cheap shopping malls in Vienna
 

Which one is considered cheaper for cloths: DONAUZENTRUM or Gerngross at Mariahilferstrasse? I want to spend 4-5 hours at a place I could do some cloth shopping (prefer a heated place like a mall). Espacially shopping for me and my child that stays at home (3 years old).

Also is DONAUZENTRUM 12 minutes ride on U1 from Stephansplatz or will it take me an hour for waiting and riding towards the mall?

Donauzentrum is a larger mall with many stores; Gerngross is a much smaller complex. Mariahilferstraße is a long street with many stores in many price ranges, but does require being outside. Your time would be better spent at Donauzentrum.

From the U1 at Stephansplatz the ride is 15-20 minutes to Kagran, and about a 10 minute walk from there.

Gerngross is no real shopping center or mall but rather the size of regular department store with many shops on open plan inside.
Donauzentrum offers a much wider variety and is a real mall.
You will find also all chain stores that offer cheap(er) clothes there like C&A, New Yorker, H&M, Zara, Bershka..
The Peek & Cloppenburg anchor store should also be worth checking out there.
Also the more mid-range chains like Bench, S.Oliver, Hollister, Desigual etc.
And it's literally just a stone's throw away from next subway stop "Kagran" on U1 line.
Just keep in mind that stores close at 8 mon-fri, and at 6 on sat, closed sun.

lol.. 44travel beat me by one minute :)

ok..so in respect of prices it's the same Donauzentrum and Mariahilferstraße? or at least the difference is not that high (not like Kärntner Straße for example)?

An heated mall like Donauzentrum is better but I would also want good prices so I could do my shopping...

Thanks! :-)

"Good prices" is relative.
Even Kärtner Str. features low-end chain stores like H&M.

All chain stores put the same price stickeron their clothes, regardless in which franchise they get sold.
It does not matter if you go to Zara on Mariahilfer Str., in the Donauzentrum mall or on Kärntner Str. If a sweater is €39.90 in one store, it will be €39.90 in every store.

Many chains even have just one price for the whole Euro zone, or lump together several coutries. You will see that on the price tags where you usually have one price in Euro, one in Sterling, and a dozen other European currencies.

When there are chain-wide sales it is the same everywhere.

It can make a difference, though, if you aim for somewhat more pricier brands like Hilfiger or similar which have both, flagship stores in upscale locations and regular shops in malls like Donauzentrum. Here you can expect (with some generalization allowed) more stuff on sale in the regular stores than in the flagship.

Just when you stray away from the chains, you will find more upscale (and often independent) "boutiques" at Kärtner Str. Or the more expensive, high-end brand chain stores.

At Donauzentrum it's like in a regular US mall, with mostly low end to mid range stores, and no high end retail like Prada or such.

For bargain hunters there is an outlet shopping center an hour away from Vienna, but I doubt that it is worth the trip for a tourist.
http://www.mcarthurglen.com/at/desig...t-parndorf/en/

If you come from the US, you will probably find that the exchange rate to the euro and the general price level will make most clothes shopping cheaper in the US than in Austria.

Another mall to consider is the new one in Gerasdorf, G3. There is a special shuttle from the end of the U6 at Floridsdorf directly to the mall. The Primark store at G3, an Irish brand, is very competitive with H&M and sells mainly fair-trade items. The mall also has all the major stores that Cowboy1968 mentioned.

If you are coming from or will be in the US - the prices are definitely cheaper here. Plus we have sales all the time - unlike some other countries where there are sales only once or twice a year.

Thanks a lot!

Well I don't think bargin prices can be associated with Vienna but I wants to come back from the trip with nice cloths and I want it not to be expensive so I could buy some more items. We would not take a ride of an hour for each direction but want to spend few hours in a shopping area so I could be satisfied. I think getting in and out of small stores to the street can be problematic becuase of the temperature differences (I guess we won't take off our 3-4 layers of cloths every 10 minutes). So I thought a mall in the center is a good idea, maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.

Donauzentrum seems the best choice to fit your criteria.

The center was enlarged several years ago. Numerous shops and easy access by UBahn line U-1 from city center to stop Kagran.
Shopping Center is just across the street from the UBahn as recorded above - not 10 minutes walk as mentioned on one of the other above posts.
www.donauzentrum.at
Gerasdorf- is a 30 minute or so ride on a bus from the UBahn stop Floridsdorf - line U-6 this stop is a good ride with a change from city center - not worth the extra time in my opinion.