My dear travelers and fashionistas, welcome to a new story on the Mr.M blog! Since I received a lot of your messages after the published luxury shopping guide Istanbul edition, I decided to delight you with another similar content from the city that I consider my second home because I spent my best years in the capital of Germany – Berlin.
Berlin is otherwise known as the European capital of the biggest and most important cultural events and that it is also known as the capital of urban street fashion and in addition proudly carries the epithet of the European capital that absolutely never sleeps due to its boisterous and rich nightlife. You know I’m always honest, when it comes to nightlife I’m not the best guide, but when it comes to sights and good shopping, I’m the best advisor there, so I decided to share some details about Berlin with you.
For all those who are not familiar with the urban distribution of the city of Berlin, this metropolis has “two centers” – the eastern and western parts of the city. To help you find your way around, just keep in mind that most of the sights are in the East part of the city near the Brandenburg Gate and it’s kind of the cultural core of the city, while the West part of the city is kind of lively and trendy, where you’ll find good places to shopping and restaurants. These two parts of the city have been successfully connected by city bus line number 100 for years, and it is the best “limousine” from which you can get to know the city.
Berlin is an extremely easy city to navigate, Germans are extremely friendly and want to help tourists, just don’t use the German language if you don’t know it very well, because they take it as a big insult, better speak in English, they will meet you sooner, even though maybe the older people don’t speak english but they will try their best to help you. They value their language a lot and don’t like it when part of their national identity is desecrated. As for public transport, it is well organized and connected, so you can easily get from point A to point B wherever you want in the German capital.
Berlin is a world metropolis and a famous city of entertainment, so you will always be welcomed with open arms with a lot of new content and I believe that everyone will find adequate content for themselves and that Berlin leaves no one indifferent.
EAST BERLIN
East Berlin is known for its large number of museums and famous landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin TV Tower, which is located about halfway between Alexander Platz and the Mitte part of the city (the city center).
What can you see in this part of the city?
- Checkpoint Charlie – This is the best starting point for a tour of the former communist eastern part of Berlin. Until reunification in 1989, the only legal way to cross the border in and out of East Berlin was through official checkpoints. Checkpoint Charlie was the most important of all checkpoints as it served as the only point of entry and exit for diplomats, journalists and foreign visitors, i.e. non-Germans. Adjacent to this checkpoint is a house museum that contains artifacts used to escape over, under, and through the Berlin Wall, including escape cars, hot air balloons, and even mini-submarines.
- Trabi Museum – The Trabant (affectionately called Trabi by Germans) may not have been the only car on the roads of East Germany during the Cold War, but it was the most famous car produced and owned by the people of East Germany. Owning a Trabi was more than just a means of transportation. Cars represented freedom of movement for people living in a totalitarian state. This car was quite compact, but escape attempts sometimes involved hiding in the trunk of the car. The Trabi is more than a car, it is a timeless symbol of East Germany’s struggle for freedom of every kind.
- Berliner Dom – Cathedral of Berlin
- Reichtag – the Parliament building, which has a modern glass dome that offers a divine view of the city. Ask about visiting, I know it’s always very crowded, I’ve been once during my many years of living in Berlin. There are always big crowds, so be patient.
- Berlin Wall – The memorial complex stretches for 1.3 km along with several sites on the area where the Berlin Wall once stood. Bernauer Street was chosen for the Memorial because it is the biggest symbol of the divided city.
- Museum Island – Located on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the island is located on the Spree River and houses 5 museums: the Old Museum (Altes Museum), the New Museum (Neues Museum), the Old National Gallery, the Bode Museum and the Pergamon Museum . Each museum is unique and a visit to this complex is an individual preference, so depending on your interests you can spend 3 to 5 hours, while my sister stayed almost the whole day as she is an art lover.
- Humboldt Forum – newly opened cultural and artistic complex.
Out of these 8 listed items, 7 out of 8 (all except the Museum Island) can be visited in one day, 4-5 hours is quite enough, while the museums within the Museum Island require more time, that’s why I will say that this part of the city is worth a visit you need to set aside a whole day or two if you want to enjoy the moment without feeling rushed.
As for shopping in East Berlin, there are several interesting streets, department stores and shops that I would single out:
- Mall of Berlin, the most famous shopping center in Berlin. You can quickly and easily walk from the Brandenburg Gate to this shopping center and on the way visit the Memorial area dedicated to the genocide of the Jews. The museum is outdoors, so be careful when taking pictures.
- Unter den Linden – a shopping street in the very heart of Berlin, from which you can always see the Brandenburg Gate or the Berlin TV Tower. Here you can see some of the world’s fashion brands, but also finish shopping for souvenirs.
