Shopping in Germany
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Hohe Strasse
Cologne is a fantastic place to shop, with lots of eccentric boutiques, designer stores and trendy second-hand shops, plus the usual selection of chain and department stores. You'll find plenty of the latter along Hohe Strasse - the pedestrianised main shopping street, one of Germany's oldest pedestrianised shopping strips, and its side street, In der Höhle.
reviewed
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Alexa
Power shoppers love this XXL-sized mall that cuts a rose-hued presence near Alexanderplatz. The predictable range of high street retailers is here, plus a few more upmarket stores like Swarovski, Crumpler, Adidas Neo and Triumph. Good food court for a bite on the run.
reviewed
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Fassbender & Rausch
If the Aztecs thought of chocolate as the elixir of the gods, then this emporium of truffles and pralines must be heaven. Bonus: the chocolate volcano and giant replicas of Berlin landmarks. The upstairs cafe serves sinful drinking chocolates and cakes, and has views of Gendarmenmarkt.
reviewed
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KaDeWe
Just past the centennial mark, this venerable department store has an assortment so vast that a pirate-style campaign is the best way to plunder its bounty. If pushed for time, at least hurry up to the legendary 6th-floor gourmet food hall. The name, by the way, stands for Kaufhaus des Westens (department store of the West). It's right outside U-Bahn station Wittenbergplatz.
reviewed
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Galerie Michael Schultz
This well-established gallery represents such contemporary German hot shots as AR Penck and Georg Baselitz. It also works with internationally well-known Berlin-based figurative painters of the next generation, including Cornelia Schleime, SEO and Römer + Römer, a Russian-German artist couple that we’ve interviewed. Hautnah Those who like to worship at the altar of hedonism should check out this three-floor emporium of erotica. Fetishistas can stock up on latex bustiers, rubber bodysuits, sex toys, themed get-ups and vertiginous footwear, along with an interesting wine selection (Marquis de Sade champagne anyone?).
reviewed
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Colours
This huge, light-filled loft has great used clothes going back to the 1960s (sometimes earlier) for both men and women, plus a smaller selection of new street- and club-wear threads for today’s cool kids. Most items are clean, in good condition and priced by the kilo (€14, or €10 during happy hour, 1pm to 3pm Wednesday). There’s a good range of accessories too. It’s in the back courtyard, upstairs on the right. In Schöneberg there’s an affiliated outfit, Garage (Ahornstrasse 2).
reviewed
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Harry Lehmann
Let your senses step back in time at this charmingly fragrant fragment of ‘Old Berlin’, where the Lehmann family still creates bespoke perfumes (as they’ve been doing since 1926, although only at this spot since 1958) for discerning noses. Dozens of scents are kept in glass jars, and then syphoned into smaller flasks and sold by weight (with prices starting at just €3.50 for 10ml). Try the invigorating Eau de Berlin cologne, sensuous Lambada parfum, or ask them to customise your own scent.
reviewed
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Boss Orange Concept Store
Boss Orange Concept Store ‘Concept’ doesn’t half cover it, with famous German label Hugo Boss’ creations housed in an architectural statement more akin to an art gallery than a mere retail space. You’ll find denim jeans embedded in the floor, quirky displays of unrelated modern-day paraphernalia and even regular exhibitions from contemporary artists and photographers in the downstairs ‘interactive space’. Oh, and some clothes.
reviewed
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Christmas Market
You're most likely to enter the four bare walls of the former Heiligen-Geist-Hospital if you're coming to Lübeck's superlative Christmas Market. Although the building is largely an elegant shell these days, there are resonances of Germany's first hospital (dating back to 1227). Through an early-Gothic hall church, you'll come to the hospital hallway, where you'll see the little chambers that were built around 1820 to give the sick and old a certain degree of privacy.
reviewed
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AM1, AM2, AM3
So hip it hurts, Andreas Murkudis’ cluster of minimalist-chic shops tucked away in a pretty Mitte courtyard offer a wealth of sartorial temptations for men and women from designers such as his Berlin-based brother Kostas Murkudis, internationals Sophia Kokosalaki and Martin Margiela, sturdy Ludwig Reiter footwear (from Vienna) and Schiesser underwear (given a twist by Kostas). There’s also furniture and jewellery, plus helpful, refreshingly honest service.
reviewed
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Steiff Galerie in Berlin
The cuddly creations of this famous stuffed-animal company, founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff (who in 1902 invented the teddy bear – named for US president Teddy Roosevelt, whom she admired), are tailor-made for snuggles. The fluffy menagerie at this central store will have all ages feeling warm and fuzzy.
reviewed
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Grober Unfug
Fans of comics and graphic novels can easily lose a few hours in this very cool repository of books, DVDs, soundtracks and knick-knacks. At street level you’ll find mostly German stuff (including Kai Jacob’s Street Art in Berlin), while upstairs belongs to a mega-selection of indie and mainstream imports from the US, Japan and elsewhere. Also upstairs is a gallery with original drawings. There’s a smaller branch in Mitte (Weinmeisterstrasse 9).
