Wiesbaden shopping guide
One way to improve your travelling experience is to do something locals do – for example grocery shopping. This guide will take you for a little shopping adventure following my favourite spots in the city of Wiesbaden.
One thing to remember is that in Germany shops are closed on Sundays, apart from the ones at train stations or restaurants and some souvenir stores. That is why Saturdays are crazy. Keep that in mind, because some places might be very crowded on that day.
If you are not from Wiesbaden, probably you would arrive to the main station – Hauptbahnhof. It is about 15 minutes’ walk to the city centre, but you can also take a bus.
Fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables
At the Marktplatz in front of the Rathaus, since early morning till lunch time, there is always a farmers’ market opened. The stands are really pretty with colourful umbrellas. You can buy there fresh food: meat, fish, fruit, vegetables. They offer huge variety of cheese, exotic fruit, and local products like wine or honey. There are also seasonal flowers and house decorations. If you get hungry you can always get a warm sausage (curry wurst) and fries. All of it in the rhythms of music played by local artists – violin, cello, accordion.
Italian lunch
We are still at the Marktplatz. For a bigger hunger I recommend an Italian pizzeria – Pizza Punto IT. They sell mini pizzas for 2-3,5 euro which you can take away. They are warmed up in few minutes, so it is a perfect option if you need a small snack during shopping.
In the corner of the Mauergasse there is also a cute ice-cream place – Rialto, great for a desert!
Creativity, imagination, decoration
The first store I like to visit is the DEPOT, with huge selection of home decorations. They always have special offers section upstairs, so don’t forget to check it out. This store is still at Marktstrasse. Then I usually follow the Mauergasse, which is my favourite street in a city. I like the style of houses, little stores with antiques, books and home supplies.
Another place I always go to is “idee”. That’s a paradise for creative spirits. The store is full of wool, paper, stationery, books, paints and stickers. They have a 10% discount for students.
Going further there are few antique stores with CDs, vinyl records, jewellery and porcelain: Schallplatten-Antiquariat and Werner Antiquitäten. They sometimes play some old records, creating very charming atmosphere. Especially that opposite there is a restaurant and people sit outside drinking wine and listening to music.
Few stores later on the right you can find a book store, which has amazing collection of maps and tourist guides – Buchhandlung Angermann.
However my favourite second hand book shop is just by the corner, 3 minutes’ walk at Neugasse. They have good selection of books in English, sometimes also in other languages. Usually some books are displayed in front of the store in a box labelled “Fremdsprache” , but it is worth to go inside for a bigger choice. On Saturdays they should be closing around 15, however if the weather is nice and there are a lot of people, it might be opened for a bit longer.
On the way to this book store there is a place with postcards and other gift ideas, a chocolate store -Der Kakaobaum and beautiful florists – Blumenboutique Wingen.
When I have a bit more time I also stop by DM and Nanu-Nana, but you can find them in most German cities.
Fashion in a city
Now let’s look for the clothes’ stores. Majority of high-street fashion stores are at the Kirchgasse. It is a pedestrian zone, so it is safe and comfortable to walk without cars. Here you can find two major shopping malls – Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof, which sell almost everything. There are also stores like ZARA, H&M, Mango, but also a bit less common – LUSH or Accessorise. The best is just to walk along the street and stop wherever you like. Another shopping centre at the same street is Luisen Forum with TK MAXX, Body Shop, Saturn or CCC. If you are lucky you can hear a live piano concert, which takes place at the bottom level of a store. Especially around Christmas time there are nice events.
Always keep eyes opened
Following the Kirchgasse might be the right choice, but sometimes it is good to turn to smaller streets at its sides to find even more, eg. Peek & Cloppenburg or TEDI at Friedrichstraße, Listmann at Luisenstraße. I also found another nice bookstore with second hand books at Rheinstraße walking into direction of Ringkirche. Wiesbaden is also full of boutiques with designer clothes, American products or art stores. So no matter what you are looking for, for sure you find it! Everything is in a walking distance, so you can shop till you drop.
Additional information:
Tourist Information Centre is located at Marktplatz. You can get a free city plan there and any information about current events.
Every year few Sundays are special and shops are opened in the afternoon. In Wiesbaden it takes place during the Easter Market and the City Autumn Festival.
If only you have a chance visit Christmas market in December!