Munich Pedestrian Zone and other Munich, Germany Shopping Tips

Name of Shop: Kaufinger Str, Sendlinger Str, Weinstr., etc.

Munich downtown’s pedestrian zones are good for shopping. Visit the main street connecting the Marienplatz with the Karlspplatz (Kaufinger str.), as well as the Sendlinger Street connecting the Marienplatz and the Sendliner Tor. In this street you can find some smaller stores, while the pedestrian zone between Marienplatz and Karlsplatz features the common brand clothing- and shoe stores.

Every day at 5 in the afternoon the famous “Glockenspiel” in the highest town hall tower at the old town hall at the Marienplatz plays its tune and some figures turn and dance. You will notice that it is 5 o clock when most people crowding Marienplatz stare upwards and wait for the horribly mis-tuned “Glockenspiel” to start.

What To Buy: most stores feature clothes and shoes. But there are also some drug stores, bookstores, jewelery-, arts and crafts- and houseware stores.

What To Pay: Munich is expensive. The common brands for clothing (Esprit, s'Oliver, Levis, HIS, GAP etc etc.) are everywhere the same prices. However, individual stores in Munich are usually more expensive than in the closeby cities of "Augsburg" (1 hour from Munich) or "Ulm" (2 hours from Munich).

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Address: Kaufinger str. Sendlinger str. Weinstr. and around
Directions: The center of downtown. Exit the subway at "Marienplatz", "Karlsplatz" or "Sendlinger Tor"

For a detailed city map (type in "Muenchen" as search criteria) see the website below)
Website: www.stadtplan.de

Name of Shop: Viktualienmarkt

The Viktualenmarkt (market between Marienplatz and Isartor) is Munich’s most famous market. It is open every day except Sunday and closes around 5 to 6. The market features over 140 fruit and vegetable stores, stores for honey, bread, cheese and meat, stores for flowers and baskets, plant seeds, spices and candles.
Highly recommendable are the fruit stands selling freshly squeezed fruit juices of all kinds – apple-carrot, selery-pineapple… you can get whatever you want.
My favourite stand is the oriental market stand selling turkish bread and different spreads like hummus, eggplant-spread, fish-paste, olives, garlic-shrimp and all kinds of different appertizers. Futhermore you can buy freshly made noodles like Ravioli, Tagliatelle or potato-gnocchi there.

Furthermore the Viktualienmarkt includes two beer gardens, where you can sit in the sunshine and enjoy a “Helles” (local Bavarian light beer) or a small lunch like saussages and sour kraut, “Leberkaes” or spare ribs. During nice weather and warm temperatures it is relaxing to recover from walking downtown with a healthy or not so healthy treat and watch the people – a colourful mixture of Bavarians, students and tourists.

What To Buy: Try everything - it is all GOOD. Taste:

- freshly squezzed juices
- Bavarian beer
- saussages and cheeses with some bread
- turkish spreads like hummus with bread
- maybe try "Weisswurst with sweet mustard"

What To Pay: Not too cheap, but worth the money

Leave a Comment

Theme: Food and Drink
Address: Viktualienmarkt
Directions: East of the Marienplatz. Signs everywhere. You cannot miss it
Website: www.viktualienmarkt.de

Name of Shop: Hugendubel Bookstore at Marienplatz

The “Hugendubel” bookstore at the Marienplatz is Munich’s biggest book store and features books from bestsellers to art, history, science fiction, childrens books, audio books, economy, psychology, sciences, travel guides, calendars etc.. There is also a smaller but well sorted section of English books as well as some French and Spanish literature. Reading areas with chairs and couches allow the visitor to stay many hours and flip through all kinds of favourites or books of inerest.

What To Buy: - German books of all kind
- English, French and Spanish books
- Audio books
- Newspapers and Magazines

SPECIAL TIP: in the Hugendooble ground floor there is an information desk where you get the magazine "IN MÜNCHEN" for free. This is a city magazine containing for each day all the events that happen (parties, concerts, theatre, performance, sports etc etc.). Very good to have!

