Shopping in Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria is a great city for shopping and you will find stores with interesting good almost everywhere you wander. However, the main shopping corridor is along Kohlmarkt, Graben and Kartnerstrasse, which are pedestrian only walkways.
While you may see brands with which you are familiar, you will likely see numerous shop names that are new to you. The range of merchandise is tilted towards the high end, but there are plenty of “everyday” shops.
Our survey found shopping in Vienna to be expensive. So, if you can buy it at home, do so. However, it is likely that you will find the quality of clothing here much better than where you usually shop.
Though you will find several malls, most of the shopping is offered by individual stores located along pedestrian-only streets. Among the best shopping locations are the following. (Our shopping map shows these streets using a symbol to denote the street )
Kohlmarkt, which starts near the Hofburg, is only a block long, but has some interesting shops (and the Demel pastry shop).
Follow Kohlmarkt to Graben and turn right (south) for several blocks of fine shopping that lasts to the Stephansplatz, which offers several exclusive stores.
From there, turn right on Kartner Strasse for wall-to-wall shopping all the way to the Opera. You could spend hours in the shops here and that may appeal to some.
Across from the Opera you will find the Ringstraße Gallerien, an indoor luxury mall that has a number of exclusive stores. Of course, there is some shopping along the Ringstrasse, but nothing as interesting as along Kartner Strasse.
If you are a “trendy” shopper and want to wander outside of the Old Town (highly recommended) then head for Mariahilfer Strasse, one of the city’s longest and most interesting shopping venues.
Tip: Most subway station have a floor filled with shops, mostly featuring food, pastries, drinks and other treats and these are good places to grab a snack if your schedule is tight or if you want to take a sandwich and picnic.
The Naschmarkt
The Naschmarkt, one of the most popular of the outdoor markets in the city, is located along the Wien River. Foods of various types have been sold here for over four centuries.Largely a market for fruits vegetables, breads, meat and seafood, it has market stalls on one side and a string a bistros and restaurants on the other.
The Naschmarkt is a great place to buy some bread and fruit for a snack to take back to the hotel, or to gather the fixings for a picnic. The selection of produce seems to be strong all day long.
On Saturdays, Vienna’s largest flea market is held just down the street from the Naschmarkt stalls.
The Naschmarkt is located between Linke Wienzeile/ Naschmarkt and Rechte Wienzeile and open weekdays until the early evening. It closes earlier on Saturdays, although the restaurants stay open later in the evening.