Heidelberg Shopping

Schwarzmarkt literally means "black market"... but don't worry: this isn't some kind of dodgy side-alley operation: this is a funky little shop that mainly specializes in Mobile Phone accessories (they say they have the largest selection of mobile covers in the area), but has recently started branching-out and now offers fun gadgets, cool & cult t-shirts, funky gift ideas, and in 2006: FIFA World Cup fan items (of course!)

The staff here is great: you can tell that they truly enjoy their work, and quite often I've had to force myself to stop a rather entertaining conversation because the queue behind me was getting impatient! (Sorry!)

--> (I will upload some photos of my t-shirts from here sometime...)

What to buy: I'm not saying that you "have to" stop at this shop, but I enjoy coming here and more often than not, I find something fun, special and unique (and most of the time it's NOT for my mobile phone :-) This place is definitely worth a quick visit.

Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturday: 09:30am - 08:00pm.

Good thing to know: in Germany we call (UK) mobile phones or (USA) cell phones --> "a HANDY" :-)

What to pay: There is something for every budget, but some of the "cult" items (i.e. t-shirts, etc.) can be a bit pricier than usual.

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This is a great place to either shop for yourself, or to also bring some nice gifts back home for loved-ones. Choose uniquely-shaped bottles & some nice decorative wrapping to make a simple bottle of booze into a nice gift from Heidelberg. (try "Heidelberger Blaue Perle" = blueberry liquor)

All around the store there are shelves packed with big glass spheres full of delicious concoctions, brews and fermentations. Ask one of the sales staff for assistance, and you can open the tap to pour yourself a sample (of each...) before you buy.

I spent 1/2 hour trying to choose a few bottles... their assortment is so big, with so many yummy things: liquors made from any kind of berries or fruit, aromatic whisky (not your "ancient" variety, but still pretty decent), various wines and much more.

What to buy: This store sells spirits, liquors and mixers / wines, dessert wines, etc. / jams, honey & other condiments / oils & vinegars. I can't help myself: I buy something here every time :-)

Depending on the season, the store has promotions for certain products. In summer, for example, you're most likely to find small cups with caipirinha or sangria for free tasting, and the bottles at discounted prices.

In winter, you absolutely MUST try their Xmas liquor, made with cloves, plums, vanilla and other gorgeous ingredients... I'm serious folks: you are truly missing out on something if you don't pick-up a couple of bottles! Mulled wine at the Xmas market is nice, but this stuff is even nicer for sipping at home.

Opening Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays 10:00am - 07:00pm.

What to pay: Obviously a little bit more expensive that regular "supermarket booze" but so worth it! I paid 7 EUR for 1 litre of plum liquor.

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Germany is one of the few countries that still does Xmas "properly", in all its glory, cheesiness, community spirit, warm fuzziness & grand decorations. Experience christmas in Germany once and you'll never want to celebrate it anywhere else ever again :-)

--> Check this link for my separate Xmas-Market-Tip: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/1a2d2f.
Kaethe Wohlfahrt is the poster child of this spirit; a well-known chain of stores throughout Germany and of course there's also a store in Heidelberg's old town. This is a place where it's always "the season to be jolly" - Christmas decorations are on display & for sale 365 days a year! The window displays are truly magnificent and are changed regularly.

What to buy: There are also plenty of souvenirs and decorational items for sale that are not "Xmassy", such as Cuckoo-Clocks, Garden Gnomes, hand-made dolls, Glass or Ceramic figurines, table cloths, Xmas Pyramids, Nutcrackers, cookie tins, limited edition collectors items, hand-made tree decorations, and so much more...

For those of you that can't get enough: you can order their products from their online catalogue! Visit the website for more info.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10:00am - 06.00pm.
Saturdays: 11:00am - 05:00pm. (Sundays: Closed)

What to pay: Many of the items are quite expensive, but the high level quality & craftmanship is undeniable.

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UNICORN is a gem of a shop located in the old town. You have probably heard of the cheap & cheerful souvenir stands by the Heilig Geist Kirche (holy ghost church) near the Market Square, and this store also specializes in souvenirs from Heidelberg and Germany in general - but this is different:

--> Souvenirs here are of the highest quality. This is a place for the serious collector; or for some serious presents for the special people in your life. Prices aren't cheap, but you get some truly amazing items for your money.

You can find high-quality kitchen products from German manufacturers, traditional clothing for men & women, beer steins (mugs) with intricate decoration (often hand-made), fine china crockery & tea sets, photography books, and the infamous Steiff soft toy collection.

What to buy: The Steiff "Knopf im Ohr" toys will catch your eye in their large window display; everything from a small teddy bear (40 EUR) up to a 6-foot tall lifelike polar bear (4,100 EUR!) can be found here!!! In my opinion, these are no toys for drooling toddlers. These are beautiful items of the highest quality. A teddy or any other animal from the Steiff collection is a great gift, and one that can be treasured by a family (and a child that is old enough to appreciate it!) for many years. I'm seriously considering buying one or two special "furry friends" during my next visit...