What To Pay: Books have a fixed price and usually cost the same all over Germany

Leave a Comment

Theme: Books
Address: Marienplatz
Directions: Directly opposite the old town hall at the Marienplatz. You cannot miss it.

Name of Shop: Photo SAUTER

Photo Sauter is - in my opinion - Munich's best assorted store when it comes to photography. You name it, they have it. Be it equippment for slides, black and white film, frames, books on photography, digital memory cards, cheap cameras, expensive cameras up to the best Leicas ...

They develop films overnight or within a week, you can also get posters printed etc.

opening times:
Mo-Fr 09.30 - 20.00
Saturday 09.30 - 18.00

Foto-Video Sauter GmbH & Co KG
Sonnenstr. 26, 80331 München
U-Bahn station Sendlinger Tor, U 1,2,3,6,7,8

What To Buy: - film, 100, 200, 400, black and white
- manual cameras
- digital cameras
- lenses, filters, etc etc.

What To Pay: normal price range for Germany

film development is cheaper at the drug store chain "dm", but here you do not get any experienced advise if you need it.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Phone: 089-55 15 04-0
Address: Sonnenstr. 26, 80331 München
Directions: Exist the Subway at "Sendlinger Tor" and cross the "Inner ring" (Sonnenstrasse) to the other side. When you stand below the "Sendlinger Tor" and look the direction outside the city then you can already see it.
Website: http://cgi.foto-video-sauter.de/cgi-bin/fstore/fstore.cgi?page=store2002.htm

Name of Shop: Asian food store

Sometimes is must be hard to be Chinese, Japanese or from another Asian Nation and always eat the same stuff in Germany. Too much fat, too little spices, no chicken feet, no Asian mushrooms, no tofu ....

The biggest store for REAL Asian food can help you. It is located on the

Rosenheimerstraße

a 5 minute walk from the German Museum.

Be it herbs and vegetables, jiaoze, bouze, curries, spices, soy milk, tofu, coconut milk, soy sauce, Chinese liquor, clams and fish, etc. - you will get it here. They also have a large deep freeze section.

What To Buy: I am not Asian so you should now the names. All I can say: it is the only Asian supermaket I have seen in Munich, which really looks like a supermarket in China and all my Asian friends go there to shop.

What To Pay: Everything is quite expensive compared to Asia but quite cheap for German standards

Leave a Comment

Theme: Books
Address: Rosenheimerstr.
Directions: Walk from the museums-island (German Museum) away from downtown (cross the Isar) and walk towards the GASTEIG. This is a huge red brick building for concerts and the like. The store is a little up the Rosenheimer Str. opposite of Gasteig.
Website: www.stadtplan.de

Name of Shop: Kaufhof Marienplatz

The food department in the department store “Kaufhof” is very well sorted (located in the basement). Next to the every day goods you can find a fresh fish and seafood section of large variety, an assorted wine section, many different kinds of German, Swiss and Belgian chocolates, an excellent cheese selection as well as meat and saussages.

What To Buy: - fresh fish adn seafood
- Bavarian, Swiss and French Cheeses
- German bread
- German and italian saussages
- German, Italian and French bacon
- red and white wines
- German, Swiss and belgian chocolates

What To Pay: not too cheap but worth the money ... yum ;-)

Leave a Comment

Theme: Department Store
Address: Kaufhof department store directly at Marienplatz
Directions: Marienplatz - center of downtown Munich, most subways stop at the station "Marienplatz"

Name of Shop: Olympia Einkaufszentrum

The Olympia Shopping Center is located in the Northwest of Munich close to the Olympic Stadium. It is Munich’s biggest mall and good for bad weather shopping. You can find everything here from numerous clothes stores, shoe stores, general department stores, drug stores, music shops and food courts offering from German to Italien, from Chinese to Mexican fast food. The center is good if you want to shop for certain things efficiently – the atmosphere is that of a mall – with other words the shopping center cannot compare to the bustling colourful atmosphere in Munich downtown.

