, with two departures, at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., for two adults. The price is €130 per adult for these departures (based on 2 adults, so €260 for two). Another option, at €145 per adult, exists for the same date. Prices and availability can change before the day.

Pixidia tip: Heurigen hours vary by season and by establishment. Check the day’s opening before you go, especially on weekdays.

Vienna: Vienna Forest Tour with Underground Lake and Wine Tasting €130 per adult on November 11 (based on 2 adults), departures at 9:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. · ★ 4.6 (48 reviews)

Book my Vienna Forest tour

5. Vineyard and harvest 2026: two figures to read with caution

Vienna’s vineyard area is not measured in one way. A regional promotional text cites 575 hectares; the professional guide Meininger cites 612 hectares within the city limits. Attribute each figure to its source: we do not choose between them. The 700 hectares sometimes seen in brochures is probably out of date. The same promotional sources say that about 80% of the area is planted with white grapes, and that Gemischter Satz, a field blend of several grape varieties, remains the reference.

For the 2026 harvest, the Austrian press, notably trend.at, repeats estimates presented at the Viennese press conference on September 10, 2026: about 1.7 million hectoliters for Austria, 28% below the 2021-2025 average, the lowest level since 2010 because of drought. The berries are small and the wine is aromatic, according to the same source. These are estimates, not Statistik Austria’s final figures: speak of the expected harvest, not of a vintage you can taste.

Should you expect higher prices by the glass this winter? The sources we consulted do not establish that, and we do not claim it.

6. Outside Vienna: Martiniloben and wine blessings

No Viennese Weintaufe (wine blessing) has been found for 2026. Blessings of new wine (Weintaufe or Weinsegnung) take place in Burgenland and Lower Austria during the Martiniloben: weekends of open cellars around November 11. Purbach, Jois, Podersdorf and Nußdorf ob der Traisen are among them. In Vienna, past editions were held at the Palais Niederösterreich, Lower Austria’s state palace (2008 and 2011, according to the press), but no 2026 edition has been found.

These villages are several dozen kilometers from Vienna. They are day trips to plan ahead, with a journey to check depending on your mode of transport. The table below comes from an aggregator, 1000things magazine (an unofficial source), and has not been confirmed by the municipalities: reconfirm the dates before you go.

Source: 1000things magazine (unofficial), « Martiniloben rund um Wien », updated October 6, 2026, checked on October 18, 2026. Dates and prices to be reconfirmed with the municipalities.

November 11 falls on a Wednesday, so most of these events land on a weekend. The weekday blessings on the program fall on Friday, November 13: Jois at 4 p.m., and Nußdorf ob der Traisen at 7:30 p.m. Purbach blesses its wine on Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m.

7. Lanterns and masses: the tradition, with no confirmed program in Vienna

In many Austrian parishes and neighborhoods, children march with lanterns on November 11 or the evening before, singing. The feast is also celebrated in church. The tradition is alive, but we found no lantern procession and no Saint Martin mass scheduled in Vienna for 2026. A procession announced in Hernals for November 7, reported in the local press (MeinBezirk), most likely refers to 2025: last year’s program proves nothing for this year.

The liturgical calendar page of the Archdiocese of Vienna describes the feast of Saint Martin, without a 2026 program. To find out whether your parish or district holds a procession, the safest step is to contact the parish or the district (Bezirk) directly: we could not verify this ourselves.

8. Budget: what November 11 really costs

The ranges below are not quotes. They come from published or checked prices, each with its source and date, to help you choose.

Two items are not priced, for lack of a reliable source: hotels in Vienna in November 2026 (the pages we found are promotional, with no source) and transport, whose 2026 fares we did not verify. Bring some cash: according to the nomadotravel guide, Heurigen often accept only cash.

9. A Wednesday, November 11, step by step

Here is one possible plan if you spend the day in Vienna. It assumes a reservation at the Gmoakeller or the Nigls, and an evening at a Heuriger.

