Vienna Shopping

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Weihnachtsdorf am Schloss Belvedere
is a place I may mainly recommend because of its special place in front of Schloss Belvedere, that will be beautifully lighted as well. This market is quite small and it will also have less visitors than other markets. At the end of the market you will find a lovely nostalgic merry-go-round, it sounds like driven by steam, but I guess it is a replica with artificial sound...
NO dogs allowed at this market !!
In 2010 it is open between Nov. 19th and Dec. 23rd
daily between 11.00a.m. and 09.00p.m.

What to buy: Take a look at my last picture : that is the cup that you may get for just 2 euros deposit, when you buy a hot drink, and when you decide to take it home, you might even get a paperbag at the counter so you may pack it safely.

What to pay: Most prices are the same as at the other markets in Vienna !

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Spittelberger Weihnachtsmarkt
is famous mainly for 2 reasons :
1) Spittelberg is one of the old parts of the city with narrow streets, cobbled stones etc. and
2) in this area a lot of artists have settled and built their arteliers here, that are nowadays also part of the x-mas-market.
Spittelberg is a great place to walk through all year long, but it is certainly best at Christmas-time !
in 2010 it is open from Nov. 16th till Dec. 23rd
Monday-Thursday 03.00p.m. till 09.00p.m.
Fridays : 03.00 till 09.30pm
Saturdays : 10.00am - 09.30pm
Sunday & holiday (=dec. 8th) : 10.00am - 09.00pm
and December 8th : 10.00am - 09.30pm

What to buy: Besides a lot of things that you may get at all the other places as well, you will find some special works of art ONLY here at Spittelberg. In Spittelberg there are also some stands with handicrafts from Africa and other places from overseas

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The Weihnachtsmarkt of Schloss Schoenbrunn is in my opinion the most beautiful and most scenic one in Vienna :
That market will be set up inside the big court in front of the former summer-palace of the Austrian emperors and it consists of a large circle of shopping-stands and only 4 food-stands in the centre of that cercle, so you will hardly ever have to fight yourselves through crowds of people, but will have in fact a lot of space to walk freely and enjoy also the lovely scenery of the Schloss Schoenbrunn in the background.
This market is normally one of the first to open
and the last one to close :
In 2010 : from Nov. 20th - January 2nd
daily till Dec 23rd: from 10.00a.m. till 09.00 p.m.
At December 24th : 10.00a.m. till 04.00p.m.
At December 25th+26th : 10.00a.m.-06.00p.m.
From Dec. 28th till Jan. 2nd : 10.00am-05.00pm
This market is CLOSED AN Dec. 27th !!!

What to buy: At this market you will find a few stands with special handicrafts, that you will not find at most of the other christmas-markets in Vienna !
For the food I may recommend :
Kaiserschmarrn - MY favorite desert
Raclette and other cheese-specialities

What to pay: Prices will not differ a lot from other markets : Gluehwein is around 3 euro, for the beautifully decorated porcelain-cup you have to pay a deposit of 2 euros, and may keep it, some of the foodstands even give you a paper-bag to pack it safely !

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Antique & Kunstmarkt am Hof
is a market that is held normally only each saturday throughout the year, BUT before christmas it gets some "X-mas-touch" added with some food-stands and christmas-decorations and is held the whole week according to the schedule below !
This market is certainly a lot better than the ordinary flea-market of Vienna (In Naschmarkt), you will find old books, works of art, jewelery, fine furniture etc.
Antique & Kunst-Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof is
in 2010 between Nov. 12th and Dec. 23rd
daily : 10.00 noon - 08.00p.m.

What to buy: At this Christmas-market you will find plenty of things that you will not find at any other place : "Blechspielzeug" - see my 2nd picture, they are toys made of thin steel, like they are collectable items rather than toys for children. You will also find vintage clocks, great furniture, porcelain etc.
The cup that you get here for the drinks is not fancy at all, in fact it shows advertisments for taxis etc., MY favorite food there, and not to be found at any other place "Fladenbrot" similar to Pizza, but a lot thinner

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Adventzauber am Rathausplatz is the largest of all christmas-markets in Vienna and it includes a lot of activities for children, like rides in a train for children, pony-carriages, small huts, where professional actors are reading fairy-tales etc. A lot of the many giant trees in the park are lighted in a really beautiful way and there are benches as well (and in dec. 8th,2006 it was even warm enough to sit there...).
Some years ago you could buy socks, steam-irons etc. there as well, THAT IS OVER NOW : This market is a must, especially when you considder the scenic place between Burgtheater and the Rathaus (townhall), also the paths between the stands are wider now and mostly you will have enough space to walk through the market.
In 2010 this market is open Nov. 13th till Dec. 24th
daily from 10.00a.m. till 09.30p.m.
Fri & Sat. it closes at 10.00pm
It ends already at 06.00p.m. at dec.24th !!
Dogs are allowed here !

What to buy: There are almost the same goods that you may buy also at the other x-mas-markets as well.
The drinks are served in porcelain-cups that you have to pay 2 euros for a deposit !
You may take it home as well, the one of Rathausmarkt looks really nice !

What to pay: Glühwein / Punch etc. starts with a price of 3 euros, same prices as all other markets !

Travelers who have been to Vienna have heard of Sacher Torte and most likely they have tried it and have brought some as gifts to their loved ones.

The shop is on the first floor of the hotel and in the most popular street in Vienna - Kaerntner Strasse.

Sacher-Confiserie shop looks putzig and gemuetlich :D

What to buy: Sacher Torte, Pralines, Honey, Coffee, etc.

What to pay: For a box of pralines, you'll spend Euro 13, for a Sacher Torte Piccolo, you'll have to pay Euro 19.50.

The concept behind the Michaela Frey boutiques is to get inspiration from art to create jewels.

What to buy: I like especially the collection "Hommage a Gustav Klimt" because Klimt himself was a supporter of decorative arts.
The enamelled jewels, however, are not the only things inspired by Klimt's works. The boutiques sell also accessories such as silk scarves and neckties.
There is also a more recent line with a Viennese flavour: "Hommage a Hundertwasser".

Bailoni is a company making schnaps and liqueurs from apricots, that in Austria are called Marillen.

What to buy: The Schnaps are distilled, so their concentration of alcohol is high: 40%. It is not sweet (all the sugar has turned to alcohol!) and the apricot can be felt only in the flavour.
The liqueur, instead, is sweet, however its contents of alcohol is not so low: 30%.
There is no risk of mistaking one for the other: the liqueur is amber colour, and the schanps colourless like vodka.

What to pay: The half-litre bottle you see in the picture was paid 9.50 euro at the airport.