When you visit a large capital like Berlin, obviously an afternoon of shopping is part of your planning. Shopping in a foreign country is always something special: Different shops, different prices and most of the time a different atmosphere. The good news is that Berlin is a great city to go shopping: You can combine many shopping areas with attractions, the prices are very reasonable and most of the shops are very easy to reach.

Because the shopping areas differ quite a lot from eachother it might be helpful to compare the different areas before you go shopping in Berlin. Below you find the 5 best shopping areas in Berlin in a list. Suggestions are always welcome.

1. Alexa

When is it cold weather, it is very pleasant to buy your clothes in an indoor shopping center. On walking distance of Alexanderplatz you can visit Alexa. In my opinion Alexa deserves the first place in this list because, when focusing on shopping-convenience, this is the best place to be shopping in Berlin. Of course things are different when you are a tourist and you want to see some of the beautiful streets and buildings: In that case you are better of with number 2,3 or 4 on this list.

But it is still a fact that Alexa scores high in terms of convenience because of its central location and because it has the largest amount of shops in Berlin. The mall possesses 180 different stores and is over 56.000 square meters large. Besides the normal shops you also can take a rest at the foodcourt and chose one of the 17 restaurants. On a normal Saturday Alexa can be quite crowded but fortunately the shopping mall is open from 10.00 till 21.00 so there will be enough time to go shopping. If you are looking for a effective afternoon of shopping in Berlin, Alexa is defenitely the place to be.

Website: www.alexacentre.com
How to reach Alexa: It’s easiest to reach Alexa from station Alexanderplatz or Jannowitzbrucke. Both stations can be reached by S-bahn and U-bahn.
Shops: Mediamarkt, Zara, Esprit, H&M, Tommy Hillfiger, Edeka, Bijou Brigitte, Billabong, Quicksilver, Northface, Vero Moda, Mango, Levi.
(Full list of shops in Alexa)

Shoppingcenter Alexa from both sides (click to enlarge)

2. Kurfürstendamm (KaDeWe)

In the west of Berlin, in the bezirk Charlottenburg, the famous and large street Kurfürstendamm can be found. This street has an impressive history but also offers many shops for tourists and habitants of Berlin. This area is mainly known because of the department stores KaDeWe and Peek and Cloppenburg. Besides that, you can find many delicious restaurants in the area around Kurfürstendamm and it is worth to visit the Memorial Church if you want to combine this location with a touristic attraction. The shopaholic will have a great time at Kurfürstendamm because there are over 100 shops to be found.

Kurfürstendamm is already worth a visit just because of the KaDeWe. Many department stores are big and impressive but the KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) is unique in his kind. With 60.000 square meters of shopping-paradise it might be worth some hours of your time. The products vary from cosmetics to clothing and from music to furniture. A must-see is also the sixth floor with its delicacies from all over the world.

KaDeWe from inside and the Gedächtniskirche located at Kurfürstendamm

Website: www.kadewe.de (copyright left foto: www.mzo-wiki.de)
How to reach Kurfürstendamm: Want to go shopping in Berlin? You can  decide to travel to the KaDeWe (U-Bahn station Wittenbergplatz, U2 or U3) or travel with the U9 or U2 to station Zoologischer Garten.
Shops: KaDeWe, Peek&Cloppenburg, Karstadt, Fanshop Hertha Bsc, Nikeshop Berlin,  The body shop, Douglas, Timberland, C&A, H&M, Zara
(Full list of shops at Kufürstendamm)

3. Mall of Berlin

The newest area to go shopping in Berlin is the Mall of Berlin. This shopping center, which is located close to Potsdamer Platz, was opened in September 2014. The Mall of Berlin has more than 200.000 square meter of shops and obviously it all looks very shiny and new. With more than 270 shops and large brands like Guess, Hugo Boss, Armani, Replay, G-Star and Levi’s this is paradise for everybody who loves to go shopping in Berlin. Besides these brands you can also find the large department stores like H&M, C&A, Zara, Peek & Cloppenburg and Saturn. When you are planning to go shopping for a whole afternoon, you do not have to worry about food: The Mall of Berlin has the largest foodcourt of Berlin. If you want to see a full list of shops and restaurants, you can have a look at this website.

The Mall of Berlin is not “performing” as good as expected yet, but if you came to Berlin for shopping, you definitely have to visit this center. It is also great that you can combine this shopping center with visiting the Jewish Memorial, the Sony Center and even the Brandenburger Tor.

Website: www.mallofberlin.de
How to reach: The easiest way to reach the Mall of Berlin is by U-Bahn. You can choose between station Potsdamer Platz or Mohrenstraße.
Shops: Esprit, H&M, C&A, Douglas, Mango, Peek & Cloppenburg, Guess, Hugo Boss, Armani, G-Star, Levi’s, Zara, Vans, Saturn, Replay, Pepe Jeans.

