For a country of roughly nine million people, Austria does not come up short with unique finds that are locally crafted and produced. Whether shopping in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, or Graz, this is an opportunity to discover far more interesting treasures, provided you know what to look for while visiting.
Wiener Porzellanmanufaktur Augarten: The World's Second-Oldest Porcelain Manufacturer
The Augarten porcelain manufactory was established in Vienna in 1718 which makes it the second-oldest porcelain manufacturer in Europe (after Meissen in Germany, founded 1710) and it is one of the few places that still produces hand-painted porcelain using techniques and designs that have been continuous for over 300 years. The manufactory occupies a Baroque palace in the Augarten park in Vienna's 2nd district, and visitors can tour the production facility to watch painters working by hand on the distinctive white and floral pieces.
Augarten porcelain is irreplaceable. The specific white of the porcelain body (developed from kaolin sources in Bohemia), the historical design patterns that have been in continuous production, and the labor required for hand-painting make each piece a work of art. You can expect prices for a small decorative plate to begin around €100, and complete sets for eight can run into the thousands. These placesets are available for sale in the Augarten shop in the palace and in the flagship store on the Graben in Vienna's first district.
Loden Cloth and Traditional Austrian Dress
Austrian Loden cloth is a dense, water-repellent wool fabric with a felted surface and has been produced in the Salzkammergut and Tyrolean regions for centuries. The traditional Trachten (folk dress), the Janker jacket, the Lederhosen (leather breeches), and the Dirndl (women's traditional dress) represent a living craft tradition rather than a costume for Oktoberfest. In Austria, the Trachten is worn at weddings, at the opera, at Heuriger wine taverns, and in everyday life in rural and mountain communities without any sense of irony or datedness.
The finest Trachten is tailored by established Viennese tailors, and the great Trachten houses such as Lanz in Salzburg, Gössl with shops across the country, or Loden-Plankl in Vienna offer high quality and ready-to-wear pieces. A quality Dirndl begins around €300–400 or an authentic Loden Janker begins around €250–500 but, but these are garments built to last decades, not tourist novelties.
Handmade Glass from Riedel
Riedel glassware has been producing handblown glass in the Tyrolean town of Kufstein (and Wattens) since 1756. While Riedel is now a globally sold brand, the hand-crafted Sommeliers series and the commissioned pieces still produced at the Kufstein factory represent work not replicable elsewhere. A factory tour and purchase directly from the production site in the Tirol is an experience in itself. The grape-variety-specific glasses Riedel pioneered in the 1950s, the concept that the shape of the glass affects the taste of the wine transformed the international wine industry.
Austrian Schnapps and Alpine Spirits
Austrian Obstler (fruit schnapps) produced by small mountain distilleries is one of the most overlooked spirits traditions. Williams pear schnapps, apricot schnapps (particularly from the Wachau valley, where apricots are grown), and gentian root schnapps have no substitutes. The finest producers like Rochelt in the Tirol or Reisetbauer in Upper Austria are internationally recognized but extremely limited in distribution. And therefore, buying a bottle directly in Austria is often the only way to obtain them outside specialist import markets.
Demel Torte and Confectionery
Vienna's confectionery tradition, centered on the great Konditorei (pastry shops) of the first district, produces things that exist in a more refined form here than anywhere else. The Sacher torte is a dense chocolate cake with apricot jam, invented in 1832 and is made by two competing establishments (Hotel Sacher and Demel). These Viennese versions have a freshness and a standard that the widely distributed export versions cannot match. Demel on the Kohlmarkt has been operating continuously since 1786, and its sugar confections, violet chocolates, and hand-crafted marzipan animals and figures are works of tasty art.
Mozartkugeln: The Real Version
The marzipan-and-pistachio-nougat chocolate balls called Mozartkugeln were invented by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890. The original Fürst Mozartkugel is still hand-made at the Fürst shop on Brodgasse in Salzburg, and it is wrapped in foil by hand, and sold only in-store and through extremely limited channels. They are perishable (unlike the mass-produced factory versions sold worldwide) and taste fundamentally different (think, more delicate, less sweet, and actual almond and pistachio). This is the product people mean when they say Mozartkugel. You buy them at Fürst in Salzburg, eat them within a few days, and savor.