Munich Practical Notes
What to Buy at German Drugstores and Supermarkets in Munich
dm, Rossmann, REWE, Edeka, Aldi, and Lidl all look simple from the outside. The useful question is not which shop is best. It is what each shop is actually good for.
Sunscreen shelves in a Munich drugstore. Summer visitors often come for skincare products, but sunscreen is one of the most practical purchases.
Munich drugstore shopping becomes useful very quickly during a trip. You forget sunscreen. You need toothpaste. You want small gifts for friends. Or you simply walk into dm and realise that many everyday products are cheaper than expected.
The useful question is not whether dm or Rossmann is better. It is what is actually worth buying at a German drugstore, what belongs at a supermarket instead, and what you should not expect to find at a drugstore.
This is not a brand catalogue. It is a short note on where to buy what, without wasting time during a short trip.
01First, three things that are not the same
Before planning a shopping route, it helps to keep three kinds of shop straight. Mixing them up is how people waste an afternoon looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place.
Drugstore (Drogerie): dm, Rossmann, Müller. Skincare, toiletries, vitamins, cleaning products, nappies, simple snacks. No prescription medicine.
Supermarket (Supermarkt): REWE, Edeka, Aldi, Lidl, Penny, Norma. Groceries, chocolate, sweets, tea, beer, water, fruit, bread, yogurt, and basic food shopping.
Pharmacy (Apotheke): look for the red Apotheken-A sign. Prescription drugs and medicines that need a pharmacist are sold here only. You cannot buy medicine at a drugstore.
The most common mix up is drugstore versus pharmacy. If you look for cold medicine at dm, it is not there. Medicine means a trip to the Apotheke.
02dm, Rossmann, Müller: which one
You do not need to memorise the differences between the three. For a visitor, the real question is which one is closest and whether it stocks what you want. All three are common across central Munich.
A typical dm store in Munich. For many visitors, this is the easiest place to buy everyday essentials.
dm: the most widespread, with strong house brands like Balea (value skincare) and Alverde (organic cosmetics). Prices stay steady. New and limited products tend to appear here first.
Rossmann: sells almost the same things as dm, but runs mobile coupons and sales more often. If you are price sensitive, the Rossmann app coupons are worth a look. House brands include Isana and Rival de Loop.
Müller: closer to a small department store. Beyond cosmetics, it has large perfume, stationery, and toy sections. Good when you want to buy several different things in one stop.
Useful exception: dm at Ostbahnhof. One dm branch is worth remembering separately. The dm at Ostbahnhof, Orleansplatz 10-12, is currently listed by dm with long daily opening hours. It can be useful for last minute toiletries, sunscreen, baby items, or small drugstore shopping when normal branches are closed.
Do not build your whole plan around it without checking the current hours first. Sunday and public holiday opening is exactly the kind of detail that can change.
Do not agonise over which drugstore to visit. Walk into the first dm or Rossmann you pass.
If you want a single default, dm wins simply because you will run into one more often. Think of Rossmann as the option where the same item is sometimes a little cheaper.
03What is worth buying at a drugstore
German drugstores are well known because their house brands are cheap and genuinely good. In testing by Stiftung Warentest, Germany’s independent consumer testing body, low cost house brand products often score as well as or better than premium brands that cost many times more.
To be more concrete, here are the value drugstore products Korean and other visitors often stock up on. Prices below are rough Munich store prices checked around June 2026. Prices change, but usually not enough to change the basic shopping decision. Check the shelf price before buying.
Balea, Kamill, and other German drugstore brands are popular souvenirs because they are inexpensive and easy to pack.