- Friedrichstraße is one of the cross streets, the main street of Unter den Linden, here you can find famous world brands such as Hugo Boss, Massimo Dutti, Karl Lagerfeld and others.
- Galeries Lafayette, a famous French department store is located in Friedrichstrasse. In the vicinity of Alexander Platz you have a number of interesting shopping streets
- TK Maxx, a shopaholic’s paradise, brands range from famous street fashion brands to luxury global fashion brands at extremely low prices. Trust me it’s worth visiting this store and this chain of stores is famous across Germany, Europe and the UK.
My favorite sights in East Berlin are Berlin Dom, Alexander Platz, Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island.
Berlin Cathedral (Berliner Dom), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Congregational Church, is a monumental German Evangelical church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) on the Museum Island in central Berlin. Having its origins as a castle chapel for the Berlin Palace, several buildings have served to house the church since the 15th century.
The current cathedral church was built from 1894 to 1905 by order of Emperor William II according to the plans of Julius Rashdorf in the Renaissance and Baroque style. The mentioned building is the largest Protestant church in Germany and one of the most important dynastic tombs in Europe. In addition to church services, the cathedral is used for state ceremonies, concerts and other events.
The Museum Island is so-called for the complex of internationally important museums, all of which are part of the Berlin State Museums, occupying the northern part of the island:
The old museum was called the Konigliches Museum when it was built on August 3, 1830, until it was renamed in 1841. The museum was completed by order of Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The Neues Museum (New Museum) was completed in 1859 according to the plans of Friedrich August Stühler, Schinkel’s student. Destroyed in World War II, it was rebuilt under the direction of David Chipperfield for the Egyptian Museum in Berlin and reopened in 2009. The Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) was completed in 1876, also to designs by Friedrich August Stühler, to house a collection of 19th-century art donated by banker Joachim H. W. Wagener.
The Bode Museum on the northern part of the island, opened in 1904 and then called the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. It exhibits collections of sculptures and late antique and Byzantine art. The Pergamon Museum, built in 1930, contains several reconstructed huge and historically significant buildings such as the Pergamon Altar and the Babylonian Ishtar Gate. The Humboldt Forum opened at the end of 2020 in the Berlin Palace across from the Lustgarten Park and includes the Ethnological Museum of Berlin and the Museum of Asian Art; both are successor institutions to the Chamber of Ancient Prussian Art, which was also located in the Berlin Palace and was founded in the mid-16th century.
The museum complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 because of its unique testimony to the evolution of the museum as a social and cultural phenomenon and the corresponding development of museum architecture.
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and traffic hub in the central Berlin district of Mitte. The square is named after the Russian Emperor Alexander I, which also signifies a larger neighborhood that stretches from Mollstrasse in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and Rotes Rathaus in the southwest.
Alexanderplatz is said to be the most visited area of Berlin, beating Friedrichstrasse and City West. It is a popular starting point for tourists, with many attractions including the Fernsehturm (TV Tower), the Nicholas Quarter and the Rotes Rathaus (“Red Town Hall”) located nearby. Alexanderplatz is still one of Berlin’s main commercial areas, home to a variety of shopping malls, department stores and other large retail locations.
WEST BERLIN
For many, Kreuzberg is the only former district of West Berlin where something is happening. But for those staying or wanting to visit the western part of the city, there is still much to offer…
- Charlottenburg Palace – Built in 1699 by the Elector of Frederick III as a summer palace, Charlottenburg Palace is the largest royal palace in the city of Berlin (the royal family chose to build most of their palaces in the nearby city of Potsdam, Germany’s version of Versailles). Inside the palace today is a vast collection of 18th-century French paintings (the largest outside France), the baroque Old Palace and the New Wing, added by the versatile Frederick the Great in the mid-1700s.
- Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church – This church, located not far from the Zoologischer Garten S and the U bahn station, was built between 1891 and 1895 by Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser wanted to celebrate the glory and majesty of his grandfather, the first German Kaiser, Wilhelm I, and dedicated a church to him (Wilhelm II disliked his father, Friedrich III immensely, so there is no Kaiser Friedrich Memorial Church).
- Berlin Zoo – The oldest zoo in Germany, Berlin Zoo opened its doors in 1844 and is the most visited zoo in Europe. With good reason – this is one fantastic place! Animals are kept in environments that most closely match their natural habitat, and because of this the zoo has a successful breeding program. The zoo was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War, and only 90 animals survived from the pre-war population of over 3,000. The zoo itself was the last stronghold of the German army at the end of the war.
