Stuttgart Shopping and Districts

(Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)

Stuttgart is a shopaholic's dream and shopping here is great fun - whatever you want, it's here.

Popular purchases for visitors include fashion, beer steins, musical boxes (a famous traditional craft here), German dolls and the famed Black Forest wood carvings, available in all shapes, sizes and subjects including cuckoo clocks.

If you're knowledgeable, antiques can also be a good buy in Stuttgart. Open air markets and flea markets are a great way to people-watch as well as shop.

When to Shop and Where

The main shopping street in Stuttgart is the Konigstrasse, with its 1-km / 0.6-mile spread of department stores containing famous names and designer franchises.

The Old Quarter of Bohnenviertel has become a fashionable place to shop and comes with boutiques, speciality stores, antiques shops and art galleries.

A don't-miss on any Stuttgart shopping agenda is the Art Nouveau Markthalle (Market Hall), which offers a superb choice of exotica at suitably elevated prices. For leather goods and stunning designer jewellery, the Calwerstrasse area is the place to come, and the flea market on the Karlsplatz is great for antiques, collectables and books.

Another different place for a shopping excursion is the underground mall at the Klett-Passage, while the recently opened Königsbaupassagen offers the total shopping experience, including eateries and coffee bars.

Most Stuttgart shops and stores open from Monday to Saturday around 09:00 and stay open until 20:00, but visitors should note that almost none will open on Sundays.

Banks close for lunch between 13:00 and 14:00, and shut down for the weekend at 13:00 on Saturdays. MasterCard and Visa are accepted almost everywhere, but other cards may not be welcomed at many shops, restaurants and ATMs.