The Bavarian capital offers a lot for all kinds of shoppers in most of the city’s 25 boroughs which we have introduced here.
Haute couture is at home at the Maximilianstrasse, the Theatinerstrasse, the Residenzstrasse and the Brienner Strasse (street). Department and chain stores are located in the pedestrian area of the city center, Altstadt, in the Kaufingerstrasse, Neuhauser Strasse, Marienplatz, Sendlingerstraße). Urban, trendy and flamboyant clothes can be found at the many shops in boroughs as the Gärtnerplatz and Glockenbachviertel, as well as in Haidhausen, Schwabing and other places. Bavarian local costumes, handicrafts and souvenirs in specialist shops; delicacies from all over the world at Dallmayr's or Käfer's, the leading delicatessen stores in Europe, or at the UNESCO World Heritage protected food market, the Viktualienmarkt, in the heart of the city.
Outside the old town center, for example in Schwabing, Haidhausen, around Gärtnerplatz and in the Glockenbach area, the shops, as well as the shoppers, are more unconventional. The Gärtnerplatz and the Glockenbach district are also ideal shopping areas for gays and lesbians. Shop ateliers, boutiques and concept stores, with many cafés and bars in between that are open during the day.
A typical feature of Munich is the number of small shops that focus on a few articles, for example, umbrellas, amber, felt, gloves, candles or wood carvings, and which are still found in the center of town, especially in the arcades of the New Town Hall right on Marienplatz. As a rule, all of the stores here are open until 8pm. In the morning some shops start as early as 9am, but some open their doors a little later.
When it comes to souvenir shopping, the City Museum’s shop on St.-Jakobs-Platz square, also just a few minutes from Marienplatz, offers a wide range of authentic Munich souvenirs for sale. The shop is open during the museum’s regular opening hours (Tuesday to Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm, closed Mondays), which means visitors can also purchase gifts and keepsakes on Sunday, when most other stores are closed. You can find more information about the museum here. A detour to visit the streets north of the Tal (towards the Hofbräuhaus) brings you to Bavarian souvenir shops in every price range, as well as to the fan shops of the two local football teams, the FC Bayern and the TSV 1860 Munich. If you are looking for a Dirndl dress or Lederhosen leather pants to better mix with the locals at the Oktoberfest, you’ll find them at traditional costume stores such as Angermaier and Loden Frey, as well as in numerous specialty or second-hand stores in downtown Munich, especially in Tal and Rosental. We will soon bring more on shopping, malls and special stores in Munich.
