Hamburg has a series of covered arcades, meaning that shoppers never have to leave the inner city or brave bad weather. Bleichenhof (Große Bleichen) has 32 boutiques catering for a young crowd. Hamburger Hof (Jungfernstieg 23–30) has just over 30 stores in the upper price range. This is where you should come if you’re looking for designer clothes, jewellery and other treats. Levantehaus(Mönckebergstrasse 7) is an architectural beauty housing 30-or-so boutiques of top-notch brands.

Let your credit card do the talking as you saunter along the inner city’s Neue Wall, arguably Hamburg’s swankiest street. Alongside international couturiers and jewellers, you’ll find the bespoke tailor Ladage & Oelke(Neue Wall 11), established 150 years ago and still making first-class clothes, mainly from British fabrics. Jil Sander also has her flagship store here. Men won’t be able to resist the fine fabrics at Policke Herrenbekleidung (Böckmannstrasse 1, St. Georg). This tailor’s shop has been going since the ’30s. Those on the lookout for simple, well-cut clothes with the attention to detail that is a trademark of Hamburg style should head for Eppendorf. Design-driven boutiques line Weidenstieg and Eppendorfer Baum, where you’ll also find interior designers, goldsmiths and milliners.

For something completely different, head to the Schanzenviertel neighbour-hood, where young designers produce funky clothes and quirky objects for the home.