 |
Shopping
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service boasts plenty of shopping opportunities throughout the Wiesbaden community. The same stores you can find on installations within the United States can also be found here such as the Main Exchange, Military Clothing Sales, Four Seasons, Shoppettes and Class Six. Offering a wide variety of sporting gear, clothing and equipment. Also available is more than average sized sports store and the Power Zone, a store specializing in the sale of electronics. Contracted vendors also offer a variety of European items such as antiques, crystal, Italian glass, Turkish gold and more.
There is a commissary in the Wiesbaden military community in Hainerberg Housing . Payment for commissary items can be made by cash, check, credit or debit card. Ration cards are required to purchase coffee, tobacco and alcohol and can be obtained when in-processing through the Directorate of Human Resources.
But not all of your shopping necessarily has to be done on the installation. Germans generally shop more frequently than Americans and buy in small quantities. Most shops are small and specialized, but there are some which compare to large department and grocery stores as in the U.S. When shopping on the economy, it's best to bring along a shopping bag or basket since most stores charge extra for these.
Wiesbaden has several large stores similar to supercenters, called Real. These are located on Mainzer Strasse, Schiersteiner Strasse, Äppelallee Center at Wiesbaden-Bieberich and in Wiesbaden Nordenstadt. However, unlike the U.S., they are not open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most German stores close between 8 and 10 p.m. weekdays, between 4-10 p.m. on Saturdays and are closed Sundays. In the past, stores were only open until 4 or 6 p.m. but as German laws change so do business hours for many customer-oriented stores.
Shopping Center Information
Äppelallee-Center located at Äppelallee 69 in 65203 Wiesbaden-Biebrich The Äppelallee-Center is located in the commercial area of Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Äppelallee 69) conveniently close to a variety of do-it-yourself stores, a garden center and various furniture stores. The center offers a large scale supermarket (Real), a large scale consumer electronics store (MediaMarkt), a pharmacy, a hairdresser, a variety of smaller stores and restaurants (Thai, Indian, Sushi, Deli, Bakery etc.) and much more. Driving Directions: From downtown take the Gustav-Stresemann Ring (B54 southbound), pass the main train station, take the first left and turn on the Biebricher Allee (K643). Keep going for about 2.6km (1.6 miles). Before you reach the historic district of downtown Biebrich you turn right onto Äppelallee (L3482). Follow the Äppelallee for about 1.7 km (1.1 miles). You can’t miss the center, when you see the signs of MediaMarkt and Real take a right and follow the signs. (Alternatively, in case you travel from Wiesbaden-Erbenheim take the Autobahn A 66 (direction Rüdesheim/Bingen) for about 3.3 km (2 miles) get off at exit 4 (Wiesbaden/Wi-Biebrich) make a left on the Biebricher Allee (K643) and continue for about 500m (0.3 miles) then turn right on the Äppelallee and continue as mentioned before.) At the center you'll find 1,600 free parking spaces. If you choose to travel by bus, take bus line 14 and get off at Äppelallee-Center. Shops are open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit www.aeppelallee-center.de.
A Little About Markets
An open-air market is located in the Marktplatz downtown Wiesbaden Wednesday and Saturday where you can find a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, meats, flowers, spices, cheeses and plenty more. There are also many supermarkets similar to American style grocery stores. The most common are Aldi, Penny Markt, Lidl, REWE, Spar, Edeka, Tengelmann and Plus. |
There are plenty of big clothing stores to choose from such as Kaufhof, Karstadt, Peek+Cloppenburg, C&A, H&M and New Yorker. Electronic stores such as Vobis and Media-Markt offer a wide variety of items to include household appliances. IKEA and Mann Mobilia are two major furniture stores in the area. You can even find a Toys R' Us nearby.
The important thing is to get out and explore the local area. Ask around to those who have been in Germany a while to show you the "great shopping areas" in Germany such as:
Outlet Shopping Village
Discover the Wertheim Outlet Shopping Village located on A3 between Aschaffenburg and Würzburg (Exit 66 Wertheim/Lengfurt). Clothes, shoes, accessories, sports gear, jewelry of various brands are sold at reduced prices. The shopping village is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information visit their website at www.WertheimVillage.com which is available in English. The area around Wertheim is also great for hiking, dining and discovering the "Spessart Mountains."
Hessencenter Frankfurt
The Hessencenter is a mall located at the end of A66 in Bergen-Enkheim (Frankfurt). Just take a right at the traffic light when the Autobahn ends and you’ll be at the entrance of the parking lot.
Downtown Frankfurt
Frankfurt's main shopping street is called the "Zeil." Here you'll find all the major department stores such as: Peek & Cloppenburg, Galeria Kaufhof, Karstadt, Eckerle, Sportarena, Douglas, Saturn, etc. Furthermore, there's a small shopping mall called "Zeilgalerie" which also houses the IMAX cinema. If you're looking for exclusive designer shops (Escada, Picard, Versace, Gucci, Cartier etc.) then the Geothestrasse is the place to go. It's located between the opera and the "Goetheplatz." There are several parking garages in the area, if traveling by car. The best way to reach the Zeil is by train (S8 or S9 direction Wiesbaden from Platform 1 or 2 at Hanau Main Station - just get off at the "Hauptwache" station about 25 minutes later).