General

Aachen Shopping Guide

Groceries, Essentials, and Fashion

Aachen Shopping Guide

Which places to go to for everyday shopping in Aachen? Where to go for international specialities? What can you do on Sundays if you forgot to stock up on something? In what follows, we provide a comprehensive shopping guide for Aachen that answers these questions and more!

Everyday groceries in Aachen

Aachen, and Germany in general, has multiple types of grocery shops based on price (discounters vs. full-service supermarkets) and assortment.
Although it is important to note that most (if not all) have their own “budget range” for basics, so even if you would avoid certain names because of your financial situation (khm khm EDEKA), it is still worth checking them all out.

German retail categories in Aachen

Full-service supermarkets:
These offer medium prices with wide assortments of branded products, fresh meat/deli counters, and bakery sections. Examples found in Aachen are:

Discounters:
Budget chains with limited but efficient selections focused on private-label basics. Examples in Aachen:

Hypermarkets:
One-stop “warehouses” combining groceries with non-food items like clothing and electronics. Best for bulk buys. Aachen examples:

Organic/bio supermarkets:
100% organic stores with premium fresh produce, vegan options, and eco-products at slightly higher prices.

Drugstores with food sections:
Not full grocers but can be useful for organic snacks, baby food, tea, plant milks, and household basics.

International & Specialty Groceries in Aachen

Middle Eastern/Arabic stores

Turkish/Oriental supermarkets

Asian and African supermarkets

Levantine

Polish supermarkets

Sunday and cross‑border shopping

If you forgot or didn’t get a chance to get something by Saturday and haven’t gotten used to the closed stores on Sundays, Vaals is a really good option to pick up groceries. It is quite close (5–7 km), and can easily be reached by bus 33/35/350 (every 10–30 minutes from Aachen Bushof/Elisenbrunnen/Schanz, for €2–5). You can also hop on a bike, or even walk, which is our personal preference; it takes around 1 hour of walking (can also be counted as a nice light exercise).

Vaals caters to Germans to the extent that you will probably hear more German spoken on the weekends than Dutch. Supermarkets like Albert Heijn and Naanhof stay open on Sundays (typically 9 am–5 pm), but make sure to always check before you go. Tip: Download the Albert Heijn app to access special deals and use their scanner in the shop.

Non‑food shopping

Key Shopping Centers and Department Stores

  • Aquis Plaza is the largest shopping center at the end of Adalbertstraße. It has over 100 stores, plus a food court with views of St. Adalbert's Church and 600 parking spaces.
  • ElisenGalerie is a central shopping arcade on Elisenstraße. It features designer brands and upscale fashion across multiple floors in the city center.​
  • Hirsch Center, located on Elsassstraße, offers budget fashion, electronics, and an Aldi.​
  • Galeria (ex-Karstadt, Adalbertstraße 20-30) is a classic department store in the city center. It sells clothing, sport attire, cosmetics, chocolate, and home goods.​

Practical tips

  • Apps for deals: You can use kaufDA to scan weekly flyers across REWE, Edeka, and Aldi. Too Good To Go can also come in handy to reduce food waste.
  • Get a Payback card: It can be used in multiple stores (1 point per €2 spent). You can redeem your points for vouchers (IKEA, Amazon) or use them as money at checkout. Sign up at payback.de, and get a physical or digital card.
  • Cash is king: A general rule here is that having cash with you is always a safe bet.​