The Place des
Halles, 24 place des Halles, is the main commercial centre
and is open Monday-Friday 0900-2000 hrs and Saturday 0900-1900 hrs),
with approximately 120 shops, as well as ten restaurants and bars.
The two main department storesare open daily from 1000–1900
hrs, 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 hrs 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 Tuesday-Saturday 0700-1300
hrs. 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
department stores are open 0900-1900 hrs and boutiques are open
1000-1200 hrs and 1400-1800 hrs.
Shops are closed on Sunday and some boutiques also close on Monday
morning or all day.
VAT currently stands at 19.6 per cent 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 (telephone number:
(01) 4161 5151, fax number: (01) 4834 6182; e-mail: taxfree@fr.globalrefund.com
website: www.globalrefund.com
) can provide further information on VAT refunds in Strasbourg.
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