Hamburg, Germany
Once one of the great Hanseatic cities and an important center of trade and commerce, Hamburg has kept its merchant city roots alive into the new millennium, and the modern port has plenty to interest shoppers. Shopping in Hamburg offers a good mix of high-end and independent shops, with all the big brand names and designers as well as some quality art galleries and antiques stores.
Hamburg’s principal shopping boulevard is Mönckebergstrasse, but there are also plenty of shops on the adjacent Jungfernstieg promenade, including the huge Alsterhaus department store, and nearby ABC Street has a cluster of good art galleries. Across the canal from Mönckebergstrasse, Neuer Wall and Grosse Bleichen are the city’s most luxurious shopping boulevards, home to all the big designers, including Louis Vuitton, Versace, Gucci, Armani and Jil Sander, among many others. Hamburg also has Germany’s greatest concentration of shopping malls, the biggest of which is the Europa Passage, but there’s also the Levantehaus, Alstertal shopping center, Phoenix-Centre, Hamburger Meile, Elbe Einkaufszentrum and Mercado.
Those seeking a bargain or looking for something unique will find much more variety off the main stretch. Head to Hamburg’s St Pauli district for antiques and street markets, including a popular Saturday night market; the Karoviertel neighborhood for hip local designer boutiques; or the Schanze district for alternative fashions. For a change of pace, head out to the Eppendorf district, where you’ll find a mix of designer boutiques, antique shops, jewelry shops and local crafts workshops. Don’t miss a visit to Hamburg’s famous Fish Market, too — an unmissable local experience held each Sunday morning.
- Contributed by Zoe Smith