Who doesn’t love shopping? Whether in town or online, everyone gets excited about new clothes in their wardrobe, the latest technology or the most up-to-date appliances in the kitchen. A shopping trip with best friends is a particular highlight, especially for women. According to a study, one in four women shop at least once a week or even more frequently.
German cities offer very varied shopping opportunities. Shop locations range from cozy old towns or lively pedestrian zones to grand shopping centers and arcades in the inner cities. Particularly when on a city trip, many tourists rejoice in shopping. Who doesn’t like bringing home souvenirs for family and friends or buying a T-shirt that reminds them of a particular city? Shopping in Germany’s capital is a pleasure for sure. Apart from the many shops in the city center, Berlin has the largest shopping center in Europe: the department store of the West, short KaDeWe. Further shopping centers are Bikini Berlin and the Mall of Berlin at Potzdamer Platz. Moreover, one of the top-selling shopping miles in Germany, the Zeil, is located in Frankfurt. In addition to Munich, Dusseldorf, Leipzig and shopping opportunities on Sylt at the North Sea, in this collection you will get an overview of the greatest shopping cities in Germany.
Outlet shopping has become very well established in Germany. For instance, manufacturers offer items from last season, overproduction or B-goods at better prices. Product ranges from more than 130 different brands are represented in outlet cities and villages. However, these outlet centers are not operated by the brand manufacturers themselves, but by organizations such as the McArthurGlen Group or Value Retail Management Germany GmbH. For example, McArthurGlen is a leading operator of designer outlets across Europe. No matter where you live in Germany, you’re never far from an outlet center: Up north you could go to a designer outlet in Neumünster or in Soltau, while down south you’ve got the Outletcity Metzingen and Ingolstadt Village. Get an overview of the biggest designer outlets in Germany in our collection!
Online shopping is booming in Germany. Especially books, clothes, and event tickets are ordered on the internet. A huge range of products, as well as the simple price comparison are definite advantages. With just a few clicks, you can compare the prices of your favorite items faster than if you were running from store to store in town center. This also explains the advantage of „it could not be any more convenient“. On your computer, tablet or smartphone, you can quickly access the desired online shop of companies such as Amazon, Zalando or Asos. You order your product, pay for it and a few days later a package arrives at your house.
Have you ever been shopping in France, Italy, the UK or even the US? – Unfortunately, you won’t always find the international size indicators, such as XS, S, M, L or XL. In Germany people are used to dress sizes starting at 32, going up in steps of two. However, this differs from country to country.
Don’t be surprised if trousers in France are a little tightfitting – If you’re a size 36 in Germany, you should choose one size up, a 38, in France.
Italian sizes differ again by 2 numbers to the sizes in France. You have to add 4 to your dress size in Germany. A German size 36 correlates to a size 40 in Italy.
Size indicators differ a lot between Germany and the UK. If you are a size 32 in Germany, you would be a size 6 in the UK and a size 42 would be a size 16.
Here too, sizes go up in steps of two. Sizes vary again by a factor of 4 from those in the UK. If you’re a size 10 in the UK, you would be a size 6 in the US, whereas you’d wear a size 36 in Germany.
Here is an overview of different sizes in different countries:
International | Germany | France | Italy | Great Britain | USA |
XXS | 32 | 34 | 36 | 6 | 2 |
XS | 34 | 36 | 38 | 8 | 4 |
S | 36 | 38 | 40 | 10 | 6 |
M | 38 | 40 | 42 | 12 | 8 |
L | 40 | 42 | 44 | 14 | 10 |
XL | 42 | 44 | 46 | 16 | 12 |
And now: have fun shopping!