The best fashion and gift stores Berlin

Timetable

Stores are usually closed on Sundays. Each year, the Berlin Senate sets 8 Sundays on which stores are allowed to open. These exceptional openings follow the city's calendar: the Berlinale or the Fête de la Musique, for example.

Budget & Tips

In Berlin, fashion is offbeat, crazy, wild... and very often second-hand. Second-hand boutiques are popular with the artistic, penniless fauna of Kreuzberg, Wedding and Neukölln, while fashionistas appreciate the elegant vintage boutiques of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg. In all cases, it's a good idea to stand out from the crowd by finding a unique piece, and to shop with a clear conscience in the spirit of Berlin-style recycling. You'll also find a number of thrift stores that operate on the "Pick'n'weight" principle: you pay not by the number of pieces, but by weight!

You can pay by card in Berlin's stores. As for prices, they are more or less the same as in France and Belgium.

Sales

The city of Berlin has relaxed the rules on sales periods, but most stores still hold sales at the end of January, as in the past. These are known as "Winterschlussverkauf".

What's very local

Collectors of antiques, charms and trinkets are well served in Berlin. Those interested in the ^18th and ^19th centuries will find what they're looking for in Schöneberg, on Keithstraße and Golzstraße, as well as in Charlottenburg, on Suarezstraße. For those who like to delve into the darkness of dusty flea markets in search of eccentric objects, look no further than Prenzlauer Berg around Kollwitzplatz and Husemannstraße, or Neukölln or Friedrichshain with their many Trödelläden (junk stores). Finally, Berlin's flea markets are famous for their nuggets and festive atmosphere.

If you'd like to bring back some good chocolates for yourself or as a gift, think of the old Berlin chocolate shops, such as Sawade or Rausch. Both offer good chocolates, and Sawade even has some very elegant boxes whose design seems inspired by the 1920s. Who would have thought of bringing back chocolates from Berlin?

Among fashionable accessories, Berlin is witnessing the return of the fanny pack. Does it remind you of the 1980s? It's vintage but also very practical!

Tourist traps

Souvenir stores in the city center are often very expensive, offering only key rings and snow globes. Alternatively, you can visit the small craft stores in Mitte or Prenzlauer Berg for a more original souvenir.