What To Buy: - clothes
- shoes
- toiletteries
- jewelery
- books
- bags and suitcases
- food

What To Pay: for some articles cheaper than Munich downtown.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Department Store
Address: Hanauer Straße 68, 80993 Munich
Directions: Direction: drive on the “Mittlerer Ring” to the Olympic Stadium and exit. Follow the signs saying “Olympia Einkaufszentrum”. Free parking is available next to the mall.

You can also use the subway U1 West and exist at "OEZ" (Olympia Einkaufs Zentrum")

Name of Shop: Sport Schuster and Sport Check

Two very nice stores for sporting goods are “Sport Schuster” and “Sport Check” – both located only one minute from Marienplatz. Everyone knows these stores , so just ask. You can get everything there from hiking and climbing gear to skis, snoawbards, clothing, swimming suits, aerobic dresses or golf equipment. However, both stores mainly sell pricy brands and equipment.

What To Buy: - snowboards
- skis
- fancy sun glasses
- swim suits
- sportswear
- golf equipemnt
- climbin ropes
- hiking gear
- sneakers
- inline skates
- etc etc etc

What To Pay: Sport Check is usually a bit more expensive than Sport Schuster. Sport Check is a big chain, Schuster is a family run place. Decide by yourself, where to buy ....

Leave a Comment

Theme: Sporting Goods
Address: Rosenstr. and Senslinger str. near the Marienplat
Directions: 30 second walk south of Marienplatz

Name of Shop: Kaufhaus “Ludwig Beck”

Directly right of the old city hall on the Marienplatz is the department store “Ludwick Beck”. Here you can find clothes, especially some more exclusive things like hats, belts, underwear and ballroom dresses. They also have designer brands like Elisabeth Arden, Kokaii, Bernd Berger, Prada etc etc…
However, clothes here (except the basics) are often expensive. But: the store has a extensive collection of classical music CDs and jazz as well as some soul CD. The large CD section is located on the top floor. You will not find mainstream pop or rock, but from Chopin to Beethoven, Bach and modern classic jazz like Keith Jarrett you will find everything.

What To Buy: - Clothes in every price range
- Lingery, hats, bags, accesoires
- Classical and jazz CDs !
- Small bistro, coffee, chocolates

What To Pay: for a CD between 5 and 15 Euro

Leave a Comment

Theme: Music
Address: Marienplatz
Directions: The department store is located on the Marienplatz, right of the old Town Hall.
Website: http://www.ludwig-beck.de/

Name of Shop: Munich city quarter Schwabing

Schwabing is a quarter of Munich and many students live here. Rents are expensive and stores often feature exclusive products. You will not find the main stream brands you find in the pedestrian zones. Instead, there are many small stores intermingeled between residential buildings, bistros and cafes. There are stores for designer shoes, hats, designer-furniture, glass-art pieces, paper and pens, wineries, asian stores and antique shops. You can find almost anything, if you are willing to stroll along the streets. Most products will be quite pricy though.

Schwabing can be reahced by food from the Marienplatz in 10-15 minutes by foot. Walk towards the Odeonsplatz and then up the Leopold-road and then turn left into e.g. Gidela-street. Look at www.stadtplan.de for a detailed street map of Schwabing.

What To Buy: - Furniture and decoration
- Arts, crafts and antiques
- Individual clothes, shoes, hats and bags
- wine, liquors, speciality foods
- etc. etc. etc

What To Pay: above average prices

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Address: most streets in Schwabing
Directions: Schwabing can be reached by food from the Marienplatz in 10-15 minutes by foot. Walk towards the Odeonsplatz and then up the Leopold-road and then turn left into e.g. Gidela-street. Look at www.stadtplan.de for a detailed street map of Schwabing.