- Tiergarten – Berlin is a city of green spaces, and the Tiergarten is Berlin’s most popular park in the city center. Built as a hunting ground for the royal family in the 1600s, the 255-hectare park is these days home to monuments, restaurants and beer gardens, and a walk from the west end to the other side will take you past the Siegessaula (Victory Column) and bring you to the Brandenburg Gate.
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned that West Berlin is known as the best shopping destination, so I will take the opportunity to share with you some interesting addresses for shopping in this part of the city.
Kurfurstendamm (abbreviated: Ku’damm) is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street was named after the former Kurfürsten (prince) of Brandenburg. The wide, long boulevard can be considered the Champs Elysees of Berlin and is lined with shops, houses, hotels and restaurants. In particular, many fashion brands have their stores here, as well as showrooms of several car manufacturers, famous restaurants and luxury hotels.
Unlike the neighboring streets, Kudamm developed from the historic corduroy road laid by the Margraves of Brandenburg to reach the Grünewald hunting lodge, which was built around 1542 by order of Hohenzollern’s elector Joachim II Hector. Although the exact date of construction is unknown, the unnamed embankment leading from the Stadtschloss through the marshland between the settlements of Charlottenburg (then called Lietzow) and Wilmersdorf to Grünewald was already shown on a 1685 map. The name Churfursten Damm was first mentioned between 1767 and 1787. Today, this is a prestigious center for luxury fashion brands and luxury goods.
Another shopping destination in West Berlin is Tauentzienstrasse (Tauentzien for short) is the main shopping street in the City West area of Berlin. With a length of about 500 m, it passes between two important squares, Wittenbergplatz in the east and Breitscheidplatz in the west, where it is continued by the boulevard Kurfirstendam. While the eastern half belongs to Schöneberg district, the western part (behind Nürnberger Straße) is in Charlottenburg. The two most famous department stores, KaDeWe and Peek & Cloppenburg, are located here.
Kaufhaus des Westens (German for ‘Department House of the West’), abbreviated as KaDeWe, is the most famous luxury department store in Berlin. With over 60,000 square meters of retail space and more than 380,000 items available, it is the second largest department store in Europe after Harrods in London. It attracts 40,000 to 50,000 visitors every day. The store is located on Tauentzienstraße, the main shopping street, between Wittenbergplatz and Breitscheidplatz, near the heart of former West Berlin. It is technically located in the extreme northwest of the southern Berlin neighborhood of Schöneberg.
Here you can also find the famous Zalando Outlet, a shopaholic’s paradise where you can find clothes, shoes and fashion accessories for adults and children. It is really possible to find absolutely everything here, at significantly reduced prices than in traditional stores, while the selection of brands is diverse and it is possible to find pieces of brands for everyone’s budget.
People say that the color red is color of love and happines and attracts positive energy, so I decided to take my FPM Milano Bank Spinner 53 black cabin suitcase with red leather details on my trip to Berlin which brought me good luck this year. Not only is it practical, lightweight, but it’s also a photogenic suitcase that many people asked me about at the airport where I bought it.
FPM Milano luggage offers travelers practicality and style, all in one trolley and backpack. Designed by Mark Sadler, these lightweight aluminum-clad and reinforced suitcases are inspired by vintage trunks, purpose-built to give you the durability you need on your travels. The combination of Avante-Garde materials and Italian design motifs give these FPM suitcases a robust and secure look.
In today’s post I present to you my new Bank Spinner 53 cabin suitcase from the Bank collection, a collection that is entirely made in Italy, ideal for people from the business world as well as for those who want to enjoy their vacation and free time to the maximum, made to satisfy any practical, functional or aesthetic need. A practical inner pocket allows you to charge your tablet and smartphone anytime, anywhere. A modern, elegant line of backpacks, made of high-quality and waterproof nylon with special attention to leather and metal details.
Aluminum personalization recalls the innovative creativity of the FPM Bank collection. I enriched this suitcase with red details – leather handles in coral red, as well as an address tag of the same color. You can choose your favorite color and I believe you will have more favorites like me.
If you want to stay up to date and find out which models of suitcases and travel accessories the FPM Milano brand has in its offer, visit their official online store and follow them on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.
My dear adventurers and fashionistas, we have come to the end of this special travelogue and short guide to shopping in Berlin where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the sights and shopping in the capital of Germany. Today’s travelogue would not have been possible without the selfless help of the German Railways – Deutsche Bahn – DB in cooperation with Visit Berlin, which allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of the culture and tradition of Berlin. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Berlin.
How did you like my guide to shopping in Berlin? Have you had the chance to visit the urban capital of Germany so far?
If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!
Greetings from Berlin,
Mr. M
This post is sponsored by the national airline Deutsche Bahn – DB and Visit Berlin as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.