Shopping in Germany

Berlin is a shopping paradise. From traditional and new department stores, modern shopping malls, luxury designer shops to small handcraft manufactures, flea and antique markets and bargain stores - you'll find it all. in Germany, shopping is a jumble of wildly diverse elements: the traditional, with classic department stores like KaDeWe; the local, with lively markets offering up the best regional produce; and a love of craft and art fanzines galore at shops like Motto.

The best thing to do is just start walking: Berlin has no distinctive shopping neighbourhood, and some of its treasures can be found in the least expected places – a hidden inner courtyard like Kreuzberg fashionista favourite Voo – with many popping up for only weeks at a time. Berlin, with relatively cheap overheads and a massive DJ population, also has a thriving record shop scene centred around places like Oye and Hard Wax. More conventional shopping can be found on Kurfürstendamm in the west, with an Apple store and flagship Uniqlo. In the east, Friedrichstrasse offers a similarly upmarket selection, but with slightly younger fashions at places like the Quartier206 store.

For cutting-edge designers, head to the area around Mulackstrasse in Mitte, where many have opened interesting boutiques or try Das Neue Schwarz, for haute-couture at knock-down prices. A word of warning, don't expect to do much shopping on a Sunday; laws still remain in place from a more religious age limiting trade on the day of rest. This even extends to supermarkets, with only the major train stations like Hauptbanhof allowed to keep them open.