Munich Shopping

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

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 ....

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

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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 ;-)

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.

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).

This market place is the biggest market of Munich where to buy food and drinks. You can find here flowers, tons of vegetabels and fruits of all the world and mayn more. It is worth to visit it because of the typical bavarian ambience here, although the prices are not the cheapest here.

What to buy: everything of national and international fruits and vegetables, herbs, meet, fish and also flowers.

What to pay: a bit higher than average

If you're looking to get some souvenirs, a good place to buy a Hofbrauhaus t-shirt is NOT from the in-restaurant store itself.

I managed to get a really nice Hofbrauhaus t-shirt from a souvenir shop that is in the row of shops adjacent to it.

So head there for your souvenir bargain hunting!

If you want to buy a mug, just buy a mug of beer and keep the mug. More memorable cos' you drank from the mug!