A bit of fluffy history:
Margarete Steiff, a polio-stricken German seamstress, created a small elephant-shaped pin cushion in the year 1897. It became surprisingly popular as a children's toy, leading her to create more animals made from fabric. In 1902 her nephew, Richard Steiff, joins the company and creates the world's 1st toy bear with jointed arms & legs. In 1903, the bear makes it across the Atlantic to the USA where it is sold under the name "Teddy", after US President Theodore Roosevelt.
The trademark button in the ear was added in 1903 to combat the confusion created by numerous cheap copies flooding the world market. In 2005, the company celebrated its proud 125th birthday!

What to pay: Prices start at approx. 9 EUR for a 6cm hedgehog, up to 4,100 EUR for a 6-foot tall polar bear!

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The Providenz Church has a small table near the entrance door, where people can put down used books. Anybody who's looking for something to read, can come and have a look. If they find a book they're interested in, they just drop some money in the box and take the book. It's all done on the base of trust. The money is used for projects of the church. Of course, you never know what you can find there, but it's worth going there and see what on the table.

What to pay: You pay what you think the book is worth.

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I was walking down the main street when I noticed a sign " L'Epicerie". Since I like to cook (and eat) , I followed the sign to the store , a few meters away from the Hauptstrasse. It's small , but offers a large selection of spices, salt - I saw Swedish salt there - what's the difference to other salts? - peppers, olive oils, vinegars etc. The place was crowded, so
I didn't ask about the salts, but I heard other customers asking questions and they were answered in a very friendly and helpful way
.

Even better, for the chocoholic at least, this shop is just opposite a chocolaterie. Again a small place, a large variety of all sorts of chocolate and again not the kind you'd find in the supermarket. You can buy very small chocolate bars to find out which flavour you like.
I bought cinnamon, rose pepper,lemon and earl grey flavoured chocolate, for 20 cents each. A great way to taste many different flavours!

Both stores are under the same ownership. This was my first visit there, but certainly not my last.

Address is Hauptstrasse 32, but a few steps away from the actual main street.

What to pay: Prices varied a lot, of course.None of the prices looked too expensive for what you get, so a comparison to a similar store would be "about average", but to a supermarket "more expensive than average".However, most of the items cannot be found in the average supermarket. I bought some dried herbs and paid about three Euro, which I think is perfectly acceptable.

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This mall is located exactly on the Bismarksplatz (convenient tram & bus stop for the old town) and consists of 7 levels covering over 12,000 square metres of "credit card danger"... Note that there are 2 (two) Kaufhof malls in old town Heidelberg. The other one is located in the Haupstrasse / pedestrian precint, about 5min walk from this one!

I prefer shopping in the individual stores along the Hauptstrasse, but especially in bad weather, a warm & dry mall is very tempting indeed.

Opening Hours:
Monday - Saturdays: 09:30am - 08:00pm.

What to buy: Here you will find Fashion Accessories, Watches and Jewellery, Stationary and School supplies, Books and Magazines, Bed sheets and Duvet covers, Chocolates and sweets, Crockery and Cutlery, Kitchen and household appliances, Women's & Men's Wear, Sports items, Children's and Baby Clothes, and of course the "Markthalle" on the ground floor. (see my separate restaurant tip)

There is also a large toy store on top floor (beautifully decorated during Xmas time), together with one of my favourite places for "a coffee with a view": Dinea Restaurant. (see my separate restaurant tip!)

What to pay: Most items are very reasonably priced, and there are many seasonal special offers.

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My fiance used to be an underground house DJ and nowadays works as an Audio Engineer, so I know that there is NO WAY we can walk past this record shop without spending a considerable amount of time! Nowadays, I usually "drop him off" and do some shopping alone, whilst leaving him happily in his element... haha!

At any given time, Vinyl Only stocks over 70.000 records! Here you will find anything from Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, to the Beach Boys and ABBA, The Doors and INXS, to old-school dance classics and cutting-edge club tunes (many professional DJs are regulars here). As the name promises, the emphasis of the business revolve around vinyl (excuse the pun) but for those of you that are too young to even remember the black discs, CDs are also available.

On certain days of the week, the store welcome local DJs to spin a few tunes in a free set for its customers. Ask the staff for dates and details.

What to buy: And even if you're not interested in buying much, settle down with a set of headphones, listen to your favourite or some new tunes, and join-in the musical appreciation, trivia & history discussions that always pop-up between the owners and some customers. The staff here are extremely helpful and knowledgeable... everything here is in alphabetical order, but if you're not sure about the artist or song title, simply singing the tune to them usually works as well ;-)

This is a real place for music lovers of all ages. Don't miss it!

What to pay: Prices range far and wide: starting at 5.99 EUROS for "one-hit-wonders" and lesser known artists, up to big bucks for rare collectors' pieces. They also often have a special offers section where you can make some fantastic finds.