-
Mörtz
On any given weekend, elderly ladies and gents of the city can be seen riding the buses and trams to the Wienerwald for a bit of Wandern (hiking). Their boots look as though they've survived both world wars and they'd easily survive another couple - and they're probably from Mörtz. Here you can find superb handmade hiking boots sturdy enough for any hike you care to undertake, and they're comfortable to boot.
-
Mühlbauer
Adorning Viennese heads since 1903, Mühlbauer embodies the spirit of fun that hat-wearing in the 21st century should be all about: cool without being unapproachable, glamorous without being stuffy. Cloches, pillboxes, caps and even bonnets - designs nod to the traditional but with colours and detailing that are oh-so now (see the current collection on their website). There's a range of hats for men, too.
-
Nagy Strickdesign
The stripy cotton and viscose knitwear here is both classic and up-to-the-minute, with flattering shapes and vivid colours, and designs for hot and cold weather. There are also linen pants and skirts in a refreshing range of bright colours and casual styles.
-
Oberlaa
Oberlaa sells some of the most beautifully packaged chocolates in Vienna (in the face of some pretty stiff competition). Even more exquisite are their 'LaaKronen' - brightly coloured macaroons, in flavours like pistachio, lemon and strawberry, available singly or in gorgeous boxed sets. There are five other branches around town.
-
Opern Confiserie
An old-fashioned confectionery store in the midst of buzzing Kärntner Strasse, with a dizzying array of handmade truffles, many-shaped marzipan, and brightly coloured fruit gelées . Look out for Austrian-made Bachhalm handmade chocolate bars with chunky ingredients - from standards like pistachio to more challenging taste concepts such as rose petal and shitake mushroom.
-
Orator
Orator is one of a handful of specialist photography shops at the western end of Westbahnstrasse. The range of digital and SLR cameras and lenses is quite impressive, and the second-hand stock is worth browsing through. A technician is available to do repairs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
-
Österreichische Werkstätten
Bypass the ground floor (mostly high-end tourist tat) and go upstairs for the good stuff. Established in 1945, Österreichische Werkstätten is dedicated to selling work made by Austrian companies and designed by Austrian designers. Look for Kisslinger, a family glassware company since 1946 with Klimt- and Hundertwasser-styled designs, Peter Wolfe's traditional Tirol-style designed glassware and of course the world-renowned Reidel wine glasses.
-
Palmers
As Marks & Spencers' undies are to British women, so Palmers' are to Austrian women. Their own-brand underwear is reasonably priced, well-made and sexy. They've branched out into undies for men, too.
-
Park
A serious designer store in a stark all-white 480 sq metre space, Park stocks fashion books and magazines as well as cutting edge fashion from designers such as Hussein Chalayan and Raf Simons. They also sell the fantastic artist-designed 2k tees (www.2ktshirts.com) from Japan.
-
Phili's - With Love
A shop for girly girls - think frilly pink umbrellas, glam-and-glitter jewellery, flowery hoodies, trainers and boots. Even tomboys might be swayed by the super-cute novelty totes and handbags from cult Danish label Apfelsina and a range of other carefully chosen bits and bobs by hip labels from around the world.
-
Advertisement
-
Piccini Piccolo Gourmet
Piccini stocks only the finest and freshest goods from Italy, all of which are handled with love and care - wines, multitudes of varieties of dried pasta, 20-odd different types of salami, olives and oil. It's also a superb restaurant .
-
Polyklamott
This low-key secondhand shop is filled with eminently rummagable racks of reasonably priced gear for men and women. Their own-brand retro satchels round out the selection, and the automatic clothes dispenser - all items in the Automat are around €5 - is open for business 24 hours a day.
-
Prachner Im Mq
A must for coffee-table connoisseurs, this luxuriously airy and browse-friendly space hosts a serious collection of books on art, photography, fashion and design theory, including a great range on the history of Austrian and Viennese art and design.
-
R Horns
The leathergoods at this classy store follow the philosophy of the Wiener Werkstätte with classic, elegant styles, immaculately finished. Most items are in calfskin with dark green moiré lining. Handbags, wallets, briefcases and accessories come at a price, but these are long-term investments, not faddish fashion pieces.
-
Rave Up
Friendly staff, loads of new vinyl and a massive collection makes a trip to Rave Up a real pleasure. The store specialises in indie and alternative imports from the UK and US, but you'll find plenty of electronica, hip-hop and retro tunes, and you can listen before you buy.
-
Shakespeare & Co
This beautifully cluttered bookshop in a charming area just off Judengasse stocks Vienna's best collection of literary and hard-to-find titles in English - history, culture, classic and modern fiction - with a wide range of titles about Austria and by Austrian writers displayed separately. The personalised and friendly service makes this the best place in town to come for your train and plane reading needs.
-
Shipping
An explosion of colour in the sedate backstreets behind the Burgtheater, this shop specialises in toys for adults - tacky-groovy plastic food-serving sets in bright colours, fake plastic food and lots of other useless but fun objets d'kitsch.
-
Shu!
Shoe fanatics flock to this store in droves for the latest styles by Camper, Vic Matie, Gidigio and more at easy-on-the-wallet prices. In this spot for eight years, Shu! stocks men's and women's shoes.
-
Song
Song stocks the latest and most cutting-edge gear from top international designers like Martin Margiela, Balenciaga and Walter van Beirendonck - lots of asymmetrics and unexpected fabrics.
-
Spielzung
Beautifully wrought models - circuses, carousels, the Riesenrad - and slightly spooky handmade dolls are the mainstays of this famous shop, in Vienna for 40 years. Prepare to be enchanted and bemused by the huge array of dollhouse accessories - tiny plastic meals for dolls include tiny eggs in tiny eggcups and a tiny roast chicken meal complete with tiny carrots.
-
Advertisement
-
Staud
The family business Staud has been making jams and pickled vegetables and fruit for more than 30 years. Prices are more than you'd pay in supermarkets for other brands, but the quality is by far the best in Vienna. Saturday morning is a great time to visit, when the nearby Brunnenmarkt is in full swing.
-
Substance
Substance stocks the weird, the wild, the wicked and the wonderful - electronica, indie rock, world music, new and second-hand LPs and a small collection of music books and cult novels, mostly in English. It's a good place to find out about upcoming gigs.
-
Szaal
Szaal is a specialist in Biedermeier and baroque furniture, dating from around 1700 to 1840. You'll also find a few pieces from the late-19th and 20th centuries. Shipping can be arranged.
-
Teuchtler
This is where you might just find that LP you've been searching the world for. Founded in 1948 and now run by the third generation of the family, this truly amazing record shop is a Vienna institution. The walls are lined with shelves of tightly-packed vinyl - around 500,000 according to the owners' best guess. They buy and exchange records and CDs, including rare and deleted titles.
-
Thalia
Vienna's biggest bookshop, spread over four floors including a café, Thalia has an 'International Bookshop' at the back of the ground floor with lots of bestsellers in English and a small selection of books in Spanish, French, Italian and Russian.