The Mall of Berlin Shoppingcenter

4. Hackescher Markt

In contrast with Kurfürstendamm and Friedrichstrasse, where many exclusive and luxury products can be found, the youth and students are normally better of to go shopping in Berlin at Hackescher Markt. There is a large area with some shops and restaurants straight at station Hackescher Markt. Here you can also find a supersmall fleamarket (see photo). Further north, around Rosenthaler Strasse and Munzstrasse a lot of clothingshops can be found. With shops like Diesel, Pepe Jeans and Adidas all the fashionable people can have a fun day of shopping in Berlin. Besides the splendid brands Hackescher Markt possesses another benefit: This area can be combined perfectly with some drinks or a dinner: Many cute, delicious and cheap restaurants are located on and around Hackescher Markt. If you cannot chose I can recommend a Vietnamese place called Manngo.

With its central location, its cosy restaurants and the many interesting shops Hackischer Markt most defenitly belongs in this list of best places to go shopping in Berlin.

Hackescher Markt is one of the best shopping locations in Berlin (© www.youropi.com)

Website: www.hackesche-hoefe.com
How to reach: Station Hackescher Markt can be easily reached with the S-bahn. The station is located just one stop from Alexanderplatz. If you prefer travelling with the U-bahn you can reach station Weinmeisterstrasse with the U8.
Shops: Scotch and Soda, Diesel, Energie, Pepe Jeans Paul Frank, Adidas, Mavi, Wesc, Strellson, Cos, Swatch, Fossil.

5. Friedrichstrasse

As a tourist, Friedrichstrasse is one of the nicest places to go shopping in Berlin. If you are a tourist, you might not only be interested in shops but also in the touristic attractions. Friedrichstrasse is closely related to the rich history of Berlin and the Second World War. During the shopping you can decide to have a small break at Checkpoint Charlie (U-Bahn station: Kochstrasse) or see pieces of the Berliner Wall.

Besides its history Friedrichstrasse is also famous for its exclusive shops in the higher price range. With shops like Gucci, Hugo Boss en Breitling, this part of Berlin is mainly interesting for the shoppers with a large budget. The fact that the prices are higher does not mean that Friedrichstrasse is not interesting for other visitors. Everybody likes to go to exclusive shops and dream a bit, right? Maybe just to see how rediculous high the prices are or to make a wishlist for the future. Fortunately you can also find a small amount of normal shops. For the fathers and boyfriends who hate shopping: This area also offers many car-showrooms so maybe shopping in Friedrichstrasse is not so bad after all.

Website: www.friedrichstrasse.de
How to reach Friedrichstrasse: With the S-bahn you can reach station Friedrichstrasse.
Shops: Hugo Boss, Galeries Lafayette, Escada, Gucci, Breitling, Emporio Armani, Dussman Kulturkaufhaus

For the men: Showroom of Bugatti

Bonus: 6. Schlossstrasse (Boulevard Berlin)

As the last name in the list of shopping areas in Berlin, the Schlossstrasse can not be missing. It is a bit of a bonus because this shopping area is located a little further from the center: the region Steglitz is 12,5km away from Alexanderplatz. But this does not mean that making the travel (30-45 minutes) to Steglitz is not worth your precious time. The Schlossstrasse offers many shops and as a highlight there is a large indoor shopping center named Berlin Boulevard. In Berlin Boulevard every fanatic shopper can have a afternoon of joy because all the famous brands can be found here. From G-Star to Mexx and from Zare to Hollister, all can be found in Berlin Boulevard.

A benefit of this shopping area in Berlin is the fact that you will not find so many tourists. The other locations in this list are more central and more closely located to touristic highlights, therefore it can be overly busy and uncomfortable to go there in the main touristic season. So when you really want to shopping in Berlin without much distraction, the Schlossstrasse might be a better alternative than Kurfürstendamm or Alexa.

Website: www.boulevardberlin.de
How to reach the Schlossstrasse: With the U9 you can reach station Schlossstrasse in the south of Berlin.
Shops: G-Star, Levi’s, Zara, H&M, Mexx, Hollister, Only, Gerry Weber, Karstadt, Pandora, Desigual
(Full list of shop in Berlin Boulevard)

Berlin Boulevard foodcourt and Shopping center (copyright www.boulevardberlin.de )

Summary

As you can see in the list above, there are many possibilities if you want to go shopping in Berlin. The most suitable location depends on your motivation: If you want to do some real shopping for a few hours I would advice to visit Alexa or Berlin Boulevard. But if you just want to see some shops in between all the attractions, you can better visit Friedrichsstrasse or Kurfürstendamm. Hackescher Markt has a bit of everything and is one of the best locations to have a drink and some food. If you want to bring home some souvenirs you can read my article about 10 great Berlin Souvenirs.

Hopefully this list will help you a bit when you want to go shopping in Berlin and if you have any questions you can always contact me. Below you can find the map with all the shopping areas in Berlin.