Stores, Malls or Markets in Berlin

If you are a bookworm like me, and love bookstores, don´t miss this one! It is such a delight! Beautiful books (English ones, too), chairs to sit on inside and on the back a beautiful garden with café and a really nice restaurant.

The bookstore is appropriately housed by The Literaturhaus Berlin (House of Literature) founded 1986. The house is a location for public literary events, symposia, and exhibitions, focusing on contemporary literature.

What to buy: Books, books, books. Lots of translated German literature.

What to pay: All depending on the purchase.

The shop is modern, bright and quite big, downstairs and upstairs. It offers a wide and good selection of both Germans and foreign wines. Of course the offer of French and Italian is huge. Both shop assistant, really nice and helpful also to give general directions, can speak English as well. From Mon-Fri 12am to 8 pm; Sat 10am-6 pm

The Schloss is no Schloss (castle) but a great shopping centre on Schlossstraße in the suburb of Steglitz. It was opened in March 2006, and encloses Steglitz’s red town hall which looks a bit like the tower of the shopping Schloss... ;-) You can see that the shopping centre is new but it is a nice attempt to make it look like the department stores of the 19th century with its neo-gothic retro-style look.

The 80 shops are located on four levels around a light patio where you find cafés and a food court. The roof of this patio is an illusion: It can create all kinds of sky you can imagine, day and starry night, sunshine and clouds.

50 per cent of the shops sell clothes. However, there is also an impressive Media Markt with the German speciality, as my husband always notices immediately, that you cannot pay by credit card.

Open Mon – Thu 10am – 8pm, Fri + Sat 10am – 10pm.
On very rare occasions open on Sunday (12noon – 6pm)

Exit at Eberswalder Str. subway station (U2, 5-7 minutes from Alexanderplatz), and the first thing you'll probably see of Kastanienallee is a coffeehouse: "An einem Sonntag im August" ("On a Sunday in August"). A café with a name as relaxed as this has to be in the borough of Prenzlauer Berg. While this is true, it's also the most original part of Prenzlauer Berg. Here, gentrification did not have the same effect on street life as one could witness at say around Kollwitzplatz. In the mid-90's basically no-one of the locals here was older than 30, and every second looked as if he or she had contributed to an MTV movie clip minutes ago. Hence, Kastanienallee (Chestnut Alley) is sometimes still referred to as "Casting Alley".

Gentrification notwithstanding, Kastanienallee is kind of an alternative shopping alley that still has much of it's original grungy character. Rather than Benetton, Douglas and other usual (and predictably boring) suspects, you'll find 2nd hand stores, weird T-shirts, even more weird furniture shops and specialized record stores. Among loads of bars and coffeehouses.

Ever wondered why health /organic food stores always seem to attract people wearing hippie sandals? Here's one with an interior that could be described best as "Japanese techno".

Another shop called "Kwik" (see link) sells a variety of items through kind of a "drive-through" counter. The idea is, that you can not simply enter the shop, try this, try that and then buy something or leave, but actually have to tell the lady behind the counter what you would like to try or have.

Charlie the barber offers "minimal haircut" every friday from 6 - 10 p.m: "Pay want you want".

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What to buy: One coffeehouse provides loads of newspapers to those having a coffee. What's so special you ask? The news are quite old news. Imagine you enter a café and there's some guy sitting with a newspaper which lead story reads "Allied forces land in the Normandy" - or something along that line.

Two more tips: Oderberger Str. is a crossroad you should not miss. Same goes for the beautiful Zionskirche.

But remember: Kastanienallee and Oderberger Str. form a refugium for the near-extinct Prenzl'berger Bohemian. It's not a place for everyone, let alone for those who won't leave their house without make-up or tie.

I think that Mitte district offers to guys the best for the moment.
same items in Rome cost much more;and here you've a bigger choice.simply go around Hackescher Market-Rosa Luxemburg strasse-Rosenthaler Platz.the wonders' triangle for non convetional shoppers.
If you like luxury you can't loose La Fayette galleries on Friedrichstrasse.three floors of elegance,plus a resturant and "supermarket" and then you enter in Quartier 205 and 206(art deco style,wonderful):you have to go there!!!

What to buy: clothes,shoes,bags and other accessories

What to pay: the range change from shop to shop.
Obviously in La Fayette you can expect to pay something more

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Homemade crazy arts and fancy design is what you get when you visit this small and lovely shop. You're looking for a candle like the tv-tower or origninal berlin design? You need especial gifts? I'm sure, you'll find it @O3!
CU@O3!!!

What to buy: Homemade designer products made by berliner artists

What to pay: between 2 Euro and 150 Euro. In the average 25 Euro.

Next door to Die Puppenstube in Nikolaiviertel is the teddy bear shop Teddy’s. You find everything around toy bears there, and all kinds of teddy bears. They store about 2000 bears, and some huge and obviously historic ones are hanging in their chairs in front of the shop and sometimes in front of Nikolaikirche on the other side of the street.

There is something for everyone, from well-priced teddies to hugely expensive bears for collectors, replicas of famous ones, historic ones, and in limited edition. They also have so-called Old-Berlin Originals like the Berlin Dairy-Boy (Berliner Milchjunge). And of course, bears from Steiff, Hermann and various artists.

If you want to do your bear something good, get him some nice clothes or a piece of furniture.

Trading hours
Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm
Sat/Sun 11am – 6pm

This is a most fantastic shop in Nikolaiviertel. Even if you do not intend to buy a doll, just browse through the shop like through a museum. The dolls are simply wonderful, from historic editions to the most modern girls, plus a big selection of dolls’ clothes and prams.

They store all famous dolls brands like Käte Kruse, Zapf, Schildkröt, Philip Heath, Götz and so on. On their website you find the complete selection of artists, many in limited edition. Be prepared to pay 300 Euro for a bargain… So do not fall in love too fast with any of the dolls before checking your bank account.

Apart from dolls, they sell cute teddy bears, and also Berlin souvenir bears, called Buddy Bears.

Trading hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 6.30pm, Sun & Public Holidays 11am – 6pm