Global Flavors Gather At Vienna’s Largest And Oldest Market, Naschmarkt
by Heather Cassell
For centuries, Naschmarkt has been the place to be in Vienna.
The famed open-air market located at the Wienzeile in the heart of Vienna has been a destination for farmers and merchants from all over the city, the Austrian empire, and around the world and denizens and travelers alike since the 16th century.
However, in the centuries leading up to the beginning of the 20th century the market, didn’t change much.
Originally named by locals as Aschenmarkt, translated Ash Market, for either the milk crates made out of ash wood that established the current location for the market, according to the City of Vienna. Others speculate the name came from the area being the city’s former landfill for ash and waste.
In 1820, the locals renamed the market to Naschmarkt. No one really knows where the name came from. Some people speculate that the origins of the market’s name hailed from naschen, meaning to eat sweets, inspired by the sugared orange zests and dates that arrived from exotic distant lands and that can still be found at the market today.
The market was officially named Naschmarkt in 1905.
The Vienna River originally ran beside the market, but at the turn of the century the city built a tunnel for the river water to flow beneath the market and filled in the area to create more room for the merchant to sell their products.
Today, the market, that stretches from Karlsplatz toward Vienna University of Technology, is no different. It is the number one open-air market out of Vienna’s four main markets enjoyed by everyone. You can’t leave Vienna without experiencing Naschmarkt.
On any given day from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., you can catch Viennese and visitors shopping, dining, and drinking at the more than 120 stalls offering their taste buds the freshest fruits, vegetables and fish, meat and poultry to the latest culinary trends at the hippest restaurants that call the Naschmarkt home.
During the weekends, marketgoers are treated to a DJ spinning music as they hang out with their friends and shop. Comparing prices is easy as the market is with the times offering free Wi-Fi for chefs and locals to hunt for the best deals to tourists uploading their pictures to social media.
The markets tend to close around 5 or 6 p.m. on the weekends, but the cafes and restaurants stay open until late.
The market also offers antiques to fashion, especially at its popular Saturday Flea Market.
Around the Naschmarkt, diners can also find popular cafes, such as the historic Café Savoy, Café Drechsler, or Café Do-An that are just on the skirt of the market.
If you are looking for something sweet: Let the smell of bread, cinnamon and sugar lead you off the beaten path to Vollpension. Here, grandmas and grandpas bake up delectable cakes and sweets in a café that feels as comfortable and as warm as you remember from childhood at grandma’s house.
Naschmarkt, 1060 Vienna, Austria. Phone: +43 1 400005430. Website: www.wien.gv.at/freizeit/einkaufen/maerkte/lebensmittel/naschmarkt.
Book your next Vienna vacation with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .
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