An Insider Guide to the Best Shopping in Berlin

If you’re in town to shop, Berlin boasts legendary department stores, iconic shopping streets and a host of both quirky and upscale malls that you shouldn’t miss. But to truly shop like a Berliner you ought to also expand your retail itinerary to the residential neighbourhoods, called "Kieze" in local parlance. Among the best are Prenzlauer Berg, Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, which all brim with indie stores, vintage boutiques and homegrown designer labels. Here are some insider tips to turn you into a power shopper during your stay in Berlin. 

• Tauentzienstrasse 21-24, 10789 Berlin
• Open 10am-8pm Mon-Thu & Sat, to 9pm Fri (Several of the restaurants and bars open longer)

Luxury lovers will have a field day at KaDeWe, one of Europe’s largest department stores and one of the best shopping places in Berlin. A hive of glamour for over a century, the iconic Kaufhaus des Westens has all your shopping needs covered, no matter if you want to stock up on stockings, shop for classic labels or discover Berlin’s latest designers. Not to be missed is Die Sechste, the sleekly revamped sixth-floor gourmet emporium with its tastebud-tempting selection of local and global treats. Pick up some exquisite gifts to take home and/or find your favourite among the 30 restaurants and food counters to slurp oysters, tuck into French tartes, munch on vegan donuts or get your dry-aged steak protein kick. Looking for a classy place to stay? The SO/ Berlin Das Stue is just a short walk or cab ride away.

If you asked ten locals, "What is the most famous shopping street in Berlin called?", nine of them would answer: Kurfürstendamm (affectionately known as Ku’damm). No shopping trip to Berlin would be complete without a stroll along this broad, elegant boulevard. Between Olivaer Platz and Bleibtreustrasse you can indulge your urge to splurge by hopping from Prada, Gucci and Hermès to the next international luxury brand, all ensconced in majestic late 19^th-century buildings. 

If your tastes (or credit card limit) are more modest, you'll find high-street clothes shopping outlets such as H&M, Mango and Urban Outfitters clustered towards the eastern end of Ku'damm. While here, also pop into the landmark Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, a graceful, ruined church turned war memorial.

Ku’damm is littered with cafés and restaurants, but to refuel in style it’s well worth the quick detour to Café im Literaturhaus, a villa surrounded by an idyllic garden on Fasanenstrasse. A handy base to leave your loot is Aparthotel Adagio Berlin Kurfürstendamm.

Prada Berlin

Kurfürstendamm 186-187, 10707 Berlin

Open 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat

Gucci

Kurfürstendamm 190/192, 10707 Berlin

Open 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat

Hermès

Kurfürstendamm 58, 10707 Berlin

Open 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche

Breitscheidplatz, 10789 Berlin

Church open 10am-6pm daily, Memorial Hall noon-5:30pm daily

Café im Literaturhaus

Fasanenstrasse 23, 10719 Berlin

Open 9am-midnight daily

• Kastanienallee (Prenzlauer Berg) - indie and offbeat boutiques that epitomise Berlin's idiosyncratic style
• Bergmannstrasse (Kreuzberg) - eclectic shopping with a neighbourly vibe
• Goltzstrasse & Akazienstrasse (Schöneberg) - relaxed shopping for vintage, wine and design 

Berlin's best shopping malls aren't necessarily the biggest, and they don't feature your usual run-of-the-mill stores. Instead, they offer an eclectic mix of laid-back and luxury, international and local, along with cool cafés and bars for hanging out and people-watching.

• Budapester Str. 38-50, 10787 Berlin
• Open 10am-8pm Mon-Sat

Bikini Berlin in Charlottenburg occupies an iconic 1950s building with lots of open spaces and a great rooftop terrace overlooking the Berlin zoo. Billed as Germany’s first “concept mall” at its 2014 opening, it features a cocktail of well-edited local and international niche brands like Blutsgeschwister, Mykita, Fred Perry and Ben Sherman along with sassy pop-up stores featuring up-and-coming designers in the basement. There's also a lively programme of events and exhibitions – check the website for details. For a quick bite, drop by Kantini, its upscale food market. 

• Leipziger Platz 12, 10117 Berlin
• Open 10am-8pm Mon-Sat

Berlin’s most central mall near Potsdamer Platz, the Mall of Berlin is a sparkling retail hub where around 300 shops stand by to feed anybody’s shopping cravings. Browse for fashion brands from Adidas to Zara or stock up on everyday needs at supermarkets and drugstores. The food court is the largest in Berlin.

Most of Berlin’s blockbuster sights – from the Brandenburg Gate to Museum Island and Checkpoint Charlie – cluster in the central district of Mitte. Happily, you’re also in the right place if you like to balance your sightseeing with a dose of retail therapy. There are plenty of hotels for all budgets around here, including greet Berlin Alexanderplatz, which gets extra kudos for its focus on sustainability. 

When shopping in Berlin Mitte scene-savvy customers should steer their compass to the charming Scheunenviertel area (literally "barn quarter"). It's a charismatic neighbourhood characterised by a web of narrow lanes and hidden courtyards teeming with cafés and restaurants, art galleries, gourmet shops, designer showrooms and lots of independent clothing stores stocked with the latest trends. 

A good place to kick off a shopping spree is in the Hackesche Höfe, a beautifully restored Art Nouveau tangle of eight interlinked courtyards filled with shops selling made-in-Berlin wearables and edibles. Check out fine watches at Askania, toys at Levy's Contor, hand-crafted jewellery at Schmuckwerk Berlin or creative fashion at Arrey Berlin. There are also cafés and restaurants as well as the Chamäleon Variete, a small theatre that keeps the city's legendary cabaret tradition alive. 

