Once upon a time Bavaria was notorious for beer and fast cars, two things that really shouldn’t go together. But, as a sophisticated traveller, you’ll know Munich now has more theatres and art galleries than any other German city. It has fairytale palaces, ancient monasteries, the magnificent Danube not far away and idyllic Bavarian countryside. It also has Ingolstadt Village. Just 50 minutes outside Munich lies this fashion-packed gem of a shopping street, favoured by Hubertus Prince of Hohenlohe, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, Bavarian actor Elmar Wepper, Bruce Darnell, a jury member of Heidi Klum’s show ‘Germany’s next top model’, and Boris Becker’s former wife Barbara Becker, among others. Lined with smart designer boutiques, Ingolstadt Village offers unrivalled value on niche German and big international brands at reductions of up to 70%* all year round. If you are travelling by train from Munich and other cities to Ingolstadt town, a regular bus service from Ingolstadt main station will take you to the Village via the city’s centre.
The San Francisco Coffee Company is the place to settle, fizz yourself up on espresso and plan your route around Ingolstadt Village’s 90 plus outlet boutiques. First of all, you should know about some of Germany’s best-kept secrets, the niche German brands that they have been trying to keep to themselves. Möve is a German lifestyle company that makes bathroom wear. Ingolstadt Village, not so far from the Alps, has a special selection of brands offering ski wear, such as Bogner, Napapijri, Sportalm, Salomon, Helly Hansen and Falke.
The Village has one of Hanro’s only two outlet boutiques in Germany (the other is at Wertheim Village) – so roll up for reduced, low-key, high-quality nightwear and underwear. Strenesse offers its glamorous dresses here. Fred Perry is the place to go for the timeless polo shirt, while Tommy Hilfiger defines breezy American style. Miss Sixty / Energie is a little more directional and upbeat, while established brand and luxury accessory specialist Aigner is for the less flighty, not forgetting accessory sophisticate MCM, too. For smart casuals Gant is worth a visit, as is Triumph for affordable lingerie and Wolford for something more exotic. Le Creuset is surely the last word in kitchenware. After having your appetite whetted amidst all these fine cooking utensils, this would be a suitable moment to sample the traditional Bavarian fare for lunch at the Village’s own Stiftl restaurant. Afterwards, you will need to lug all the treasures home at some point and Samsonite luggage is widely recognised as not only elegant, but virtually indestructible. All in all, this is money well spent, and not much money at that.
Once shopped out, if you want to be at the centre of the action, the Hotel Cortiina is set in the heart of Munich’s old town and provides the perfect base to explore this colourful city. Stroll to the Rindermarkt and haul yourself up the tower of St. Peter’s Church (that’ll burn off any beer) and then while away an afternoon discovering an artist-on-the-rise in any one of the galleries that stud these streets. For glittering history on a grand scale you can do no better than Regensburg’s 19th century Thurn und Taxis Palace with its sparkling throne room designed with true aristocratic excess.
They were so profligate, those aristocrats. They flashed their cash around so excessively. How inappropriate now. It’s time to sit down, look through the high-end, cut-price bargains you picked up a Ingolstadt Village and work out how much money you’ve saved and pat yourself on the back for being so ‘this year’. Oh, and have a beer if you must – you’ve earned it.
