Destination Berlin
Shopping
Friedrichstraβe
The long Friedrichstraße has a lot to offer, including shopping arcades with Lafayette, Escada, Hugo Boss and H&M. Car lovers can admire the Peugeot, Volkswagen and Bugatti showrooms (corner Unter den Linden). At number 90, you will find the city’s best bookshop: Dussmann, das Kulturkaufhaus. Five floors full of culture. Listen to your favourite music, or sit comfortably in a chair and browse through a pile of books. English literature is on the top floor, as well as a leather sofa and a view out onto the Friedrichstraße.
Kurfürstendamm
On this beautiful boulevard, chic shops like Burberry, Max Mara and Tommy Hilfiger can be found side by side, but also affordable fashion chains like H&M and Zara. Take a walk down the Fasanenstraße side street for boutiques like Gucci and Chanel, a number of jewellers and, of course, Bulgari.
The city’s bookshops specialising in art, design and fashion (Knesebeckstraße) are centred around the beautiful Savignyplatz. For interior design, walk to Stilwerk on the Kantstraße, where you will find 58 shops for interior design spread over five floors. Afterwards, enjoy the best cup of coffee in Berlin in Café Einstein (Savignyplatz 11), or a cocktail in the Gainsbourg (Savignyplatz 5).
The Mitte area
When you arrive at the Hackescher Markt station, you will find it difficult not to spend the whole day shopping, because this area is bursting with shops boasting cool fashion, interior design or second-hand goods and antiques. Start at the Hackerschen Höfen and then stroll on to the Neue Schönhauser Straße or the Alte Schönhauser Straße. Many of Berlin’s young designers are represented here. Don’t miss Fiona Bennett’s fantastic hats in the Groβe Hamburger Straβe. If your feet are starting to ache, go to Birkenstock in the Neue Schönhauser Straße 19, the home of comfortable sandals. A little further up, on the Münzstraße, you will find Adidas and American Apparel.
Department stores
KaDeWe
The biggest department store in Europe, KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens, Department Store of the West). The top floor is famous for its pink champagne and people can lose themselves in the endless range of delicacies on offer here. Address: Tauentzienstraβe 21-24 (Schöneberg) U-Bahn: Wittenbergplatz
Quartier 206
The pearl of the Friedrichstraße. You will find Gucci, La Perla and Yves Saint Laurent all under one roof here. The founder, Anne Maria Jagdfeld, had a very clear opinion on what the ideal shopping centre should look like. Enjoy the luxurious black-and-white art deco interior while drinking a cup of coffee. Address: Friedrichstraße 71 (the Mitte area) U-Bahn: Stadtmitte (centre)
Potzdamer Platz Arkaden
This is a shopping centre that looks like an American mall. You can buy anything here – Mango, Esprit, H&M and Mandarina Duck are all there, as well as Italian ice-cream, sandwiches and coffee bars. Address: Potzdamer Platz (the Tiergarten area) U-Bahn/S-Bahn: Platz
