Shopping in Vienna
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Vienna Shopping
The Kärntnerstrasse, Graben, and Kohlmarkt pedestrian areas in the 1st District, Inner City, claim to have the best shops in Vienna, and for some items, such as jewelry, they're probably the some of the best anywhere, but prices are quite steep. The side streets within this area have developed their own character, with shops selling antiques, art, clocks, jewelry, and period furniture. Ringstrasse Galerie, the indoor shopping plaza at Kärntner Ring 5-7, brings a number of shops together in a modern complex, though many of these stores have other, larger outlets elsewhere in the city. Outside the center, concentrations of stores are on Mariahilferstrasse, straddling the 6th and 7th districts; Landstrasser Hauptstrasse in the 3rd District; and, still farther out, Favoritenstrasse in the 10th District.
A collection of attractive small boutiques can be found in the Palais Ferstel passage at Freyung 2 in the 1st District. Another good shopping street is Landstrasser Hauptstrasse in the 3rd District, where there is also a small market. Gumpendorferstrasse, in the 6th District, is rapidly turning into one of the hippest shopping destinations in town, with small boutiques, trendy hairstylists, and great eateries. Then there's the 7th District Neubau, which is starting to compete for the title of hippest of all. On Neubaugasse, Kirchengasse, Lindengasse, and the quaint Mondscheingasse, fashionistas can find unique clothing, jewelry, and footwear in lovely little boutiques; a whole new group of designers has moved into the latter area. Not far away, at the Spittelberg market, on the Spittelberggasse between Burggasse and Siebensterngasse in the 7th District, are small galleries and handicrafts shops; this area is particularly popular in the weeks before Christmas and Easter. Christmas is the time also for the tinselly Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz in front of City Hall; in protest over its commercialization, smaller markets specializing in handicrafts have sprung up on such traditional spots as Am Hof and the Freyung (1st District), also the venue for other seasonal markets.
Vienna's Naschmarkt (between Linke and Rechte Wienzeile, starting at Getreidemarkt) is one of Europe's great and most colorful food and produce markets. Stalls open at 6 am, and the pace is lively until about 6 pm. Saturday is the big day, though, when farmers come into the city to sell at the back end of the market, but shops close around 5 pm. Also on Saturday is a huge flea market at the Kettenbrückengasse end. The Naschmakt is closed Sunday.
