Ask some people and they’ll tell you shopping is a sport. Some might say it’s a chore, while others look at it as a simple necessity.
Well, my friends, Hamburg shopping is something extraordinary. Not only can you find the simplest of items (like flowers, food, that kind of thing), but you can also find some of the most coveted items anywhere in the world.
Shopping malls, streets dedicated to the pure indulgence of spending money, and charming German markets all await you in Hamburg. The only thing stopping you from buying everything and anything is the size of your wallet.
Heck, you don’t even have to buy anything to get enjoyment out of places like the Altona Fischmarkt. Of course the ultimate goal of the market is to sell things, you can shop at a leisurely place while enjoying the high jinks of the colorful sellers.
Not all of Hamburg’s markets are quite this showy, places like the Isemarkt are more subdued, even while having some 200 vendors selling their wares. Like all things organic? Yes, Hamburg even has a market for that; the appropriately named Organic Market in Eppendorf held every weekend on Saturdays and Sundays. There’s even an Eco-friendly Christmas Market, selling items like homemade Christmas decorations.
Food lovers might like shopping at the Marktzeit in der Fabrik. I know, with a name like that you don’t think food, but it’s a culinary treat that awaits every Saturday morning. At least the market in Blankenese takes place three times a week — a traditional market selling all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies, flowers, and other good-for-you stuff.
On the flip side, there’s no hawking, squawking, and hollering gimmicks at stores along Neuer Wall. Be prepared to drop some serious money at stores found along this street, with designers like Gucci, Armani, Montblanc, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton, you kind of get an idea of what to expect.
Another great name for luxury shopping is the Alsterhaus, where you’ll find more brand-name designers like Boss, Versace, and Prada. Not only are you able to buy haute couture, but you’ll find a Caviar Bar, a Cigar Lounge, and the Veuve Clicquot Boutique (a fine name in champagne — and not everyone prefers Dom Perignon). When too much shopping has you hungry, the LeBuffet on the 4th floor is a delight to the senses; forget the food on the plate, the artistically designed ceiling is heavenly.
While the designers names are the attractions along Neuer Wall and the Alsterhaus, the Alster Arkaden’s shopping brings you along Hamburg’s romantic canals. Yes, there are exclusive shops found here, but it’s the wrought iron lamps and arcades that can grab your attention faster than a 50-percent off sale.
For everyday shopping, Department Stores like Karstadt that sells more affordable jewelry, beauty products (Clinique, Lancome, Guerlain), luggage and bags, even household items. What’s great about places like Karstadt is you’ll find a store along the Mönckebergstraße, a pedestrian shopping zone in the heart of Hamburg. The Mönckebergstraße has been called the “Fifth Avenue of Hamburg,” but it’s the small boutiques that make it worth the trip. OK, and the fact that it’s the oldest shopping district in the city.
Sweet, shopping and history all rolled into one.
You’d be hard pressed to find any better city in Europe for shopping (sorry Italy) than right here in Hamburg. Spend on, my friends, spend on. ;-)