reviewed
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Heidi’s Spielzeugladen
Since the 1970s Heidi Mallmann’s charming toy store has specialised in low-tech, quality toys, from wooden trains to sturdy stuffed animals and ‘edutaining’ children’s books, all holding the fort despite the digital age’s noisy onslaught. A great selection of doll’s houses and play kitchens help spur kids’ social skills but also provoke many an adult to get down on the floor and mix it with the littlies.
reviewed
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Ampelmann Galerie Shop (DomAquaree)
The vociferous grassroots campaign that saved the little Ampelmann (the endearing fellow on the pedestrian traffic lights who helped generations of East Germans safely cross the street) has transformed him into a beloved cult figure and one of the city’s most evocative ‘lifestyle brands’. Here you’ll find T-shirts, fridge magnets, pasta, onesies, umbrellas and many other products. Other branches: Hackesche Höfe and Potsdamer Platz Arkaden.
reviewed
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Uhranus
This sassy little shop delivers the goods for those seeking must-have accessories for their bodies (funky sunglasses and Diesel watches) and their abodes (retro-style lamps, vases and quirky furnishings). Other cool gift items for your hard-to-please friends back home include a range of giggle-worthy old-style Berlin postcards. The name, by the way, is a play on the German words for ‘watch’ (Uhr) and the planet Uranus.
reviewed
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Uhranus
This sassy little shop delivers the goods for those seeking must-have accessories for their bodies (funky sunglasses and Diesel watches) and their abodes (retro-style lamps, vases and quirky furnishings). Other cool gift items for your hard-to-please friends back home include a range of giggle-worthy old-style Berlin postcards. The name, by the way, is a play on the German words for ‘watch’ (Uhr) and the planet Uranus.
reviewed
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Fiona Bennett
Local lass Fiona Bennett creates stunning millinery for women and men who know the worth of topping off a good outfit with not so much a fashion statement as an exclamation point. Styles vary from practical-but-pretty berets to elaborate confections reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood (and very cute lozenge-like straw pieces that resemble tropical fruit). Men can choose anything from flat caps or deerstalkers to coloured bowlers.
reviewed
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Ampelmann Galerie
It took a vociferous grassroots campaign to save the little Ampelmann, the endearing fellow on East German pedestrian traffic lights. Now the beloved cult figure and global brand graces an entire store worth of T-shirts, fridge magnets, pasta, onesies, umbrellas and other knick-knacks. Other branches include DomAquarée and in the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden and Gendarmenmarkt.
reviewed
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Fuck Fashion
Youthful hipsters and the young at heart flock to this cheap and cheerful store, jam-packed with the latest street-wear must-haves. The last time we checked, this included pop culture–splashed T-shirts, Mexican wrestling masks, a rainbow’s worth of trainers, kitsch knickers, and jewellery for every body part – eyebrows to unmentionables. There’s also a branch in Charlottenburg (Joachimstaler Strasse 39-40).
reviewed
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Haus 4711
A classic gift for mum is a bottle of eau de cologne, the not terribly sophisticated but refreshing perfume created - and still being produced - in its namesake city. The most famous brand is called 4711, named after the number of the house where it was invented, which now houses a shop, Haus 4711. Outside, up on the facade, note the cutesy carillon with characters from Prussian lore parading hourly from 9am to 9pm.
reviewed
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Thatchers
Berlin fashion veterans Ralf Hensellek and Thomas Mrozek specialise in well-tailored clothing that’s feminine and versatile. Their smart dresses, skirts and shirts look almost plain on the rack but are transformed when worn as the sort of stylish garments that go from office to dinner to nightclub – but not hurriedly out of fashion. Also located at Court IV of the Hackesche Höfe.
reviewed
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Ratzekatz
Packed with quality playthings, this adorable store made headlines a few years ago when Angelina Jolie and son Maddox picked out a Jurassic Park’s worth of dinosaurs. Even without the celeb glow, it’s a fine place to source everything from Siku cars and trucks to Ravensburger jigsaws, Lego and piles of plush toys.
reviewed
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Altmarkt Galerie
The Altmarkt area is Dresden’s historic centre and the starting point for most visitors, though it’s still undergoing considerable renovations. Many restaurants have set up streetside tables, and when markets aren’t operating it’s nice to sit outside and gaze across the square. The modern glass Altmarkt Galerie shopping centre is also excellent.
reviewed
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Friedrichstadtpassagen
Even if you’re not part of the Gucci and Prada brigade, the wow factor of this trio of shopping complexes (called Quartiere) linked by a subterranean passageway is undeniable. Highlights are Jean Nouvel’s shimmering glass funnel inside the Galeries Lafayette, the dazzlingly patterned art-deco-style Quartier 206 and John Chamberlain’s tower made from crushed automobiles in Quartier 205.
reviewed
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Mont K
If you’re into climbing something other than stairs – say, the Matterhorn or Kilimanjaro – Mont K will set you up with everything from backpacks to tents and crampons. Or perhaps you’re just looking for body-warmers and other heat-keeping garments to contend with Berlin’s biting winters. The in-the-know sales team is happy to divulge an arsenal of user-friendly tips.
reviewed