Kärntnerstrasse

Kärntnerstrasse Review

Kärntnerstrasse remains Vienna's leading central shopping street, if much maligned. Too commercial, too crowded, too many tasteless signs, too much gaudy neon—so the complaints go. Nevertheless, when the daytime tourist crowds dissolve, the Viennese arrive regularly for their evening promenade, and it is easy to see why. Vulgar the street may be, but it is also alive and vital, with an energy that the more tasteful Graben and the impeccable Kohlmarkt lack. For the sightseer beginning to suffer from an excess of art history, classic buildings, and museums, a Kärntnerstrasse window-shopping respite will be welcome.