Frankfurt has over the years gained an excellent reputation as a shopping city. Regardless of whether you are a bargain-hunter, a lover of haute couture or a fashionista on the lookout for the latest trends, Frankfurt is a paradise for shopping enthusiasts.

The Zeil, Frankfurt’s premier pedestrian promenade, is one of Germany’s most profitable shopping streets. It is a place where most every wish comes true. One of its many highlights is the MyZeil mall, which impresses through its excellent selection of international labels and its futuristic design. The 42-metre-long freestanding escalator – the longest of its kind in all of Germany – takes shoppers to the mall’s eight levels, where they have 75 stores and ten restaurants available to them. The nearby Zeil Galleria has a similarly excellent variety of shops as well as a rooftop café offering scenic views of downtown Frankfurt.

Goethestraße, centrally situated near the Alte Oper, is home to an superb selection of luxurious fashion boutiques featuring the current collections of the world’s most renowned designers. Regularly held VIP sales events and fashion shows underline the exclusive character of this popular retail location. The underground car park at Goetheplatz is perfect for shoppers who don’t have time to waste searching for parking spaces. One Goethe Plaza at Goetheplatz is another member of Frankfurt’s Champions League of shopping. It is home to the shops of Escada, Louis Vuitton, Omega and Nespresso, the latter being the company’s largest store in Germany.

There are many independent and alternative shops to discover away from Frankfurt’s better-known shopping streets. Berger Straße, Schweizer Straße and Brückenstraße are home to countless boutiques and designer shops selling trendy Frankfurt labels. Berger Straße, nearly three kilometres long, runs through two of Frankfurt’s most popular residential districts, Bornheim and the North End. Commonly referred to as “Die Berger”, it is a residential and shopping street in equal measure, featuring a weekly farmers’ market, organic food stores, florists, restaurants, pubs and many independent shops. The southern section of Sachsenhausen, meanwhile, especially Brückenstraße, has in recent years become a sort of fashion district. Here, shoppers will find tailored clothing, contemporary accessories and jewellery, offered by shops that are equally individual in terms of design and decoration. Also situated in Sachsenhausen, but closer to the museum embankment, Schweizer Straße is another popular retail destination. It is lined by specialty stores offering goods of the highest quality. The broad spectrum of traditional shops includes everything from butchers, bakeries and cheese shops to wine merchants, teashops and chemists. Those looking to take some rest from their shopping sprees have countless cafés and restaurants to choose from.

Skyline Plaza, a brand-new shopping centre situated in close proximity to the city’s fairgrounds and main train station, is a further highlight of Frankfurt’s retail scene. Here, shoppers have some 170 specialist stores and service providers spread out over 38,000 square metres of retail space. One of the centre’s many special attractions is the Skyline Garden, a vast, publically accessible rooftop comprising a large landscaped area with lawns, bushes and trees as well as a spacious café and several children’s playgrounds. There is also a lofty observation platform from which visitors may enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of Frankfurt’s skyline, the nearby Taunus low mountain range and the soon-to-be-completed Europa Quarter. The shopping centre itself also has a health club, the Meridian Spa, which spans a total of three levels. Guests have swimming pools, saunas, steam baths, massage and fitness rooms available to them for achieving physical and mental relaxation.

The Hessen-Center in the northeast of Frankfurt is one of the city’s largest shopping centres. Beneath a massive glass roof, shoppers will find three levels of shops, fountains and plenty of plant life. About 150 shops and stores have found a home here, spread out over 36,000 square metres of floor space. The Hessen-Center is known to be particularly child and handicap-friendly. Shoppers have prams and wheelchairs available on loan, if needed.

Fans of outlet shopping also don’t have far to go to fulfil their retail desires. The Wertheim Village Designer Outlet is situated about a 60-minute drive from Frankfurt. Here, brand-name designers put their surplus stock and discontinued lines up for sale at significantly reduced prices. Spread out over 13,500 square metres of floor space, the mall’s 110-plus shops and boutiques offer exclusive national and international designer brands from the clothing, shoe, leather and sporting goods categories. Parking is free of charge. A special shuttle service known as the Shopping Express® takes shoppers from Frankfurt to Wertheim and back both quickly and easily. It is available from Mondays to Saturdays as well as on days with Sunday trading. For further information on the shuttle service and seat reservations, as well as general information on Wertheim Village, please visit www.wertheimvillage.com.

Photo: Inside view of the shopping centre MyZeil - © ©Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt