Special Guest Post: Stephanie Levy

Munich Christmas Shopping Tour

We're in a real treat today, as Stephanie Levy (an american living in Germany), takes us on a shopping tour of her Munich neighborhood!


I moved to Munich’s Haidhausen district 2 years ago, and I love the artsy, unique shops and cafes that have popped up everywhere. Although Haidhausen has become a somewhat trendy neighborhood, it remains laid-back and friendly.

A great place to start doing some holiday shopping is Doppler on Sedanstrasse . This little store is always full of fun, trendy goodies to brighten up your living space.
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www.doppler-muenchen.de
www.doppler-shop.de

Across the street is the equally clever and kitschy Hubercraft store and cafe. Gift items for those with a sense of humor are found abundantly here. I love these alternative Advent wreaths and wind-up Santas.

www.hubercraft.de

For something more elegant, Anne von Waechter makes beautiful, hand-crafted jewelry, presented in a lovely gallery situation.
anne-von-waechter

www.annevonwaechter.de

If you get hungry while shopping, the German bakeries do not disappoint, and even sell real mini gingerbread houses at this time of year.


The Bakery, however, doesn’t sell bread and cakes as the name might suggest. It’s an art gallery specializing in photographic art, installations, and site-specific art projects.

www.thebakery.de

If cooking is your passion, Kochgut is a designer store selling fresh, funky utensils for your kitchen.
kochgut
www.kochgut-muenchen.de

One of my favorite places to window shop is Le Bazar de Cusine, a store specializing in French and European housewares. Check out these great garlic Christmas ornaments and the red gnome with glitter boots! Here I also spotted a creative idea for placecard table settings.
labazar
www.bazar-cuisine.com

Engel und Bengel (“angels and brats”) is one of the best-known children’s stores in all of Munich, and here are a couple of festive, handmade lamps sold in the store and online.
engel
www.engelundbengel.com

Vienna-Square
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A nice place to take a break and relax on your shopping tour is the charming Wiener Platz (“Vienna Square”), where you can sit outside in the sun with your cappucino and croissant, people watch, and find these great rubber boots and Madonna at Living Room.

www.livingroom.la

I sighted these trendy stags and fun hooks at Curtis and Curtis, also located on Wiener Platz.
curtis
(Their website is also in English!)
www.curtisundcurtis.de

I love bringing home fresh flowers, and I find that the German florist shops are especially creative. Perhaps the long gray winter here makes everyone crave color. Here are a few refreshing floral ideas from “Blumen, die Leben” (“Flowers that live”) to brighten your day.
b1
b2
www.blumen-die-leben.de

Happy shopping online – or better yet, come visit Munich!

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Note: Most of the above listed websites are unfortunately in German only. However, addresses and opening times are listed, making the websites a good resource for anyone visiting Munich in person.

Thank you so much Stephanie!

stephanielevy.com
stephanielevy.blogspot.com
stephanielevy.etsy.com

Jan Halvarson

6 comments:

Ruth said...

SWOON!!

This is a great post, I just need an air ticket now :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this. I moved to Germany, three years ago, and I always seem to go to the same places in Munich. Now I just need to convince my husband to drive to Munich this weekend to explore some of these stores.

Luna Levy said...

Hi Jan!

What a wonderful surprise to see the post this morning :) Thanks - and really, come visit!

Anonymous said...

Aw, man! That just makes me want to move back over there...

DesignGrl said...

I lived in Augsburg for 3 years and often visited Munich. I miss all the lovely shopping for Christmas. Thanks for the wonderful post!

raquel raney said...

love the kochgut signage. very nice.