World City Guide

Shopping

The Place des Halles, 24 place des Halles, is the main commercial centre (open Mon-Fri 0900-2000 and Sat 0900-1900), with approximately 120 shops, as well as 10 restaurants and bars. The two main department stores, open daily 1000–1900, are both situated near place Kléber – Galeries Lafayettes, rue du 22 Novembre, and Printemps, 1-5 rue de la Haute Montée. FNAC, place Kléber, is also worth a visit for all things electronic and electrical.

Designer shops can be found along rue des Orfèvres (Chanel and Yves Saint-Laurent) and rue de la Mésange (Cartier, Gucci and Hermès), with chic outlets along rue des Hallebardes and the up-and-coming rue du Vieux-Marché-aux-Poissons (Kenzo, Cerruti and Georges Rech), fast becoming lined with designer names. On the other end of the fashion scale, visitors can buy second-hand clothes, priced according to their weight, from Kilo Shop, 6 rue de la Lanterne, while traditional Alsatian costumes are for sale or hire at Maison du Costume Alsacien, 11b quai de Turckheim.

For year-round Christmas fans, Un Noël en Alsace, 10 rue des Dentelles, sells Christmas decorations whatever the season. Hat lovers should head for designer milliner La Chapellerie, 24 place de la Cathédrale. At 3 rue de Pâques, not far from Place des Halles, is The Bookworm, a bookshop selling English and American books, including Window to Strasbourg: A Guide to Living in France, which is written by enthusiastic amateurs and provides an excellent insight into the minutiae of life in Alsace.

Speciality shops are located all over the city but most close between 1200 and 1400 and on Sunday and Monday mornings. Alsatian specialities at the Edouard Artzner Shop, 7 rue de la Mésange, include Strasbourg goose and duck foie gras and Alsatian wines. René Tourette’s cheese shop, La Cloche à Fromage, 27 rue des Tonneliers, is well worth a visit.

The Central Tourist Office provides a brochure on Strasbourg’s markets, mainly held Tue-Sat 0700-1300. There is an all-day food market at place Broglie on Wednesday and Friday and a flea market at place de la Grande Boucherie and rue du Vieil Hôpital on Wednesday and Saturday. The seasonal Christkindelsmärik takes place from late November to 24 December at place Broglie and rue de la Comédie, and until 31 December at place de la Cathédrale and rue des Hallebardes. This traditional Christmas market dates back to the 16th century and everything from vin chaud (hot wine) to santons (clay figurines), toys and gourmet delicacies are on sale.

Shopping hours vary – department stores are open 0900-1900 and boutiques are open 1000-1200 and 1400-1800. Shops are closed on Sunday and some boutiques also close on Monday morning or all day. VAT currently stands at 19.6% and visitors from outside the European Union can claim a refund upon departure, for every purchase over ¬175, provided the relevant tax free cheques have been collected, stamped and produced, with the purchases and travel documents, upon departure. Global Refund (tel: (01) 4161 5151; fax: (01) 4834 6182; e-mail: taxfree@fr.globalrefund.com; website: www.globalrefund.com ) can provide further information on VAT refunds in Strasbourg.