Vienna City Guide

Page 22

Vienna City Guide

Everyday Shopping

Opening Hours

Department stores and retail shops in the city centre are usually open Monday to Friday

from 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. to between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Smaller stores in the suburbs often

close a bit earlier while major grocery stores are open from 8:00 a.m. to between 7:00 and

8:00 p.m. Smaller stores may also close for lunch. Saturday opening hours are generally

from 8:00 or 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

An exception are the grocery stores and shops at the main railway station and the airport.

They have extended opening hours into the late evening and are also open for business on

Sundays. Shops at petrol stations are an expensive choice, should beverages, food or

magazines be needed urgently out of business hours. Bakeries are also allowed to open on

Sundays, though they usually open for the morning only.

Shopping Areas

The main shopping area is located in the old town in between Kärntner Straße, Kohlmarkt

and Graben with big department stores, clothing shops and various other shops, offering a

wide variety of goods. There are also many designer boutiques and exclusive jewellery

shops.

The city’s longest shopping mile is Mariahilfer Straße with branches of chain stores and

many smaller shops of all kinds.

Shopping in the suburbs is more leisurely and multicultural with a neighbourly feeling. It is

easy to find Turkish, Greek and Italian markets, Thai and Indian shops. Japanese, Korean,

Arabian or African produce can also be purchased.

At the Naschmarkt (Linke Wienzeile in between Kettenbrückengasse and Naschmarkt) you

will find the traditional flea market, where you can get old and new, useful and useless

things in a multicultural ambience. It takes place all year round every Saturday from early

morning until around 6:00 p.m.

At the Spittelberg in the seventh district, there is an arts and crafts market on various

weekends from May to October (Saturday from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from

10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.). Market dates can be checked at www.spittelberg-

Supermarkets

You will find many supermarkets located conveniently all over the city. Spar probably has

most branches and a wider choice of brands, whilst for example Merkur, Penny, Billa and

Hofer are less expensive and offer their own brands. There are also supermarkets offering

organic produce only, such as Basic, Denn’s and Biofeld.

People usually bring their own bags for grocery shopping. Bags are not provided free of

charge but are available for purchase at around € 0.10 (depending on the size and material).

It is common to pack one’s own purchases at the supermarkets.

Some supermarkets have begun to offer home delivery services. Groceries can be

purchased online and will be delivered to your home, e.g. at