| Product | Where | Rough price (June 2026) | Why it is worth it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balea ampoules (pack of 7) | dm | €0.85 to €1.50 | Seven day sealed concentrate. Hydration, retinol, vitamin C versions. Small and light, ideal for gifts. |
| Diaderma carrot oil (30ml) | dm / Rossmann | around €4 | Face oil with Q10 and beta carotene. For dryness and tone. |
| Kamill hand cream (100ml) | dm / Rossmann / Müller | around €1.20 | Chamomile extract. Absorbs fast, not greasy. A top pick for gifts you hand out in bulk. |
| Mivolis effervescent vitamins (20) | dm | around €0.70 | Cap colour marks the type. Light and cheap for bulk gifts. |
| Ajona concentrated toothpaste (25ml) | dm / Rossmann / Müller | around €1.50 | A five times concentrated paste used in pea sized amounts. A type you will not find at home. |
| Weleda shower gel (200ml) | dm / Rossmann / Müller | around €6 | Natural ingredient organic body wash. For sensitive skin. |
| Schaebens face masks (pack of 7) | dm / Rossmann | around €1.50 | Capsule style concentrated masks. A long proven value brand. |
Ajona toothpaste is a small German product that many repeat visitors end up buying again.
The same product can be cheaper with a Rossmann app coupon. Customs and import limits are your own responsibility to check.
Painkillers, cold medicine, and prescription drugs are not sold at drugstores. If you need medicine, go to an Apotheke, marked by the red Apotheken-A sign. Premium imported supplements are also often sold as genuine stock only through pharmacies.
If you plan to spend over €50 at dm and claim a refund at the airport, there is something to know. dm has used its own refund process rather than the standard airport agency desk route many travelers expect. Even with a customs stamp at the airport, you may not be able to collect cash at the airport refund counter. You may have to submit the form again at a dm store inside Germany. For a traveler flying straight home, that can be effectively hard to use.
If a tax refund matters, ask before paying and use a shop that can issue a tax free form you can actually use at the airport. That said, a few Balea ampoules rarely reach the €50.01 minimum anyway, so for small purchases the refund is not worth worrying about. The full tax refund process belongs in a separate note.
04Supermarkets: REWE, Edeka, Aldi, and Lidl
If cosmetics belong at the drugstore, food gifts and everyday groceries belong at the supermarket. The important split is not which chain is best. It is what each kind of supermarket is good for.
Lidl is one of Germany’s major discount supermarket chains, focused on everyday groceries rather than souvenirs.
REWE and Edeka: wider selection, more branded products, and easier gift shopping. They are common in the city centre, around stations, and near tourist routes. If you want chocolate, tea, sweets, mustard, or a safer choice for mixed gifts, start here.
Aldi and Lidl: everyday discounters used by many local residents. They are usually cheaper and very useful for water, fruit, bread, yogurt, snacks, basic groceries, and apartment stay shopping. They may feel less like souvenir stores, but they often feel more like normal German daily life.
Penny and Norma: also useful if they are near your accommodation, but branches can feel smaller and more limited. Do not cross town for them.
Food gifts: REWE or Edeka.
Normal local grocery shopping: Aldi or Lidl.
Water, fruit, breakfast items, and snacks for your room: whichever supermarket is closest to your hotel or apartment.
- Chocolate: Ritter Sport, Milka. Much cheaper than at home and far more varieties, including seasonal ones.
- Sweets: Haribo, at hometown prices, with more types than you will find in Korea.
- Tea: organic herbal and fruit teas. Light and small, ideal for gifts.
- Mustard: Bavarian mustard, including the sweet Süßer Senf.
The rule: avoid heavy and breakable, choose light, unbreakable, and unmeltable. Buy chocolate just before you fly home in summer, since it can melt.
05Easy Munich souvenirs beyond drugstores
Drugstores and supermarkets cover most practical shopping. But if you want something that feels more clearly connected to Munich, a few local choices make more sense than random souvenir shop items.
Dallmayr coffee or tea: Dallmayr is popular not because it is the cheapest coffee in town, but because it feels unmistakably Munich: an old delicatessen house near Marienplatz, a well known German coffee name, and an easy gift that still fits into a suitcase. If you are already around Marienplatz, it is easy to combine with the first time old town walk.
Bavarian mustard: especially sweet mustard, Süßer Senf. It is small, inexpensive, and actually connected to Bavarian food culture.
FC Bayern items: good if the person actually likes football. A scarf, key ring, or small fan item is safer than bulky clothing.
Postcards, magnets, and small Munich objects: easy to find around the old town. They are not special, but they are light and simple.
Beer glasses and Maßkrüge: very Munich, but heavy and breakable. Buy only if you really want to carry them.
