Austria Supermarket Guide for Tourists

Everything you need to shop like a local in Austrian supermarkets

Grocery shopping in a new country can feel a little daunting—but it’s also one of the most insightful ways to experience everyday life.
This Austria Supermarket Guide will help you navigate supermarkets in Austria like a local.
Whether you’re stocking your holiday apartment, saving money on meals, or souvenir hunting, understanding how grocery stores in Austria work can make your trip smoother—and your meals more delicious.

From shopping hours and trolley tips to where to find a schnitzel sandwich or budget-friendly wine, this guide gives you everything you need to shop with confidence.

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The Ultimate Austria Grocery Store Tips

Austria Supermarket Hours and Holiday Closures
Essential Tips for Grocery Shopping in Austria
Why Austrian Supermarkets are a Cultural Experience
10 Best Grocery Store Souvenirs from Austria
Austrian Supermarkets at a Glance -The Main Grocery Stores
Austrian Supermarket Tour
Quick & Tasty Meals from the Supermarket

Austria Supermarket Hours and Holiday Closures

Most supermarkets in Austria are open Monday to Friday, usually from 7:30 am to 6 pm or 7 pm, and on Saturday until 6 pm.

ALL SHOPS ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS & HOLIDAYS! (including Grocery Stores)

Most grocery stores are closed on Sundays, unless they are located in a transit hub (such as a train station, airport, or petrol station) or a tourist destination, like a ski resort.

It is essential to plan ahead—There is no such thing as 24-hour shopping in Austria.

Essential Tips for Grocery Shopping in Austria

Top things to know before your first shop:

♦ Bring a €1 or €2 coin for the trolleys (some accept €0.50)

♦ Bring a bag: Bags are not free in Austria. They cost between 0.50 and 2€ and are located at the checkouts.

♦ Pack your own groceries: Cashiers do not pack your groceries in Austria. And cashiers are very quick- so be prepared to pack your items quickly.

TOP TIP: It is easier to put your items back in the shopping trolley or basket and pack them after you pay.

♦ Organic Food: Look for the word Bio (which means organic in German).

♦ Vegetarian: Almost every grocery store has a vegetarian/vegan line of products.

♦ Gluten-free and diabetic-friendly products are available in all major supermarkets.

Why Austrian Supermarkets are a Cultural Experience

One of the most enjoyable (and budget-friendly) ways to understand Austrian life is by walking the aisles of a local Austrian supermarket. When I am travelling to a new destination, I always try to make one of my outings a visit to a grocery store or supermarket.
The grocery store is where everyday life happens. You can observe a window of normal life – and it costs nothing.

Some shops, such as Interspar at Schottentor, located inside a historic bank building, or Julius Meinl am Graben in Vienna, are worth visiting for their architectural features and upscale product range.
From gourmet food and international specialities, these gourmet grocery shops are a bit more like Harrods’ food court.

Better yet, you can find high-quality, authentic souvenirs for a fraction of the price compared to souvenir shops, museums, or airports.

10 Best Grocery Store Souvenirs from Austria

1. Mozartkugeln -Mozart balls made of marzipan and pistachio and covered in dark chocolate

2. Kinder Überraschungseier– Kinder Surprise. There are many varieties. But they are banned in the United States- so those travelling from the USA should not smuggle these favourite childhood treats back to the US.

3. Manner Schnitten. The Classic Viennese hazelnut wafers were created in 1890.

4. Condiments and spices– From speciality mustards in tubes, Kren (horseradish cream -in bottles or tubes), Preiselbeere, paprika spice

5. Schnapps Popular Try apricot (Marillen), plum (Pflaumen), or pear (Williams Birnen) varieties

6. Austrian Wine: There are 42 grape varieties – 28 white and 14 red. The most famous Austrian white wine is the Grüner Veltliner, while Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch are popular red wines.

7. Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil ( Kurbiskernöl) the black gold of Styria that has a slight nutty taste and perfect for salads

8. Kaiserschmarrn or Goulash mixes. Recreate the Austrian specialities at home

9. Glühwein spices You can find Glühwein “tea” bags (look in the tea section), or Glühwein spice mixes to make the typical warm red wine spiced with cinnamon, sugar, oranges and cloves. You can buy premade bottles of Glühwein,

10. Some supermarkets stock keyrings, postcards, cups and even t-shirts

Austrian Supermarkets at a Glance

Main Supermarket Chains

Billa / Billa Plus: Wide selection; brands include Ja Natürlich and Billa Bio (organic) and Clever (discount)
Spar / Eurospar / Interspar: Offers Natur Pur (organic); Interspar is the largest, often with electronics, clothes, and restaurants
MPreis: Tyrol-based, has Jeden Tag discount line, often includes a bakery (Baguette)
ADEG / Nah & Frisch: Common in small towns and villages

Discount Supermarkets

Hofer (Aldi): Affordable, high-quality in-house brands
Lidl: Regular weekly specials themed by country; “Deluxe” brand
Penny: Budget-friendly with a mix of known and store brands

Cosmetic and healthcare shops

These shops are equivalent to drug stores in the US, Canada, UK and Australia, except you cannot buy any medicine, including over-the-counter pain relief.
All medications in Austria must be purchased from an Apotheke (Pharmacy)

These drug stores have many cosmetics, healthcare items, baby necessities (nappies/diapers, baby food etc.) and household cleaning supplies.

DM (Drogerie Markt): DM has its brands, such as Balea and Denkmit, that have cheaper and great products.
DM also offers a selection of Organic food and its brand, DM Bio.

BIPA: BIPA’s in-store brands include:BI Care, BI Life, BI Home, Bi Good or LOOK BY BIPA and BABYWELL.

