The Essen shopping experience strikes a perfect balance between high-end, name-brand fashion and less well-known but more unique independent shopping. As the site of Germany’s first pedestrianized shopping area, Essen shopping is both historic and modern.
Limbecker Platz and Downtown Shopping
With a pedestrian shopping area that boasts 700 shops and 300,000 square meters of retail space, it comes as little surprise that Essen is known as the “city of shopping.”
The variety of shops includes fashion boutiques, department stores and furniture shops. Design studios and jewelry shops can also be found here. And with the relatively new shopping complex of the Limbecker Platz, there are ever more stores and boutiques moving into this shopping city. Fil à Fil, Esprit, Laura Ashley and Marc O’Polo are just a few of the shops you’ll find in the city center.
And before you finish your shopping, be sure to pick up a souvenir of the city’s mascot and hero, the golden cockerel Henry. The legend goes that he saved Essen from robbers, fires and other disasters with his timely crowing to alert the townspeople of danger. :-)
Rüttenscheid
Another large Essen shopping district is the Rüttenscheid. Here you can find a good assortment of cultural shopping: antiques, book stores musical instruments and discount shops.
Altenessen
This shopping spot also has many destinations for the avid shopper. In Altenessen, you’ll find several different clothing stores, from the European giant C & A to smaller boutiques and shoe stores. There’s also several book stores offering reading material for your holiday. And if you’re feeling a bit peckish after all the shopping, stop at one of the local bakeries for a treat.
Christmas Market
One major Essen shopping event is the yearly Christmas Market. Over 250 stalls are on hand in the city center, selling their crafts and wares and delicacies to the city’s many visitors. The market usually runs for about a month before the holiday and ends just on Christmas Eve.