Most of those who visit Vienna visit the world famous St.Stephen's Cathedral. The Haas Haus, right opposite the dome, is also well known - you simply cannot miss it! The Austrian architect, Hans Hollein, designed the new structure of the building, formerly used as a furniture and interior decorating store by Philipp Haas & Sons, who gave the building their name. During its planning and construction, the project came under much discussion and scrutiny, which is usual when new architecture is planned in an old part of city center. A mixture of office and retail, with a cafe and an expensive (but great) penthouse restaurant has calmed the Viennese folks' ire caused by the cylindrical house with its mirror facade.

In the 12th-century, the Graben (ditch) was a moat of water in front of the rampart. After it was filled in, people used it as a market place and today it is still a place of commerce. There are many old, well-established shops in the center of Vienna: the jewellers Haban and Heldwein, Meinl am Graben for gourmet food or Schwäbische Jungfrau, selling bed-linen. Today the Graben is a pedestrian area. But with all the wonderful shops you should not forget to look up from time to time - there are some beautiful old houses with wonderful fronts and gables.

With a magnificent view of the copper dome of the Michaelertor entrance to Hofburg, the pedestrianized Kohlmarkt is the Vienna equivalent of Bond Street, home to the likes of Gucci, Cartier and Dunhill. Apart from these temples of top class consumerism, there are also shop fronts designed by some of the leading names of 20th century architecture such as Adolf Loos's modernist Manz bookshop, Max Fabiani's Jugendstil Artariahaus housing, the Freytag & Berndt mapmakers and two shops by leading contemporary Austrian architect Hans Hollein at nos. 7 and 8-10. Not to be missed either is the Demel at no. 14, pastry cooks to the Habsburgs.

Between St. Stephens Cathedral and the Opera house, the Kärntnerstrasse is today a pedestrian area. Fountains with drinking water revitalize thirsty visitors and small trees surrounded by white seats are great for a quick rest. The shops reflect the changing of the times, which has manifested itself more and more in recent years. There are still some old, well-established shops such as Rosenthal (crockery), Sir Anthony (men's clothing) or Backhausen (textiles), but more and more international chains, such as Orsay, Pimkie or H&M seem to be taking over, so there is also plenty on offer for younger people.

If you prefer to shop in peace, then Landstrasse Haupstrasse is where you need to be. While many visitors crowd the stores on Mariahilferstrasse, the locals know that the same trendy shops and even a few more exciting ones are waiting for them sans lines on Landstrasse. The other perk to Landstrasse is that it starts at the airport train connection at the Wien Mitte station. So if you have just an hour or two left to kill in Vienna, take a nice stroll down this street full of stores and get your last minute souvenirs and bargains.

After the collapse of the iron curtain, Vienna's eastern neighbors entered and Mariahilfer Strasse became their shopping mile; special offers for household equipment and signs in Czech became the norm. Today, since the completion of construction on the underground, Mariahilfer Strasse has widened its pavements and gained a lot of new stores: Virgin Megastore, Turek, Peek & Cloppenburg, Mango and H&M, to name but a few. On Saturdays during the Advent season the street is a pedestrian zone only.