For a vibrant mix of homegrown designers and hip international labels, fan out from the Höfe into typical shopping streets in Berlin Mitte such as Neue Schönhauser Strasse, Rosenthaler Strasse or Münzstrasse.  Drop by trendy boutiques from Drykorn to Fred Perry, try on stylish eyewear at IC!Berlin, forage for fine vintage at Garments and check out famous local designers like Esther Perbandt, LaLa Berlin and Claudia Skoda. 

A delightful pitstop is Father Carpenter, a cute café tucked into a hidden courtyard off Neue Schönhauser Strasse.

Hackesche Höfe

Rosenthaler Str. 40, 10178 Berlin

Open 9am-10pm daily

Chamäleon Variete

Rosenthaler Str. 40/41, 10178 Berlin

Father Carpenter 

Münzstraße 21, 10178 Berlin

Open 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat, noon-5pm Sun

Roaring Twenties nightlife, Checkpoint Charlie and now one of Mitte’s most popular shopping strips: Friedrichstrasse has seen it all. Its retail anchor is a branch of fashionable French department store Galeries Lafayette that’s worth dropping into if only to admire the avant-garde interior and to sip some Champagne in the gourmet food hall. At nearby Frau Tonis Parfum you can customise your own scent or pick from a line-up of 36 niche perfumes, including one inspired by Marlene Dietrich’s penchant for violets. Chocoholics should not miss the gourmet pralines at Rausch Schokoladenhaus or the chance to create their own unique candy bar at the Ritter Sport Bunte Schokoladenwelt. A must for book lovers is Dussmann – Das Kulturkaufhaus, a five-story ode to the printed word, including a sizeable selection of English tomes. 

Galeries Lafayette

Friedrichstraße 76-78, 10117 Berlin

Open 11am-7pm Mon-Sat

Frau Tonis Parfum

Zimmerstrasse 13, 10969 Berlin

Open 10am-6pm Mon-Sat

Rausch Schokoladenhaus

Charlottenstrasse 60, 10176 Berlin

Open 10am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-7pm Sun

Ritter Sport Bunte Schokoladenwelt

Französische Strasse 24, 10117 Berlin

Open 10am-6:30pm Mon-Sat

Dussmann - Das Kulturkaufhaus

Friedrichstrasse 90, 10117 Berlin

Open 9am-midnight Mon-Fri, to 11:30pm Sat

Shopping second-hand has skyrocketed in popularity, and it's not hard to understand why. Not only does it offer a budget-friendly alternative to conventional retail, but the real beauty of thrift shopping lies in its sustainability and positive impact on our planet. 

You’re bound to bump into plenty of thrift shops during your Berlin explorations, including popular retro retailer Pick’nWeight, which sells pre-loved clothing and accessories by the kilo in several locations. Vintage sneaker and streetwear fans will be in heaven at Paul’s Boutique but pack some patience to pick to through the overstuffed shelves. Less chaos but plenty of covetables from past decades is what makes Vintage Revivals another excellent stop for retro-fashionistas. The ‘mother’ of all secondhand stores is Humana, which has multiple outlets around town, including a multi-storey one at Frankfurter Tor in Friedrichshain. If you’re into classic high fashion à la Balmain, Vivienne Westwood or Yves Saint Laurent, and you're not necessarily looking for cheap shopping, comb through the tightly edited racks at Das Neue Schwarz. 

Pick'nWeight

Alte Schönhauser Strasse 30, 10119 Berlin

Open noon-8pm Mon-Sat

Paul's Boutique

Oderberger Strasse 47, 10435 Berlin

Open noon-8pm Mon-Sat

Vintage Revivals

Schönhauser Allee 127, 10437 Berlin

Open 11am-8pm Mon-Sat

Humana

Frankfurter Tor 3, 10243 Berlln

Open 10am-8pm Mon-Sat

Das Neue Schwarz

Mulackstrasse 38, 10119 Berlin

Open noon-7pm Mon-Sat

Stores in Germany are only allowed to open from Monday to Saturday, but fortunately the law does not apply to flea markets - lucky for those who want to get a fix of shopping on a Sunday. The best known is the Flohmarkt im Mauerpark in a park formerly occupied by the Berlin Wall (a small graffiti-covered section remains). Join the throngs of urban archaeologists rummaging through pre-loved clothing, Cold War collectibles and local designers’ latest creative outbursts. A couple of beer gardens and lots of international street-food vendors cater for the thirsty and famished, while musicians, karaoke singers, jugglers and pickup basketball games provide additional entertainment throughout the park. 

Flohmarkt im Mauerpark

Bernauer Strasse 63, 13355 Berlin

Open 10am-6pm Sun

Other recommended flea markets:

• Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz (Arkonaplatz, 10435 Berlin, open 10am-4pm Sun) – a 10-minute-walk from Mauerpark, smaller but with a more neighbourly boho-vibe and better-quality vintage finds. 
• Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz (Boxhagener Platz, 10245 Berlin, open 10am-6pm Sun) takes over Friedrichshain's café-lined main square with an eclectic assortment of bric-a-brac, vinyl and retro threads. 
• Nowkoelln Flowmarkt (Maybachufer, 12047 Berlin, open 10am-5pm Sun Apr-Oct) – hipsters unload their wardrobe rejects and sell handmade clothing and accessories at this market held every second Sunday on the idyllic Landwehr canal in Neukölln.

So no matter if bling is your thing or you're more into scooping up bargains, Berlin's eclectic shopping scene offers an unparalleled bounty of fabulousness that matches all tastes and budgets.