Shopping

Erfurt is Thuringia's first choice for shopping.

Shopping in Erfurt is fun. Its smart pedestrianised areas with their elegant shops, shopping malls, department stores, boutiques, street cafés, restaurants and relaxing leafy areas are ideal for an enjoyable browse. As the whole city centre is a listed site of historical interest, shopping in the traffic-free heart of Erfurt is a particular delight, whether in the typical 1870s buildings and modern shopping centres around Anger or in the tiny medieval half-timbered buildings around the Merchants' Bridge and Lange Brücke. And why not linger for a while in a Thuringian restaurant, street café or delightful beer garden and enjoy the local culinary specialities?

Shopping Venues

Anger

Formerly the principal place where woad, wine, wool and wheat were traded in the city, Anger is now Erfurt's main business and retail precinct and is a paradise for shopping enthusiasts.

Boasting the Anger 1 shopping complex with its impressively elegant art nouveau facade, a range of large department stores and international chain stores, not to mention a good variety of specialist shops, this district has got every shopping angle - big or small - covered.

If you make your way westwards, past numerous shop fronts from a variety of architectural eras, and along either Neuwerkstrasse or Regierungsstrasse, you will arrive at the Hirschgarten, one of Erfurt's loveliest public spaces.


Lange Brücke

Not far from the cathedral and the Church of St Severus, and a short hop from Domplatz and Fischmarkt squares, visitors to Erfurt will discover a district known as Lange Brücke.

Lange Brücke is one of the city centre's most charming shopping streets with a huge range of specialist local boutiques offering high quality products.

Small, quirky shops and exclusive fashion boutiques lend the street its individual character. Some of the remarkable products on display in shops with friendly, knowledgeable staff are made by local artisans. The nearby Kettenstrasse is a great place to shop for traditional handicrafts, graphic art, prints, and original drawings.

Lange Brücke shopping area


Cathedral Square

Domplatz (Cathedral Square)

Domplatz square is only a few seconds' walk from Kettenstrasse. Set against the majestic backdrop of the cathedral and the Church of St Severus, it boasts a host of attractive boutiques and a variety of restaurants and cafés. The square's daily market, which operates from 7am until 2pm sells fresh regional produce including fruit and vegetables, meat and sausage products and many other tasty treats.

From Domplatz square, Marktstrasse - which follows the centuries-old trading route the Via Regia - leads you back towards the city centre.


Merchants’ Bridge

The Merchants’ Bridge (Krämerbrücke), one of Erfurt's main landmarks, is the longest series of inhabited buildings on any bridge in Europe. The bridge was, and continues to be, a place where craftsmen display and sell their wares in pottery, wood carving and glass blowing studios.

With specialist shops selling regional and exotic wares from all over the world, and a number of interesting galleries, this is a great place to browse and to pick out that extra special souvenir. From the Merchant's Bridge you can reach Wenigemarkt - possibly the loveliest square in Erfurt - with its many eateries.

The Merchants’ Bridge


Fish Market

Via the fish market to the Schlösserstraße

Visitors are not only enthused by the impressively designed façades of imposing houses and the neo-Gothic town hall, the many small shops located in the area also cordially invite you to take a leisurely walk.

As one wanders towards Anger, one walks through the Schlösserstraße. Here one can especially acquire dresses on display in the numerous brand boutiques and large stores.


Willy-Brandt-Platz

The Willy-Brandt-Platz (or the station forecourt) does not only keep on hand a rich variety of dining options for you, but at the same time is also a place of great historical significance. Here, in the former hotel “Erfurter Hof”, the first summit meeting was held in 1970 between Willy Brandt and Willi Stoph of the two German states. Numerous shops and dining places are open not only during weekdays, but also on Sunday until 8 pm.

Willy-Brandt-Platz