Nine Unique Gifts to Buy in Vienna

From specialty fruit preserves to Habsburg figurines, Austria’s capital has it all

By Victoria Pope

Smithsonian Journeys Quarterly
April 28, 2016

In Vienna, shop clerks are specialists in behind-the-counter diplomacy. The welcome is warm. The attention polite, unaggressive, and tactful. Shoppers browse until help is needed; the hard sell never comes. If you say you want time to think about a purchase, the response is a graceful, “But of course you do!”

Apricot Jam

If you can’t make it to the Wachau Valley outside Vienna to sample a marille—a special local apricot ripened by the midsummer sun—the next best thing is to buy the preserves, bursting with natural sweetness and flavor. This jar is sold by the venerable Julius Meinl, whose flagship store at Graben 19 is a temple of fine food.

Read more about the Wachau Valley's marille apricots here.