10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Berlin

The Mall of Berlin is one of the biggest modern shopping complexes in the heart of the German capital. It sprawls out between bustling Potsdamer Platz and lesser-known Wilhelmplatz, covering a whole 500-metre-long block with over 300 shops and outlets.

This is the place to go if you're keen on hitting the high-street names. Many of the biggest European brands are here, from Zara to H&M, along with upscale designer ateliers like Tommy Hilfiger and Armani. Shopping made you peckish? The food court is bursting with currywurst, Chinese street food, and ice cream. It's everything under 1 roof.

The Kurfürstendamm is like the Champs-Élysées of Berlin and the Las Ramblas of Germany. It runs for a whopping 3.2 km from end to end, bisecting the capital in 2, starting at the south entrance of the Tiergarten and ending amid the lake-dotted area of Halensee.

Shoppers will not be bored strutting up and down this uber-famous boulevard. Names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, and Gucci will flash by between plane trees, while iconic bars like the Hard Rock Café beckon for when the thirst appears. Kurfürstendamm also excels in chic fine-dining and roadside cafés that channel a touch of Paris.

The Hackesche Höfe is a vibrant quarter of the Mitte district that's been a gathering point for shopping Germans since it was first opened in 1906. You'll find it a few bends away from Alexanderplatz north of the Spree, the entrance rising just above Rosenthaler Street.

The first thing you'll notice is likely to be the exquisite Art Nouveau exteriors. They're the original Jugendstil designs by August Endell. Pass under them and you'll enter a complex of little courtyards where leather goods stores rub shoulders with artsy concept workshops. There are also oodles of cafés filled with students to add to the vibe.

The Potsdamer Platz Arkaden is a major shopping hub of Mitte in central Berlin. The complex unfolds under a shimmering glass roof in a series of light-flooded thoroughfares, linking Tilla-Durieux Park in the south to the namesake Potsdamer Platz in the north.

Inside, there's an estimated 40,000 square metres of retail space. Filling that is a truly eclectic mix of retail outlets, ranging from wrapping paper stores and health food shops to pharmacies and opticians. The onsite food hall is a doozy for diners, with its German bierkeller and sleek Italian pizza joints.

Boxhagener Platz Market is a mecca for bargain hunters on the lookout for strange and quirky pieces to add to their collections. It's a once-weekly market that takes place on its namesake plaza, Boxhagener Platz, which is one of the main gathering points of Berlin's hipster hub of Friedrichshain.

The bazaar is usually in full swing by 10 am. It consists of a haphazard block of stalls that sell everything from vinyl records to dusty old books. You really never know what you might find as you rummage around. When you're done, head south to Gabriel-Max-Strasse, where craft beer stalls and international eateries abound.

Arkonaplatz Flea Market is a venerable marketplace that attracts a menagerie of strange and curious stalls. It's been going for at least 100 years, and still operates from the very same location on the far north-eastern side of the Mitte district.

Teacups, antique candelabras, long-forgotten paintings, faded photos, wartime trinkets – these are the sorts of intriguing objects that fill the stalls of Arkonaplatz Flea Market. But it's a great place to be even if you're not buying. There's fantastic people-watching, especially if you manage to secure a place in one of the lovely coffee joints on the south side of the square.

Markthalle Neun is one of 14 trading spaces that were built in Berlin during the 1800s. It's also one of the most successful, as it's still plying its wares from a location on the south banks of the River Spree, just off Lausitzer Platz in hip and happening Kreuzberg.

The main attraction is the food. You can eat your way through all manner of creative treats – tofu stir-fries, artisan bread, and Italian salamis, just to name a few. Delicatessens sell produce from across Germany and Europe, along with speciality coffee beans and even prized wines. It's certainly one for the gourmands.

Neukölln isn't just a great place for shopping, it's actually a whole neighbourhood of Berlin. It spreads south from Kreuzberg to the very southern reaches of the capital, where it eventually peters out into the waterways of the Dahme.

For shopping, you'll want to stick to the northern parts of the area just off the Sonnenallee. The blocks there host quirky vintage emporiums like Let Them Eat Cake, elaborate antique dealers like Amira, and all manner of Arabic jewellers. There's also a touch of high-street shopping to be done if you hop over to Karl-Marx-Strasse. 

Thai Park is hallowed ground for any veteran foodies of Berlin. Officially known as Preussenpark, it occupies a pint-sized corner of residential Wilmersdorf on the far south-western side of town. The name of the game? Bangkok street food.

This small spot of greenery is home to one of the biggest gatherings of Thai cooks in Europe. They come every day of the week to sell tasty staples from Southeast Asia. Standouts include papaya salad, peanut-topped pad Thai noodles, and coconut massaman curries. You can also buy key Thai cooking ingredients that are almost impossible to get elsewhere in Germany’s capital city.

Unter den Linden is arguably one of the most famous streets in Germany. It's just under 2 km in length, and links Museum Island on the Spree to the Brandenburg Gate at the heart of the capital. There's hardly a more iconic spot to fill the bags.

Naturally, the retail here is largely upscale stuff. Designer fashion outlets and bespoke tailors combine with artisan chocolatiers and big banks to offer a varied and exclusive mix of places. There are also a few little delicatessens where you can stock up for that compulsory picnic in the nearby Tiergarten.