Austria Travel Guide
VIENNA SHOPPING
The
longest and best-known shopping street is Mariahilfer Strasse, situated
between the city centre and the Westbahnhof (West Station). Here are
the large cheap chain stores with shoes, clothes and jewellery. Don’t
forget the side streets, such as Neubaugasse. Here you’ll find
young playful fashions, plenty of comical T-shirts, handbags, gadgets
and things from the 60s in Manga or Hello Kitty style. Other well-known
shopping streets are Kärntner Strasse, Graben and Kohlmarkt. Some
are exclusive traffic-free pedestrian precincts. In the MQ museum complex
there are several small intriguing boutiques with clothes and accessories
from
young designers.
If you prefer exclusive shopping, the fashion houses – the likes
of Chanel, Gucci, Cartier, Louis Vuitton – are sometimes cheek by
jowl. In district 1 you’ll find Armani at Kohlmarkt 3, Gucci at Kohlmarkt
4 and Chanel at Kohlmarkt 5. Vienna is the home city of the world-famous
designer Helmut Lang, and not surprisingly he has his own shop with fashions
for both men and women (Seilergasse 6. District 1). The Freihaus district
between Operngasse to Heumühlgasse has been compared to the Latin
Quarter in Paris or New York’s Greenwich Village. As a general rule,
the main street in every Bezirk (district) has many shops. Remember to
take cash, because not all shops accept cards.
HOTELS
Altstadt
Vienna The hotel owner is a globetrotter, and his philosophy is that you should
be able to feel at home even in a hotel. The history of
the house has been blended with a personal modern feel, and no two rooms
are alike. Address: Kirchengasse 41, district 7
Subway: Underground line U2, U3: Museumsquartier
Phone: +43 (0)1 522 66 66
Internet: www.altstadt.at
Hotel Das Triest Vienna’s first designer hotel, and Sir Terence
Conran’s first hotel project. Celebrities like Kylie Minogue, Robbie
Williams and Hugh Grant have stayed here. Address: Wiedner Hauptstrasse
12, district 6
Subway: Underground line U1: Taubstummengasse
Phone: +43 (0)1 589 18 0
Internet: www.dastriest.at
Rathaus (Town Hall) A hotel where wine and design go hand in hand. Each
room has been dedicated to a local winemaker – whose wines are available
in the room’s minibar. Address: Lange Gasse 13, district 8
Subway: Underground line U2, U3: Volkstheater
Phone: +43 (0)1 400 11 22
Internet: www.hotel-rathaus-wien.at
Riedl A small mid-range family hotel with 8 rooms, in a quiet location
near the Ringstrasse. Address: Georg-Coch-Platz 3/4/10, district 1
Subway: Underground line U1, U4: Schwedenplatz
Phone: +43 (1) 5127919
Internet: www.pensionriedl.at