Austrian Supermarket Tour

Produce & Fresh Items

Vegetables and fruits are typically seasonal, so you may not find exactly what you are looking for. But you will find fresh produce.
For example, you will not find asparagus in winter (it is a spring/early summer vegetable) nor Brussels sprouts in spring (it is a late autumn/winter vegetable)

In most grocery stores, the produce is weighed at the checkout- but in smaller shops, you may be required to self-weigh

In this section, you may find: fresh pasta, ready-made salads, premade food, sandwiches and fresh juices

Meat, Sausages & Cold Cuts

♦ Beef (Rind): Schnitzel (thin escalope), Rind goulash (stewing beef), steaks

♦ Chicken (Huhn): You will typically find breast, Schnitzel, fillets, wings, keule (legs)

♦ Pork (Schwein) Schweinsbraten (roast pork), fillet (tenderloin), Bauch (pork belly)

Turkey (Pute): Slices, roasts, fillets

♦ Wide cold cuts selection: Salami, speck, ham (schinken)

♦ Sausages: Frankfurters, Käsekrainer, Weißwurst, Debreziner

♦ Cured meat section– salami, salami sticks, speck (cubed bacon) and various cured meats

Austrian grocery stores have a wide selection of meat.
In some grocery stores, there will be a deli/meat counter, where you can order.
Prices will either be listed by 100g or kg.

Dairy Section

Dairy Section

You will find a variety of fresh dairy items

cheeses, yoghurts,
frishkäse (like cream cheese spread), spreads and dips,
milk and dairy drinks,
sour cream, crème fraiche, Koch creme (cooking cream), Sahne/Schlagobers (sweet cream for whipping), topfen (quark)
lactose-free (laktosefrei) dairy products

Milk.

There are options for full-fat milk in the dairy section, as well as the popular UHT milk (long-life), which is usually near the tea and coffee

Oat milk and soy milk- can be found sometimes in the dairy section as well as the UHT versions in the Health food/bio (organic) section

Note eggs are not refrigerated but found on the shelves

Bakery

Many grocery stores have an in-store bakery where you can purchase freshly baked bread, croissants, and semmel (bread rolls).

There will also be a section with packaged cakes, toast bread and other bakery items.

Gluten-free baked goods are also available

Pantry Essentials-

Here you will find everything you need

spices, dressings, baking supplies
Pasta, rice, tomato sauce, pesto
Packaged pre-made pasta meals, Soups, sauces, and the packaged Kaiserschmarrn
Oils, vinegar, tomato sauce (ketchup), mustard (senf), mayonnaise.
Canned and bottled staples such as vegetables, beans, lentils (linzen), potato salad, Preiselbeere (the cranberry/lingonberry-like sauce served with schnitzel)
Cereals: Muesli, cornflakes,
Instant meals such as goulash, and soups

Top tip mustard and mayonnaise are in tubes – like large toothpaste

Drink section–

You will find a large section(s) devoted to wine, beer, spirits and schnaps, a great selection and prices- much more affordable prices than buying at a restaurant or bar
As well as a selection of flavoured soda, energy drinks and bottled water (both still and carbonated)

Austria Grocery Store -Wine and Schnapps

Note
As of 2025, you pay a deposit (pfand) of €0.25 on all bottles (both plastic and glass) and cans.

You receive a refund for the empty container when you return it.
You don’t have to return them to the same supermarket or shop where you bought them.

Most grocery stores have vending machines

Insert the containers.
The machine will give you a receipt.
Take this receipt to the checkout to get your money back.

Frozen food–

You will find a range of frozen foods, from vegetables, pizzas, fish, French fries, and ice cream.

Many grocery stores offer a selection of pre-made frozen foods that are easy to prepare for a quick dinner, such as Schnitzel and knödel.

Health food- Bio (organic section)

In Austria, Bio=Organic

Almost a quarter of all farms in Austria are organic, so Austrian grocery stores offer a wide selection of organic products.

Organic meat may be more expensive, but other products are generally comparable in price to their non-organic counterparts.

Most grocery stores offer their own in-house organic brands, as well as popular brands like Alnatura.

Billa: Ja Natürlich and Billa Bio

Spar: Natur Pur

MPreis: Jeden Tag

International Section:

Small selection of Asian, Mexican, Turkish, Greek; Indian and Italian groceries

Sweets, Chocolate, Snacks

Austrians love their sweets and chocolate- so there is always a large selection.

Wide range of chocolate (try Milka, Zotter, Mozartkugeln)
Chips, popcorn,
candy (called Zuckerl in Austria).
Sweet biscuits

Household & Toiletries

Cleaning supplies, paper products,
Personal care: soaps, shampoos, toothpaste
feminine hygiene

Quick & Tasty Meals from the Supermarket

Breakfast Ideas

Semmel, croissants, Frühstückskipferl, or Krapfen (filled donuts)
Cheese spreads like Liptauer, Nutella, and fruit jams
Cakes and pastries from a bakery or pre-packaged

Lunch on the Go

Leberkäse Semmel – hot meatloaf sandwich in a bread roll
Schnitzel sandwich – fresh or DIY from deli items
Cold meat sandwich: Deli will make sandwiches (usually on Semmel) to order. Dont forget to add the Gurken (pickel) and sauce Senf (mustard) or Ketchup.
Budget combo: Fresh bread + cheese + drink for under €5

Exploring grocery stores in Austria is more than isn’t just about saving money—it’s a cultural deep dive. From organic meats to world-class chocolates, supermarkets in Austria offer a fun, affordable way to eat well, save money and find meaningful souvenirs.

Whether you’re in Vienna or hiking in the Tyrolean Alps, a visit to the local grocery store is worth the detour. Save this Austria Grocery Store Guide for your next trip, and shop like a pro wherever your travels take you.

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