199 Best Places to Shop in Germany

Anchoring Alexanderplatz, Galeria Kaufhof is the most successful branch of the German department store chain, with six floors offering more than 600 brands and a gourmet food area. You can find pretty much everything you need here, though expect wardrobe staples, rather than the latest fashion trends.

Across the seven floors of this mid-priced department store, you'll find everything from cosmetics, fashion, and jewelry to greeting cards, office supplies, household items, and toys. The end-of-season sales offer true bargains.

A food-lover’s paradise, this epicurean shop sells a wide range of products, from gourmet, artisanal pantry ingredients and kitchen tools to an extensive collection of cookbooks and food magazines. Handmade breads, pastries, and chocolates are available to satiate your appetite. There's also a nice selection of cheeses, as well as fine wines and craft beer. A second outpost is in Charlottenburg, at Wilmersdorfer Strasse 102/103.

This chocolate shop and café serves chocolate every which way, from delectable chocolates to hot chocolate, as well as seasonal treats.

The Sunday Grosser Antikmarkt am Ostbahnhof market is made up almost entirely of antiques and vintage treasures, so it takes little effort but a bit of money to find something truly special to take home. Pre-edited selections of antiquarian books, gramophones, jewelry, and kitschy East German items can be found here.

Tucked behind the tourist-heavy streets of Hackesche Markt, this labyrinth of small galleries, boutiques, and shops offers a wide range of fashion. The outdoor shopping mall links Rosenthaler and Sophienstrasse with big brands like H&M and MAC Cosmetics, as well as independent boutiques and small gift shops.

This iconic record store is run by music veteran Mark Ernestus, who handpicks all the vinyl and CDs with a heavy focus on techno, electronic, and dubstep. Located inside the Berlin Kraftwerk complex, a former power station, Hard Wax is totally worth a visit for music lovers.

Spanning six floors, Hirmer has Munich's most comprehensive collection of German-made men's clothes, with a markedly friendly and knowledgeable staff. International brands are also here, such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, and Paul & Shark.

You'll find this master goldsmith's studio near the city's Franziskanertor.

This multistory bookshop has a good-size English-language section, with fiction and nonfiction selections. There are also nearby outposts at Marienplatz (Marienpl. 22) and close to the Residenz (Theatinerstr. 11). 

Michael Zeller organizes this celebrated auction, held several times yearly. Visit the website for the catalog and dates of upcoming auctions.

The sleek, minimalist flagship store of German designer Jil Sander carries the newest collections from this iconic, understated brand, including fashions for men.

The Jünemann family has owned this basement shop on Torstrasse for more than 100 years, producing their quality handmade felt hausschuhe, or slippers, for four generations. The shoes come in a variety of colors and two simple styles, a classic backless version or the full slipper. Either is the perfect way to bring a piece of German tradition back home.

This multi-level store is a year-round wonderland of mostly German-made toys and decorations, particularly traditional ornaments, priced from from €5 into the hundreds, and a floor of cuckoo clocks priced into the thousands. The store's Christmas Museum is across the street.

With an odd assortment of retro furnishings, this ice-cream café and waffle shop takes over the entire corner of a Prenzlauer Berg sidewalk, especially on sunny days. Head to the second story and you’ll find a shop that captures young Berliner style, with vintage pieces, bold prints, and skinny fits, as well as shoes and jewelry. There's a second outpost on Kastanienallee as well as one in Mitte, plus an outlet shop in Wedding.

A couple of boutiques and eateries line this 230-foot-long glass-roofed passageway that connects Kaufinger Strasse to Fürstenfelder Strasse.

The upscale shop on the handsome suburban thoroughfare of Isestrasse carries mostly clothing and accessories for women.

Both Julie and Stefanie, the owners, have lots of love and passion for one of a kind delicious treats, and it's obvious why this shop is called "cookie love." There is a cookie (set) for every season—from Valentines Day to the Oktoberfest—and the best part: your cookies can be personalized on the spot. They are super cute, but also very yummy. Coffee is served in the open-concept store as well.

After seeing the fantastical Elwetritschen fountain in action, you might want to take a smaller version of it home. Workshop, gallery, and pottery store Keramik-Atelier Ingrid Zinkgraf has amusing ceramic renditions of the mythical birds, as well as modern and traditional pottery and sculptures.

The large and airy Kleinmarkthalle is a treasure trove of local vendors selling spices, herbs, teas, exotic fruits, cut flowers, meats, live fish flown in from the Atlantic, and more varieties of Wurst and cheese than you can count. Plus, it offers all kinds of snacks and beverages in case you need a break while shopping.

This shopping arcade houses clothing stores like Eickhoff, a Düsseldorf institution with more than 10,000 square feet of very high-end goods, many straight from the runways of Paris and Milan.

High-end boutiques and restaurants line this luxurious three-story mall.

Designed by star architect Daniel Libeskind, this curvaceous shopping center at the north end of the Kö is anchored by the upscale German department store Breuninger and the city’s only Apple store, and also counts a number of chic restaurants and bars.

Lübeck's most famous marzipan maker, Niederegger, sells the delicacy molded into a multitude of imaginative forms at its Konditorei-Café flagship store. Upstairs is a small museum about marzipan, as well as some life-size marzipan figures.

Fine porcelain is still produced by Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur, the former Royal Porcelain Manufactory for the Prussians, also called KPM. You can buy this delicate handmade, hand-painted china at KPM's manufactory, where you can learn about the brand's rich history, as well as purchase products directly, with the option to find seconds at reduced prices.

Antiques and perhaps a few hidden treasures await the patient shopper at Krempelmarkt. The flea market is on the banks of the Rhine (Rheinufer) between the Hilton hotel and Kaiserstrasse. At the Theodor Heuss Bridge is the children's flea market, where the youngest sellers offer clothes, toys, and books.

Nestled up against the Heiliggeist Church, this small shop carries Lederhosen, loden jackets, and Bavarian lace-up shoes for men as well as traditional outfits for women and children.