Vienna not only lets you see beautiful
things,
they can be yours to take home. The most
"homosexual" shopping area - in close proximity to the Gay District along Linke Wienzeile - is
Mariahilfer Strasseand its sidestreets with
large department stores and trendy boutiques.
Here you will find H&M stores as well as G-Star,
Peek&Cloppenburg, and many other big and
small specialty stores, offering anything from
fashion to furniture. At the store ,Tiberius - in
a side street (7., Lindengasse 2a) of Mariahilfer
Strasse - aficionados will find an impressive
assortment of erotic leather and latex clothing
and the must-have accessories that go with
these outfits. Similar "gear" can be found at the
Spartacus XXLStore(6., Mariahilfer Strasse 49).
The selection in this store is very large and diverse but it is part of a big sex
store; not necessarily a place to take
your mother.
Haute Couture for the rich and famous can be found in the city center on Kohlmarkt, Graben, and Kärntner Strasse. Here, the Vienna flagship stores of brands like Armani, Boss, Cartier, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Zegna will fulfill your most eclectic desires. At the end of Kärntner Strasse — right next to the Opera — stop by the Ringstrassen Galleries. The exclusive boutiques in this upscale mall let you shop even if the weather is not that inviting.
If you prefer your leather as book covers, don’t miss the gay and lesbian bookstore Löwenherz (9., Wasagasse 14). Most international gay magazines, the latest fiction in German and English, a good selection of gay videos, DVDs and photoart books are available here.
Afterwards, succumb to the charm of
settling down next door, in the Cafe
Berg, to browse through your puchases over a good cup of coffee.
Whoever prefers first rate Austrian
design and current art and fashion
from Central and Eastern Europe will
discover it at the tradeshows
Viennafair,Blickfangand
Modepalast.
A unique
shopping experience of a different sort can be found atthe flea market at Naschmarkteach Saturday
morning (right next to the U-Bahn
stop Kettenbrückengasse). Kitschy
heirlooms and precious treasures
have changed ownershere.
Rummaging through the stuff on
display is fun even if - as on any
flea market - some of the things
offered can only be qualified as
junk. Traditionally such a Saturday
morning at Naschmarkt should end
at Café Savoy.
Architekturzentrum Wien
7., Museumsplatz 1,
at the MuseumsQuartier
Phone: +43 (1) 522 31 15
Hours: daily 10 am-7 pm
www.azw.at
