Shopping in Vienna is pure pleasure. Whether in the city centre or the surrounding districts, everywhere you turn you will find elegant boutiques, department stores and a surprising number and range of speciality shops interspersed with a wealth of cafes, bars, and restaurants that are just perfect for those life-saving breaks in any shopping tip.
And yet, there are some places in Vienna where stores are even more diverse and shopping is even more fun:
Vienna City Centre
Vienna’s most fashionable shopping streets are located right in the heart of the city. All of them are just a stone’s throw away from the iconic Stephansplatz, the square in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, all of them are pedestrian zones, and all of them are well worth a visit – even if your budget doesn’t stretch to accommodate designer clothes and bags or jewellery:
Kärntner Strasse
Stretching from the Opera house to the Stephansplatz, the pedestrianised Kärntner Straße is one of the most popular shopping streets in Vienna. Expect to find upscale stores alongside all major high street clothing stores (H&M, Zara, Mango, and the like), as well as Swarovski’s flagship store, many a souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, and even the Vienna Casino.
Graben
The Graben runs from the Stephansplatz to the junction of Kohlmarkt and Tuchlauben and offers a varied mixture of luxury brands, exclusive boutiques, footwear specialists, watch shops and beauty stores. The highlight for foreigners and visitors alike is the traditional up-scale supermarket Meinl am Graben.
Kohlmarkt
The Kohlmarkt, stretching from the upper end of the Graben to the Michaelerplatz, is Vienna’s centre of jewellery and precious gems. Alongside international jewellery brands like Tiffanys and Cartier, you can find a good selection of designer stores, high-end book and stationery shops, as well as Vienna’s famous royal & imperial confectionary Demel with its incredible (and literally drool-worthy) store display window.
Goldenes Quartier
The Goldenes Quartier, the Golden Quarter, spans the area between Tuchlauben, Bognergasse and Seitzergasse, and is Vienna’s latest destination for luxury fashion. It is home to an impressive array of flagship stores and branches of international hight-fashion labels like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, DSquared2 and even Agent Provocateur, to name but a few.
Other Locations
Mariahilfer Straße
Running between the Ringstrasse and the Westbahnhof, this is Vienna’s longest (and most popular) shopping street. Here you can find a great mixture of department stores, footwear, high street fashion brands, book stores, stationery shops, small boutiques, alternative fashion, eateries and cafes of all sizes and price ranges, as well as a lot of specialised shops. The Mariahilfer Straße, basically, caters to every need, want, taste, and budget.
Landstraßer Hauptstraße
This shopping street in the 3rd district shares the position of Vienna’s second longest shopping street with the Kärntnerstraße. In contrast to its high-end sibling, the Landstraßer Hauptstraße is a place that caters to every budget. Here, contemporary fashion stores are comfortably tucked in between traditional boutiques and a wide range of shops, eateries and cafes offering culinary delights.
