Shopping in Vienna
Wealthy Vienna drips in shops, from city centre multiples to bespoke designer boutiques. The Austrian capital is mainly free of modern malls – instead wide and beautiful pedestrianised streets are home to rows of stores that are a pleasure to browse in.
Key areas
The most interesting shopping locale in Vienna is the inner city, with its narrow streets and elegant facades. The large pedestrian zones along Kärntner Straße and Graben meet at the strikingly modern Haas Haus, which is full of exclusive shops whose mirrored facade seems to mock St Stephen's Cathedral, standing opposite.
The traditional shopping street of the Viennese is Mariahilfer Straße, between the Sixth and Seventh Districts. This street is home to major international stores selling clothing, music and other familiar commodities.
Schliefmühlegasse, adjacent to the Naschmarkt, is fast becoming one of the city's trendiest and most individual shopping streets, including shops devoted to Austrian champagne and recycled art, plus several interesting little bars and cafés.
Markets
Among the many markets in the city, the most popular is Naschmarkt. Home to over 120 stalls, this colourful attraction holds an array of fruit and vegetable stands, shops and eateries, located between the Linke and Rechte Wienzeile Streets, near Karlsplatz. The market is open Monday to Saturday. The Flohmarkt (Flea Market), at the far end of the Naschmarkt, comes alive on Saturday mornings, with some incredible bargains in second-hand clothes and goods, as well as more unusual items. During the festive season, the most popular Christmas and Advent market is the Christkindlmarkt, which is held in front of the Rathaus overlooking the Ringstrasse.
Shopping centres
The Ringstrassen-Galerien (www.ringstrassen-galerien.at), at Kärtner Ring 5-7, offers the convenience of a shopping centre, a short walk from the Staatsoper. One of Vienna's main shopping streets, Mariahilfer Straße, in the Seventh District, is home to another department store, Gerngross (www.gerngross.at/de/marken-shops). The Wien Mitte Mall (https://wienmitte-themall.at/en/wien-mitte-the-mall), located next to the Stadtpark and Ringstraße, is the largest and most modern shopping centre in Vienna.
Opening hours
Shops are generally open Monday to Friday 0900-1830 and Saturday 0900-1700/1800. Some shopping centres are open until 2000/2100 on weekdays.
Souvenirs
Forget cheesy souvenirs, Vienna is the place to come and really pick up pieces of quality craft and design. The MAK Design Shop, at Stubenring 5, is one of the best places to find high-quality examples of artisan design, from glasses and furniture to posters and sculpture. As the home of the Wiener Werkstätte (a group of visual artists who produced fine prints, wallpapers and cutlery 100 years ago), the shop also sells similar handcrafted design and hipster one-offs. Find fine examples of handcrafted Augarten Viennese porcelain at the Porcelain Museum store, at Obere Augartenstraße 1, where you can also take a behind the scenes factory tour. Other souvenirs include Viennese wine, snow globes (which were invented in Vienna) and Mozartkugel – a sweet treat of nougat, pistachio and marzipan.
Tax information
VAT can be reclaimed by visitors from outside the EU, on goods with a value exceeding €75. To make a claim, the tax-cheque must be filled in at the time of purchase. The rebate can be up to 15% of the purchase price.
