Shopping

If your are the kind of shopper who travels the world in order to fill your wardrobe and home with great bargains and purchases, Vienna is the totally wrong place for you to visit. Shopping is not one of the highlights of the place and neither is the pricing. Shopping is an expensive affair in Vienna. If however, you are willing to spend the cash, Vienna is a treasure trove of antiques and classical items such as Romanesque and Basque furniture, sculptures and stone and porcelain figurines. Watch out however, because once you spend a fortune on any one of these articles, you also have to figure out how to take the humongous thing back home.

Vienna offers a very bazaar-like, open-air area for food articles and things of daily use. A variety of local and international products ranging from cheeses, wines, meats, vegetables, canned fish and caviar are available in these markets. The two most famous markets of this variety are Naschmarkt and Brunnenmarkt both of which are held on all days of the week. The former is located in a area fast becoming a posh and more expensive locality and this is amply reflected in pricing. Brunnenmarkt, however, continues to be a cheap place to buy local products.

Vienna is nevertheless a great destination to buy books, music and records of classical performances.

The best part of the shopping experience is that all price tags are inclusive of taxes so there are no hidden expenses. For sales or reduced prices look out for any sign with ‘Aktion' written on it.

Vienna also has a bustling second-hand market and products going on sale are advertised in the thrice-a-week magazine ‘Bazar'.

Mall

Donauzentrum

The largest shopping mall in Vienna.

Art / Antiques / Crafts Shops:

Dorotheum

Location: Dorotheergasse 17

Phone: 515 60-0, 01,

Web: www.dorotheum.com

This is an auction house where some of the most high priced antiques, painting and jewelry are put up alongside an affordable range of house products. Even if people are not interested in making a bid, they can sit and view the action if they please.

Dreimaderlhaus

Location: Wiedner Hauptstrasse 69

Phone: 505 85 28, 04

This is a place to get second hand pieces of furniture and antiques.

The Augarten Porcelain Factory

Location: Stock im Eisen Platz 3 and 06,

Mariahilfer Strasse 99

Phone: 512 14 94/01

Web: www.augarten.at

A great place to get original porcelain works.

Albin Denk

Location: 01, Graben 13

Crystal and porcelain articles at great prices and in greater variety.

Osterreichische Werkstatten

Location: Karntner Strasse 6

Phone: 512 24 18 / 01

Handicrafts, artistic jewelry and sculpted figurines are the best buys at this place.

Books and Music:

Amadeus

This is a bookshop chain in Vienna, which has a large collection of books, CD ROMs and even offers Internet access.

Location: Stores are located at

06, Mariahilfer Strasse.

03, Landstrasser Hauptstrasse

2a (by Wien Mitte).

Steffi at 01,

Karntner Strasse 19.

Virgin Megastore

Location: 06, Mariahilfer Strasse 37-39

This is the largest place to buy music, in terms of size and variety of collection, in Vienna. All types of music in all possible formats are available within a two-story shop.

Furniture

Szaal

Location: 74, Josefstadter Strasse

Phone: 406 63 30/08

A great place to get classical Biedermeier and baroque pieces for homes, clubs and patios. This company also arranges for shipment of goods to the buyer's destination or wherever required.

Wine:

Wein & Co

This is the place to buy great local and international wines at the cheapest rates.

Location: 01, Habsburgergasse 3

07, Mariahilfer Strasse 32-34,