Christmas market at Maria Theresien Platz by 12 degrees C

Ah, Vienna - the city fills us with music. We can’t help it, but it also makes us think of The Sound of Music, even though that musical took place in another Christmas “markt” town, Salzburg. It also makes us think of the fancy Hapsburg family and some of the brightest Christmas lights in Europe.

On Wednesday we put together a photo montage of some of our favorite things about Salzburg’s Christmas markets, so today we offer “some more of our favorite things” about Vienna’s Christmas markets.

(Cue: music!)

Brown paper packages (and puppets and ornaments) tied up with string…

Photo courtesy of tttaaaooo

**Tip: Be sure to pick up a Mozart-themed tree ornament, of which there are many.

Cream colored (Ok, so he’s brown.) ponies and crisp apple streudels…

Photo of the Christmas mini-horse by PaulaFunnell

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes…(but we’ll settle for boys in parkas)-

Ice skating at Town Hall; photo by Premshree Pillai

Snowflakes (stenciled into fancy decorations) that stay on my nose and eyelashes…

Photo of holiday lamps courtesy of Edi Weissmann

Silver white winters that melt into spring…

Photo by mosint

Ooooh.

Photo of Vienna’s Townhall by ahisgett

 Ahhh.

Photo taken in front of Schonbrunn Palace, by tomanthony

Fancy!

These are some more of our favorite things!

(Repeat all verses.)

Popularity: 18% [?]

Art and Paris are forever linked—throughout history, popular culture, and in the minds of most visitors to the French capital. Reproduction posters, postcards, and vintage magazine covers allow tourists to bring home a frame-worthy piece of art history (often by the likes of Gauguin, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec) for a vraiment cheapo price.

Boutique or bouquiniste?

Gifts from museum shops or boutiques can be expensive. So, we suggest looking for inspiration at any of the city’s museums or art galleries, and then purchasing your souvenir posters at a riverside bouquiniste.  Similar in look to outdoor newsstands, these green stalls are located along the river Seine and sell vintage magazines and newspapers, as well as old maps of Paris, art reproductions, and French books. 

We especially love the colorful turn-of-the-century advertisements for liquor, cigarettes, cocoa, and milk, as well as the cabaret posters of the same era. Most wares will run you less than €10.

Souvenir savoir-faire

The first Seine-side salesmen appeared in the 19th century on quai Voltaire and sold many of the same items you still see sold today. In 1993, President Jacques Chirac created legal standards for the wooden stands. Today, around 250 vendors—bouquinistes—can be found in the city of light. Peppered along the right bank, on Pont Marie, at Quai du Louvre, the left bank, at Quai de la Tournelle, and the original quai Voltaire, they carry cheapo souvenirs in abundance.

Calling all Cheapos: Do you recommend buying souvenirs from a Parisian bouquiniste? Tell us about your experience below, or suggest another cheap Parisian souvenir!

Also see: Our list of recommended budget hotels in Paris.

Popularity: 19% [?]