From trendy to trad

    ‘A diamond for everyone’ was the aim of Daniel Swarovski, who devised the process for manufacturing brilliant artificial crystals. He founded the Swarovski company in Wattens, Austria, 122 years ago. Today there are two Swarovski shops on Vienna’s famous Kärntner Strasse. The dazzling flagship store is at Number 24. With three floors of displays and ‘installations’, you can immerse yourself in a world of sparkle. A champagne bar is at hand if you find yourself flagging. https://kristallwelten.swarovski.com/Content.Node/wattens/index.en.html If bling’s not your thing, two doors away from Swarovski is Lobmeyr, an iconic Viennese shop for classic crystal and china. A Lobmeyr paperweight engraved with an initial or message is a traditional Viennese gift. The company is run by the sixth generation of the Lobmeyr family, whose ancestors were Purveyors to the Imperial Court. Karntner Strasse 26. http://www.lobmeyr.at./ Also on Kärntner Strasse is Paul Vienna, a popular men’s clothing shop at Number 14 . The staff at Paul’s will help you put together a look you’ll love from the shop’s collection of carefully selected brands. https://www.paul-vienna.at/ One of the most celebrated men’s outfitters in the world, Knize, is on Graben at Number 13, The distinctive shopfront as well as the interior were designed in 1910 by Adolf Loos, and are the epitome of old-world elegance – as is their merchandise. A bottle of their own perfume ‘Knize Ten’ makes a special souvenir, as would one of their handcrafted neckties. http://knize.at/ With a few days in Vienna, you’ve time to indulge yourself in a made-to-measure shirt or two from Gino Venturini. A shirt will cost about €200 made up in your choice of fabric, fitted and finished to absolute perfection. Gino Venturini, Spiegelgasse 9. http://venturini.at/ All shops mentioned above are closed Sunday and public holidays but open from at least 10.00 until 18.00 weekdays and until 17.00 on Saturdays. See websites for details. If you’re more of a desperation shopper than a destination shopper, here are three suggestions for combining quick souvenir shopping with your Vienna sightseeing: on your way from a look at the Hapsburg Palace have coffee in nearby Demel, Kohlmarkt 14; their elegantly packaged treats make very welcome gifts. Open every day 08.00 to 19.00. If you’re visiting the Modern Art Museum browse the Mumok gift shop (also open daily), which is especially useful for sourcing surprises for the young ones on your list, and finally, call in to any supermarket for nicely presented chocolates at much lower prices than in speciality shops. If you’re looking for an upmarket supermarket make it Julius Meinl, Graben 19, where you could also lunch in style. https://www.meinlamgraben.at/content.aspx?target=276263   3ToKnow Proprietors throw water 
on potential smoking ban A total ban on smoking in Austrian restaurants was due to come into effect in May 2018; however, the incoming government quashed that ruling, focusing instead on raising the legal age for smoking from 16 to 18. Unless the anti-smoking efforts of the Viennese Medical Chamber succeed in having the issue raised in parliament again, the 2009 regulations – widely flouted – are in place. These require larger establishments to set aside a ‘separate room for smokers’. A quarter of Austrians are regular smokers, causing some proprietors to fear loss of clientele if anti-smoking laws were put in place. For those for whom a totally non-smoking restaurant is a non-negotiable issue, the German-language website https://da.stinkts.net/ has recommendations Learn to speak German with A Viennese whirl The Viennese speak German with a few variations of their own; a hundred years ago it was even possible to determine from which specific district of Vienna a speaker came based on his or her pronunciation and vocabulary. Dialects like Schönbrunner Deutsch, named after the court of the Hapsburg Empire where it developed (it is said to sound like German spoken with a French accent), were still in use in some circles. Today, the overall tendency in Vienna, particularly among young people, is towards standard German. Nevertheless, two typical greetings you may hear in Vienna are ‘Servus’, which among friends does for both hello and goodbye, and ‘Gruss gott’, which is locally preferred to the German ‘Guten tag’. Before you leave a tip, always 
remember to ask for your change How much and who to tip in Vienna? Here are some guidelines: gratuities for hotel staff are covered by a 10% surcharge on the hotel bill, but give a few euro to porter and chambermaid. Tip the concierge for any special service. In restaurants, round up the bill to the nearest even number (e.g 16 becomes 20) and include it in the amount you pay; if you require change, specify or it will be considered the tip. (Don’t leave the tip on the table.) In bars, the bill should be rounded up by 5 or 10%. In taxis, round up the fare by 10%.