Shopaholics are in for a treat in Munich. Munich has an immense central shopping area, a 2-km (1-mi) Fussgangerzone (pedestrian zone) stretching from the train station to Marienplatz and north to Odeonsplatz. The two main streets here are Neuhauserstrasse and Kaufingerstrasse, the sites of most major department stores.
For upscale shopping, Maximilianstrasse, Residenzstrasse, and Theatinerstrasse are unbeatable and contain a fine array of classy and tempting stores that are the equal of any others in Europe.
Schwabing, north of the university, has several of the city's most intriguing and offbeat shopping streets - Schellingstrasse and Hohenzollernstrasse. Munich's Christmas markets draw from backroom-studio artisans and artists with beautiful and original wares.
Munich is a city of beer, and items related to its consumption are obvious choices for souvenirs and gifts.
If you want to deck yourself out in lederhosen or a dirndl or affect a green loden coat and little pointed hat with feathers, you have a wide choice in the Bavarian capital.
Shopping Malls
Kaufinger Tor (Kaufingerstr. 117) has several floors of boutiques and cafés packed neatly together under a high glass roof.
The aptly named Arcade (Neuhauserstr. 5) is where the young find the best designer jeans and chunky jewelry.
Department Stores
Hertie (Bahnhofpl. 7, Phone: 089/55120), occupying an entire city block between the train station and Karlsplatz, is the largest and, some claim, the best department store in the city. Hertie's Schwabing branch is the high-gloss steel-and-glass building on the square known as Munchner-Freiheit.
Hirmer (Kaufingerstr. 28, Phone: 089/236-830) has Munich's most comprehensive collection of German-made men's clothes, with a markedly friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Karstadt (Neuhauserstr. 18, Phone: 089/290-230), in the 100-year-old Haus Oberpollinger, at the start of the Kaufingerstrasse shopping mall, is another upscale department store, with a very wide range of Bavarian arts and crafts. Karstadt also has a Schwabing branch, Karstadt am Nordbad (Schleissheimerstr. 93, Phone: 089/13020).
Kaufhofs stores (Karlspl. 21-24, Phone: 089/51250) offer a range of goods in the middle price range. If you catch an end-of-season sale, you're sure to get a bargain.
K & L Ruppert (Kaufingerstr. 15, Phone: 089/231-1470) has a fashionable range of German-made clothes in the lower price brackets.
Müncheners consider Ludwig Beck (Marienpl. 11, Phone: 089/236-910) a step above other departments stores. It's packed from top to bottom with highly original wares - from fine feather boas to roughly finished Bavarian pottery. In December, a series of booths, each delicately and lovingly decorated, is occupied by craftspeople turning out traditional German toys and decorations.
Folk Costumes
Much of the fine loden clothing on sale at Lodenfrey (Maffeistr. 7-9, Phone: 089/210-390) is made at the company's own factory, on the edge of the Englischer Garten.
Wallach (Residenzstr. 3, Phone: 089/220-871) has souvenirs downstairs and shoes and clothing upstairs (though no children's wear).
The tiny Lederhosen Wagner (Tal 2, Phone: 089/225-697) carries lederhosen, woolen sweaters called Walk (not loden), and children's clothing.
Gifts
Visit Ludwig Mory/b> (Marienpl. 8, Phone: 089/224-542).
Wilhelm Muller (Sendlingerstr. 34, Phone: 089/263-969).
Sebastian Wesely (Rindermarkt 1 [am Peterspl.] Phone: 089/264-519).
The Nymphenburg Store (Corner of Odeonspl. and Briennerstr., Phone: 089/282-428) is where you can buy Munich's famously delicate, expensive porcelain.
For Dresden and Meissen ware, go to Kunstring Meissen (Briennerstr. 4, Phone: 089/281-532).
From November's end until December 24, the open-air stalls of the Christkindlmarkt (Marienpl.) are a great place to find gifts and warm up with mulled wine.
Crafts
Bavarian craftspeople have a showplace of their own, the Bayerischer Kunstgewerbe-Verein (Pacellistr. 6-8, Phone: 089/290-1470); here you'll find every kind of handicraft, from glass and pottery to textiles.
Otto Kellnberger’s Holzhandlung (Heiliggeiststr. 7-8, Phone: 089/226-479) specializes in wooden crafts.
Geschenk Alm (Heiliggeiststr. 7-8, Phone: 089/226-479) has nooks and crannies filled with brushes of every kind (including a pig's-bristle brush to get to the bottom of tall champagne glasses).
Obletter’s (Karlspl. 11-12, Phone: 089/5508-9510) has two extensive floors of toys, many of them handmade playthings of great charm and quality.
Antiques
In Antike Uhren Eder (Prannerstr. 4, in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof building, Phone: 089/220-305) the silence is broken only by the ticking of dozens of highly valuable German antique clocks and by discreet bargaining over the high prices.
Antike Uhren H. Schley (Kardinal-Faulhaber-Str. 14a, Phone: 089/226-188) specializes in antique clocks.
Roman Odesser (Westenriederstr. 16, Phone: 089/226-388) specializes in German antique silver and porcelain.
For nautical items or ancient sports equipment (golf clubs, for instance) try the Captain’s Saloon (Westenriederstr. 31, Phone: 089/221-015).
Markets
If you're in the Schwabing area, the daily market at Elisabethplatz is worth a visit - it's much smaller than the Viktualienmarkt, but the range and quality of produce are comparable.
Munich's Viktualienmarkt is the place to shop. Just south of Marienplatz, it's home to an array of colorful stands that sell everything from cheese to sausages, from flowers to wine. A visit here is more than just collecting picnic makings; it's central to an understanding of the Müncheners' easy-come-easy-go nature.
Food
Dallmayr (Dienerstr. 14-15, Phone: 089/21350) is an elegant gourmet food store, with delights ranging from the most exotic fruits to English jams, served by efficient Munich matrons in smart blue-and-white-linen costumes. The store's famous specialty is coffee, with more than 50 varieties to blend as you wish. There's also an enormous range of breads and a temperature-controlled cigar room.
The Zerwick Gewolbe (Ledererstr. 3, Phone: 089/226-824) is Munich's oldest venison shop, with a mouthwatering selection of smoked meats, including wild boar.
