A look into the best Munich shopping streets, shopping centers, and marketplaces around the city.
Two of the most famous shopping streets in Munich are…
- Kaufingerstrasse and
- Maximilianstrasse.
Kaufingerstrasse is, in fact, in terms of rents, the most expensive street in Germany…
…even more expensive than the famous “Zeil” in Frankfurt.
PHOTO: The no.1 shopping walkway in Munich is the pictured Neuhauser strasse / Kaufingerstrasse.
Kaufingerstrasse starts from Karlsplatz (Stachus) square and Karlstor gate, and you can walk the pedestrian street (which turns into Neuhauser strasse) through the historic city center, all the way up to Marienplatzsquare.
Along the pedestrian street, there are several of the city’s best shops and specialty boutiques…
…as well as several high-profile department stores, such as:
- Oberpollinger (www.oberpollinger.de),
- Ludwig Beck (www.ludwigbeck.com), and
- Galeria Kaufhof (www.galeria-kaufhof.de).
Near Marienplatz, you’ll also find Seidlinger strasse.
Seidlinger strasse contains several specialty shops, selling arts and crafts, including “Dirndl” clothing (traditional Bavarian costumes).
Close to Marienplatz, you’ll find “Viktualienmarkt”, the city’s largest marketplace, where products include vegetables, fruits, meat & fish products, and flowers.
Viktualienmarkt also has several restaurants and cafes.
If you’re shopping for luxury products, the best places to find them isFünf Höfe shopping center (www.fuenfhoefe.de) and Maximilianstrasse.
Of these two, Fünf Höfe is a modern shopping center that has been open since 2003. Today, it contains 54 shops, 8 cafes, and several restaurants.
You can enter the shopping center from several points, including from Theatinerstrasse, from where you’ll enter one of the mall’s 5 inner courtyards.
Among the high-profile boutiques here are…
- D&G Dolce & Gabbana,
- Emporio Armani,
- Marc O Polo,
- Massimo Dutti,
- Oska, and
- Ermenegildo Zegna.
You’ll also be able to shop for perfumes, books, and furniture.
PHOTO: Maximilianstrasse is best known for having the city’s biggest concentration of luxury boutiques.
For Munich shopping, Maximilianstrasse, located close to the Fünf Höfe, is a traditional luxury shopping street.
Luxury brands with stores at Maximilianstrasse or closeby include:
- Dolce & Gabbana,
- Versace,
- Louis Vuitton,
- Dior,
- Chanel,
- Escada,
- Hugo Boss,
- Gucci,
- Gianfranco Ferré, and
- Bulgari.
Most of these stores are within the western end of Maximilianstrasse, while the eastern side offers monumental buildings, such as theMaximilianeum.
Maximilianstrasse also has some of the city’s best hotels, including “Hotel Vier Jahreszeite” (kempinski-vierjahreszeiten.com), located in a historical, Rudolf Gottgetreu designed building from 1858.
PHOTO: Mathäser mall, located close to the Munich Hauptbahnhof, main train station.
Good opportunities for shopping in Munich include the area around Hauptbahnhof, the main train station.
A short walk from the station, you’ll find, for example…
- Kaufhaus Hertie,
- Mathäser shopping and entertainment complex, and
- Stachusbauwerk, which, when completed in the 1970s, was the world’s largest underground shopping center.