9 Best Places to Shop in Germany

For an upscale shopping experience, visit the many stores, boutiques, galleries, and cafés of the Fünf Höfe, a modern arcade carved into the block of houses between Theatinerstrasse and Kardinal-Faulhaber-Strasse. The architecture of the passages and courtyards is cool and elegant, in sharp contrast to the facades of the buildings. Along with outposts devoted to well-known international brands, there are German brands such as S. Baumeister (shoes and accessories) and Friendly Hunting for cashmere.

The city's largest downtown shopping mall is next to the Holstentor and is filled with stores selling clothing or home accessories.

Smart boutiques and cafés line this 230-foot-long glass-roofed passageway that connects Kaufinger Strasse to Fürstenfelder Strasse.

High-end boutiques and restaurants line this luxurious three-story mall.

Designed by star architect Daniel Libeskind, this curvaceous shopping center at the north end of the Kö is anchored by the upscale German department store Breuninger and the city’s only Apple store, and also counts a number of chic restaurants and bars.

This bright, modern indoor shopping arcade has a web of shops and cafés (including the city's only Primark) surrounding an airy atrium. Just look for the huge sculpture of an upside-down ice cream cone above the entrance.

This rather nondescript city-center shopping mall offers a standard selection of German chain stores, cafés, and kiosks, but if you're a keen chef then go upstairs to kitchen store Fissler to pick up excellent-quality cooking utensils or a traditional German clay cooking pot (Römertopf). The Römerpassage also houses the remains of a Roman temple (AD 1) discovered in 1999 during the construction of the mall. The temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Isis and Magna Mater, is in the basement and can be visited during mall opening times (donation requested).

This multilevel shopping mall connected to the Messe (convention center) contains more than 170 shops, including clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories, and the biggest food court in Frankfurt. Unfortunately, it feels like an American mall, with all its familiar international food and fashion chains dominating the German brands. Head to the roof garden for a picture-postcard view of the skyline year-round, and for outdoor dining in season.