Shopping
For years, the Kurfürstendamm or Ku’damm for short (website: www.kurfuerstendamm.de or www.berlin-citywest.com) has been the place to shop in Berlin. This elegant boulevard of shops and department stores has designer boutiques and shopping passages tucked down its side streets, particularly around the U-Bahn Uhlandstrasse station. The Europa-Center is also unmistakable, as it has a large revolving Mercedes Benz symbol on its roof. However, the most famous address is Kaufhaus des Westens or KaDeWe, Tauenzienstrasse 21–24 (website: www.kadewe.de), the largest department store in Europe – its food hall is enormous.
However, the West’s pre-eminence for Berlin shoppers is facing challenges from the revitalised areas of East Berlin. Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse (website: www.friedrichstrasse.de) have both blossomed since reunification, with boutiques, department stores such as Quartier 206 and the Galeries Lafayette shopping centre. Even this is changing with the completion of Potsdamer Platz – already the Arkaden shopping mall is luring away shoppers from other, more established areas. Also in the East are the boutiques in the Hackesche Höfe and the many galleries in the Scheunenviertel, just to the north. For innovative clothing, Heckmannhöfe, Oranienburger Strasse 32, is the place for shoppers to head, with the likes of Hut Up, with its bold woollens, Nix, with its urban chic and Sterling Gold, with its array of weird and wonderful second-hand cocktail and evening dresses. Other areas worth exploring are around Rosenhote, Alte Schonhaustrasse and Neue Schonhaustrasse.
For markets, there is the traditional fruit and vegetable market at Winterfeldtplatz, open Wednesday 0800–1300 and Saturday 0800–1530. More interesting objects can be found at the Trödelmarkt (Flea Market) and Arts and Crafts Market, along Strasse des 17 Juni, open Saturday and Sunday 1000–1700.
Shops are generally open Monday to Friday 0900/1000–2000 and Saturday 0900/1000–1600. Smaller shops might close a little earlier. There is a great online resource (website: www.kauflust.de) in the form of a guide to 250 shops with a clickable map. Visitors from outside the EU can reclaim a portion of the 16% VAT (up to 10%) on goods worth over ¬30. Shops displaying the ‘TAX-FREE’ sign issue a receipt that, when stamped by customs, can be redeemed at a tax-free reimbursement office.
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