Shopping in Vienna on a Budget
When I first moved, I was so excited to do some European shopping in Vienna. Remembering my lovely shopping experiences in Madrid, I was excited to see how much cheaper, different, and more stylish stores were in Vienna compared to back home.
When I first arrived, I saw the shopping on Kohlmarkt and Graben, loaded with designer clothes and accessories and guarded by security guards… I thought, okay guess I won’t be buying any clothes for the next year.
I didn’t realize that there were actually loads of cool stores all over the city and at more affordable prices than back home.
First off, let’s talk locations. If you want some shopping that won’t break the bank and can be done done in a straight shot on a main street, check out Mariahilferstrasse. It’s Vienna’s longest shopping street and spans through the 6th and 7th districts.
Beyond that, there are several malls around the city:
Westbahnhof mall
Regrettably, I didn’t discover how great the mall in the Westbahnhof underground is until my last two weeks in Vienna. First of all they have a really cool Ströck (the chain bakery seemingly on every corner of Vienna) that serves a full breakfast. There’s also a Pimkie, Desigual, Body Shop, Thalia (books and arts supplies), Orsay, CCC, Claire’s (accessory store also in the U.S), Deichmann and more.
Wien Mitte mall
This is a great Ubahn station in my opinion as it’s very central, on the U4, and has a Der Mann (other chain bakery). Upstairs, you can also find some shops such as H&M, Desigual, and New Yorker.
Donauzentrum mall
Located in the 22nd, this mall has a Bik Bok, CCC, Deichmann, Bershka, H&M, Peek & Cloppenburg, Zara, Pull & Bear, Pimkie, and really anything else you could hope for, including a huge cinema.
Millennium City
This is a mall I didn’t really frequent since it’s a little out of the way in the 20th district. However, they do have a CCC, Deichmann, Mango, Pimkie, H&M, Orsay, and more. It also has a huge movie theater.
SCS shopping center (Shopping City Süd)
This is a huge shopping center south of Vienna that most people venture out to because it has Primark. Now if you’re a goonie American like me and have no idea what Primark is, imagine the clothing section of Walmart on a Saturday afternoon. This place is full of cheap (both in quality and price) goods and hungry budget buyers rampaging through the store with their shopping carts yelling “Achtung!” (watch out!). So it can be a little stressful and I suggest coming here during an off-time. You can definitely find some really cheap steals. I got a super cute sweater here that I constantly get compliments on for only 16 euros.
The shopping center also has a lot of the stores that are located on Mariahilferstraße. So generally I think it’s better to just walk down Mariahilfer rather than venturing all the way out to SCS, unless you super-need your Primark fix. To get here, you take the U6 all the way to Siebenhierten, and then there’s a free shuttle bus that goes right to the shopping center.
Now that we’ve talked about the locations to check out, let’s talk about the actual individual stores you should visit for some affordable, stylish new looks. Sure, they have H&M’s, Forever 21’s, and TK Maxx in Vienna (apparently it’s with a K, not a J in Europe), but there are stores that you simply must hit up while you’re in Europe.
For clothes:
Pimkie
Locations: Millennium Tower, Mariahilfer Straße, Westbahnhof, Donauzentrum, SCS shopping center, and several street locations
You’ll find Pimkie right when you emerge from the Neubaugasse UBahn. They have loads of cute, fun things from jeans to bomber jackets to hats, and for very affordable prices.
Bikbok
Locations: Mariahilferstraße and several street locations
Bikbok kind of reminds me of Pimkie. They have a lot of cute stuff generally for a younger crowd who’s not trying to break the bank.
Orsay
Locations: Mariahilferstraße, Millennium Tower, and several street locations
I love Orsay because I got some sick faux leather pants here for under 20 euros. The style here is a bit classier, more for the working lady, but you can find loads of great affordable pieces.
Pull & Bear
Locations: Mariahilferstraße, Donauzentrum, and several street locations
I fell in love with Pull & Bear when I first went to Spain, and I was psyched when I found out there was a location in Vienna as well. While I think the one in Madrid is bigger and better, you can find some great stuff at the Mariahilfer location as well. Some of their inventory is super funky and a little out there, but you can find some great buys nonetheless.
Mango
Locations: Kärntnerstraße, Mariahilferstraße, Donauzentrum, Millennium Tower
Mango can be a tad on the pricier side but you can definitely find some good stuff. I got two pairs of jeans here for 30 euros. They have beautiful winter coats and some fancier, more professional stuff as well as super funky clothes that make you look like a rock star. They have a few locations in the U.S as well.
Also check out:
Peek & Cloppenburg– It’s a huge department store, kind of like a Viennese Macy’s. There are definitely some sales here, but this is more of a place to go for an investment piece like a nice winter coat. They also have lots of beautiful ball gowns, but I’ll warn you, everyone and their mother go here for a ball gown. So you can’t guarantee you won’t see a few other ladies wearing the same thing.
Bershka and Vero Moda- Both on Mariahilferstrasse
Thrift Stores:
Bootik 54- Got a discount dirndl here, and saw some nice backpacks and bags for pretty cheap.
Humana Secondhand
For shoes and bags:
CCC
Locations: Mariahilferstraße, Westbahnhof, Donauzentrum, Millennium City, and several street locations
I love CCC. They have lots of different shoes, hats, and bags. I bought my favorite pair of shoes here, white sneaks with a gold front. Then I accidentally left them in my luggage on a Megabus and they’re gone forever. To this day it’s still my greatest regret.
Deichmann
Locations: Mariahilferstraße, Westbahnhof, several street locations, Millennium Tower,
Very similar to CCC. Makes U.S shoe stores look like overpriced trash malls.
For other goodies:
Flying Tiger
Locations: Wollzeile (center city), Kirchengasse (on the corner of Mariahilferstraße), Donauzentrum, SCS
Flying Tiger is my favorite place to go without having a goal of something you need to buy. They have loads of weird little gifts, gadgets, costumes, and accessories as well as useful things like fashion tape or cutting boards. They change their inventory constantly so you’re always in for a surprise when you get here. The way the store is set up leads you in a zig-zaggie path through the store so you can easily take a gander at all their merchandise.
Now shop on, friends!
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