• Midday: goose lunch at the Gmoakeller (open from 11 a.m., Monday to Saturday) or at the Nigls (Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m.). Book the day before if you can. The Nigls takes reservations by phone (+43 1 4949300) or by email.
• Early afternoon: stroll the neighborhood of your choice. If you want new wine from 1 p.m., the Heuriger Wiltschko in Mauer opens at that time on Wednesdays, according to wien.info.
• Late afternoon: head to Grinzing or Nussdorf (U4 to Heiligenstadt, then bus 38A; or tram 38 from Schottentor), or to Sievering and Neustift am Walde, which the traveler forum we consulted cites as alternatives to Grinzing.
• Evening: a Heuriger away from Grinzing, with a glass of new wine and time to try the Sturm or this year’s wine.

If you book the Vienna Forest tour, the plan changes. With a 9:30 a.m. departure, the return around 1:30 p.m. leaves little room for a goose lunch that day; with a 2 p.m. departure, lunch at noon is still possible. Either way, book the evening at a Viennese Heuriger.

10. Depending on your travel style

• Families: the Gmoakeller is open on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to midnight, which leaves one Saturday for a goose lunch with the kids before November 21. The weekends of November 6 to 8 and November 13 to 15 are when most Burgenland Martiniloben take place.
• Couples: a Heuriger in Mauer, reached by the 60 tram, or an evening in Sievering or Neustift am Walde, away from the Grinzing tour buses. Book a table if you want a specific spot.
• Budget: choose a Heuriger, estimated at €15 to €30 per person, over the €36.80 Martinigansl. Book a Burgenland excursion only if the package includes a wine voucher, which partly offsets the price.
• First timers: order new wine by the glass. Cloudy Sturm is normal: it is drunk quickly, and it is not a fault.
• Limited mobility: we have no verified information on the accessibility of the Heurigen listed. Ask the establishment before you book.

11. Getting there and getting around

From Vienna Airport, one guide cites about 16 minutes on the City Airport Train to Wien Mitte, and about 25 minutes on the S7. These times come from a guide and an April 2024 timetable: check with the operators before you travel.

To Grinzing, the route most often cited is the U4 to Heiligenstadt, then bus 38A, about 22 minutes according to a route planner (Rome2Rio, estimate). The other option is tram 38 from Schottentor. Connections differ depending on your starting point: check the Wiener Linien timetables.

For Mauer, take the 60 tram. According to wien.info, the trip is a little longer than to Grinzing, with no travel time given.

For Burgenland, allow several dozen kilometers. We did not put a figure on the travel time: it depends on the mode of transport and the connections.

What other guides don’t tell you

Several pieces of information circulate without a source or with a wrong date. Here is what official or dated sources let us state, with the date consulted.

• November 11 is not a public holiday in Vienna. Only Burgenland takes the day off, where Saint Martin is the patron of the state. Official list of public holidays from the City of Vienna (consulted October 18, 2026).
• New wine remains a Heuriger until November 11, then becomes Alter. According to the City of Vienna. Young, cloudy wine is called Sturm according to a city tourism guide. wien.gv.at, Heurigen page (consulted October 18, 2026).
• The date refers to the burial of Saint Martin in 397, not to the goose legend. Wikidata gives November 8 as the date of death: noting the gap avoids a date error. German Wikipedia, Martinstag entry (unofficial source, consulted October 18, 2026).
• The Gmoakeller’s Martinigansl costs €36.80 in 2026. Articles from 2025 still cite €34.80. gmoakeller.at (consulted October 18, 2026).
• Purbach and Jois bless their wine in November 2026. Purbach on Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m., Jois on Friday, November 13 at 4 p.m. 1000things magazine (unofficial source, updated October 6, 2026, consulted October 18, 2026), to be reconfirmed with the municipalities.

Practical information for planning your stay

• Booking the goose: the Gmoakeller takes reservations through its form and through « Gansl vorbestellen » on its website; the Nigls by phone (+43 1 4949300) or email ([email protected]). Both websites were checked on October 18, 2026.
• Paying: Heurigen often accept only cash, according to the nomadotravel guide (undated). Bring small bills.
• Checking the day: the Gmoakeller is closed on Sundays; the Nigls opens on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the table in section 3.
• Confirming dates: Martiniloben programs and Heurigen hours should be reconfirmed with the establishments and municipalities before you travel.