Shopping and staying near Frankfurt, Germany

Hi. We’re going to be in Germany for several months this year, and are planning to stay somewhere in or near Frankfurt.

First, I’m looking for the following types of stores in or near Frankfurt:

1. Any large Baumarkt or do-it-yourself supercenter that sells lumber, particle board, plywood, etc., and that will cut it all for you while you wait. I know there are OBI and Toom stores in and near Frankfurt, but I don’t know whether they will cut lumber and plywood for customers.

2. A large consumer goods store (much like Walmart in the USA) that sells a wide variety of things, like camping supplies, pots and pans, plates, silverware, plastic storage bins, food supplies, clothing, and so on. A friend suggested Rewe, but I’m not familiar with what they sell.

3. A specialty outdoor/camping/sporting goods store like Globe Trotters or Decathlon.

Second, I’m looking for a nice suburb to stay in, a safe, mostly-residential area, someplace close to (but preferably outside) the city, that would be a good base from which to reach a selection of the above types of stores. In other words, I’d like to find a location that’s near to all the above types of stores, but also that is a nice area with hotels, restaurants, and is very safe to walk around in at night. Finally, this suburb should have a direct metro or train line to the center of Frankfurt. (Note that we’ll have a car, and will be able to drive to the stores, but prefer not to drive into the center for sightseeing, and would instead take public transportation for that purpose.)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

1. Bauhaus, Hornbach, Praktiker, Obi, Toom are the big Baumarkt chains. They will all cover your needs.

2. Walmart was not successful on the German market with their concept and withdrew quite soon. Real comes closest. However, you'll probably find the better choice in the department stores in the cities, Karstadt and Kaufhof being the biggest.

3. Google "outdoor shop Frankfurt" and you'll get the map with various shops (I'm too lazy to type all their names;-))

It is hard to think of "unsafe" areas in the suburbs. The best residential areas are in the northwest and, even better, in the adjacent smaller municipalities towards the Taunus hills. You are asking a lot, though, and I hope you do not expect the rents to be cheap...

Hi,

Kathrin has pretty much summed everything up nicely, there are many stores that will have all the items that you are looking for.
I lived in and around Frankfurt most of my life and I can recommend Kalbach which is a part of Frankfurt but is like a small town by itself. You can reach downtown by train in 20 minutes but as Kathrin stated you will have to shop around as rents can be steep!
Hope you find what you are looking for!

Thank you Claudia;-) Indeed, Kalbach is one of those suburbs in the northwest.

I forgot to mention that Rewe is a supermarket chain with small and medium-size shops. Thus useful for everyday shopping for groceries plus basic cosmetics and household products, but not beyond that.

As for the camping stuff: Globetrotter and Decathlon have this. There is a Globetrotter in Frankfurt and a Decathlon south of Frankfurt in Dreieich.

Thanks to all of you.

One more question: It sounds like Bauhaus, Hornbach, Praktiker, Obi, Toom all carry lumber and plywood. Is there one (or are there 2) of those stores which would have the best selection and be the most accommodating in cutting the lumber and plywood for us? Thanks.

There is not much difference between them. Use the one that is in the most convenient to reach from the place where you live.