Shopping Areas in Hannover (Self Guided), Hanover

Hannover is ideally suited for shopping – replete with wonderful markets and elegant boutiques fit to satisfy most shoppers. All the world's top brands are packed here within easily accessible areas. Only a few cities in Germany can offer such a high density of shopping opportunities within just a few hundred meters of each other.

Subject to your interest, you can find here what you need – be it leather goods, beer, German sausages, jewelry or clothes – in the course of minutes, or spend days browsing the stores to your heart's content.

Perhaps the best place to start your shopping spree is Markthalle, the traditional market hall opposite the Old Town Hall, open daily 08:00-19:00. Somewhat uninspiring on the outside, inside this “belly of Hannover” holds a vast array of fresh produce and international delicacies to delight discerning connoisseurs.

In the area around the Opera House and Kropcke Platz – Hannover's most central square – is a wonderful assortment of elegant, exclusive shops and the colorful world of large department stores. The car-free section of Georgstrasse (George Street), between Kröpcke and Steintor, is lined with trendy boutiques and huge malls. One such is the Ernst-August Galerie, with 130 stores, located next to the Central Station. Within a walking distance, Galerie Luise and Kröpcke Passage offer an extraordinary variety of shopping – fashion, jewelry, silverware, porcelain and food – in any weather.

Hannover's Georgstrasse and the adjacent Bahnhofstrasse (Train Station Street) are among the longest and most popular shopping streets in the country. Bahnhofstrasse, leading straight into the heart of the city, is a pedestrian zone on two levels, with the Niki de Saint Phalle promenade extending in the "basement".

For an ultimate shopping experience in Hannover and a closer acquaintance with its top shopping areas, take this self-guided walking tour.