Hofbräuhaus glasses and beer souvenirs in Munich. They make sense as souvenirs only if you are willing to carry the weight.
Lederhosen and Dirndl are connected to Oktoberfest and Bavarian festivals, but they are not quick supermarket souvenirs. Think of them as a separate clothing purchase.
Cheap costume versions can start around €80. Second hand pieces often sit somewhere around €100 to €300, depending on condition. Proper new traditional wear can easily cost several hundred euros or more. If you actually want to wear it, leave time for sizing and do not buy it like a fridge magnet.
If you want a Munich gift that does not feel random, choose Dallmayr coffee or tea, Bavarian mustard, or a small FC Bayern item for someone who likes football.
For Lederhosen, Dirndl, luxury goods, and tax refund planning, slow down. That is no longer quick supermarket shopping.
06Buying beer at the supermarket
Since you came all the way to Munich, you may want to drink a local beer back at your accommodation. You can buy it at any supermarket, but a few things help.
Helles, a pale lager, and Weißbier or Weizen, a wheat beer, are different things. The Munich default is Helles.
Augustiner is the most loved local Munich brewery. Giesinger is a smaller craft name. For a much wider selection, a dedicated drinks shop, a Getränkemarkt, beats a normal supermarket, though for most visitors the nearest supermarket is plenty.
If you want to drink beer in a beer hall rather than buy it for your room, see the separate note on Munich evenings, beer halls, bars, Korean food, and Sunday reality.
Bottles and cans carry a deposit called Pfand. You get it back by returning empties to the machine in the shop. It is not a large amount, but it is worth knowing about. There is more on Pfand in the restaurant etiquette note.
07The Sunday problem
The single most important thing for any shopping plan. In Germany, almost all shops close on Sundays.
Most dm, Rossmann, REWE, Edeka, Aldi, and Lidl branches are closed on Sundays and public holidays. Finish normal shopping by Saturday.
The practical exceptions are station and airport shops. Ostbahnhof is one of the useful areas, and the dm at Ostbahnhof is currently listed as a Sunday drugstore option. Keep this as an emergency option for toiletries, not as a reason to postpone all shopping. The full Sunday shopping and food plan is in a separate Sunday note.
08Final take
Shopping at German drugstores and supermarkets is not hard. You do not need to look for expensive things, and you do not need to walk around comparing shops.
Cosmetics and toiletries at the nearest dm or Rossmann. Food gifts at REWE or Edeka. Everyday groceries at Aldi or Lidl. Medicine at the Apotheke. And finish normal shopping by Saturday.
For Munich specific gifts, Dallmayr coffee, Bavarian mustard, and small FC Bayern items are easier than bulky souvenir shop purchases.
Final take
Buy light, unbreakable, and unmeltable. The drugstore house brands are already good enough, so skip the expensive shelf. Use Aldi or Lidl for normal room supplies, not as second class supermarkets.
Keep one eye on the clock on Saturday, because Sunday closes most doors. If something urgent is missing, station shops and the Ostbahnhof dm may help, but check the current hours before relying on them.
If you are tempted by beer mugs or traditional clothing, remember the suitcase. Munich souvenirs are only good souvenirs if you still want to carry them home.
More from Munich Ajussi
- Sunday in Munich: What Is Open, What Is Closed, and How to Plan Your Day
- Munich for First Time Visitors: Start with the Old Town Walk
- What People Get Wrong When Packing for Munich
- Munich Restaurant Etiquette: Water, Tipping, Cash, and What to Order
- Munich Evenings: Beer Halls, Bars, Korean Food, and Sunday Reality
- Luggage Storage in Munich: Lockers, Apps, Airport, and What to Avoid
- What to Buy at German Drugstores and Supermarkets in Munich
This note reflects personal experience and observations in Munich as of June 2026. Shop locations, opening hours, product prices, brand ranges, and tax refund policies all change over time. The product prices in the table are rough references, so check the shelf price locally. dm’s refund handling and agency policies can also change, so if a refund is your goal, confirm official guidance before you fly.
Sunday and public holiday opening can differ by shop. Customs and import allowances are your own responsibility to verify.