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The MyZeil shopping centre on the Zeil in Frankfurt, lit at night.
Layover guideFrankfurt · FRA

What to buy in Frankfurt

Zeil for mainstream, Goethestrasse for luxury; the local buy is a Bembel apple-wine jug; non-EU crew can reclaim VAT on purchases over EUR 50, stamped at FRA customs.

Ermell / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
All of Frankfurt

The Zeil is the main mainstream shopping street, one of the best known in Germany per the tourism board; Goethestrasse is the luxury row (designer fashion and jewellery); Berger Strasse (Bornheim) and Brueckenstrasse (Sachsenhausen) are the independent-boutique streets.

The Frankfurt-specific purchase at category level is apple-wine kit: a Bembel (grey ceramic jug) with Gerippte ribbed glasses, flagged by the tourism board as the local souvenirs.

VAT refund applies for residents of non-EU countries without a German residence permit over 3 months: each receipt must exceed EUR 50 including VAT, goods must leave the EU in your personal baggage within 3 months, and you need a customs stamp on the export certificate before claiming from the retailer or a refund agency. Services (hotels, restaurants) are excluded, so only goods count.

At Frankfurt Airport: goods worth up to EUR 5,000 are stamped at the customs office in Departure Hall C (Terminal 1); above EUR 5,000 at the customs export office in Transit Area B. For tax-free goods in checked bags, tell check-in staff first; the bag gets a label and comes back to you for presentation at customs before it goes.

  1. Visit Frankfurt, Shopping in Frankfurt · checked 2026-08-18
  2. German Customs (Zoll), Tax-free shopping · checked 2026-08-18
  3. Fraport (Frankfurt Airport), VAT refunds · checked 2026-08-18

The rest of Frankfurt

The whole guide
Getting out of the airportThe S8 or S9 from the station under Terminal 1 reaches Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof in about 12 minutes, and taxis wait around the clock outside both terminals.Ride-hailingUber is the only ride-hailing service the airport names, and its pickup points are in a car park and a bus lane rather than at the arrivals kerb.Local laws that catch crew outGermany is legally unremarkable for most crew with one exception that matters a great deal: drugs, cannabis included, are treated severely, and that explicitly covers transiting the airport.Staying connectedAn EU or EEA SIM roams at domestic rates, and a German prepaid SIM requires an identity check against a document.WeatherMild summers, frosty damp winters, rain possible in any month; no extreme-weather season.Eating near the crew hotelsAlt-Sachsenhausen for apple-wine taverns, Kleinmarkthalle for market food (closed Sundays), Fressgass for the deli-and-cafe strip.TippingTipping is voluntary; round up or add 5-10% in restaurants, round taxis to the next euro.