City Guide: Berlin
The rugged-but-beautiful vibe of the city is one of the reasons Berlin ranks among our favorite places in Europe. The contrast between worn out DDR-era apartment buildings, graffiti covered walls and 18th century houses describes the city accordingly. Once filled with political tension, The Zeitgeist Metropolis has become one of the most creative and lively capitals in the world.
One of the first things you’ll notice about Berlin is that its not all very pretty. Many of the old-new buildings are in rough shape; dreadful looking apartment building from the 70’s covered in tags and satellite dishes sit among 150-year-old pillared mansions and glass covered office buildings. Even the landmark TV tower looks kind of ugly, a meatball stuck at the end of a stick. Despite all that, Berlin more than certainly has its own odd and distinquishable harmony which has drawn in creative people and businesses.
The central city is built up from several neighborhoods, Mitte being the old city center and home to many restaurants and boutiques. Charlottenburg is partly a posh area with many designer flagships, banks, upscale hotels and residential areas. Kreuzberg, historically a more scabby neighborhood, is nowadays a multicultural area full of life. several other neighborhoods provide different atmospheres and areas for browsing. if you’re in Berlin for shopping and food, Mitte is your spot. the area between Rosenthaler Platz and Alexanderplatz is packed with great shops and lovely small restaurants. Getting around town using the U-bahn and S-bahn is very convenient, taxis are available but rarely needed.
shop.
Darkland
this well hidden guerilla store carries some of the most exclusive japanese and european labels ranging from julius and the viridi-anne to carol christian poell, damir doma and boris bidjan saberi. Excellent selection of garments along with footwear, accessories and leather goods. steinstrasse 5. http://www.darklandsberlin.com
Quartier 206
this upscale department store near stadmitte carries high fashion for men and women ranging from prada to dries van noten. but surprisingly, they also carry some slightly harder to find japanese labels such as the viridi-anne and attachment which make the store worth a check. friedrichstrasse 76.
The Corner
a staple in berlin, this large, posh boutique is home to many exclusive brands ranging from lanvin and balenciaga to rick owens. In addition to mens and womens wear, corner carries an interesting selection jewelry, magazines and books. franzoesische strasse 40. www.thecornerberlin.de
Ulf Haines
a small, uber modern looking boutique carrying hard to find brands such as label under construction and kiminori morishita along with designers like ann demeulemeester and stephan schneider. rosa-luxemburg-strasse 9. www.ulfhaines.com.
Apartment
this store might seem stranded as the ground level is an enormous, white empty hall with only a small staircase. don’t be fooled though, below the floor you’ll find a varying selection of clothing from raf simons, rick owens and undercover among others. memhardtstrasse 8. www.apartmentberlin.de
Cash
run by apartment, this outlet store just around the corner carries what they call 2nd hand and 2nd season clothing. occasional good finds. www.apartmentberlin.de
Firmament
streetwear extraordinnaire. hidden in an off the path apartment building is one of the worldwide staples in the market of premium streetwear with a well picked selection ranging from visvim to supreme. schröderstrasse 8. www.am-firmament.com
Andreas Murkudis
a very interesting small shop hidden inside a courtyard, carrying martin margiela, raf simons, Y’s yohji yamamoto along with guidi boots and other goods. the store next door is womens wear. münzstrasse 21. www.andreasmurkudis.net
Best Shop
concept store with local and european designers and collections rotating every 2 months. regular brands include such as henrik vibskov. alte schönhauser strasse 6. www.bestshop-berlin.de
Woodwood
The store run by the danish label also carries a wild selection of other brands ranging from polo ralph lauren to bernhard willhelm. yes, you read correctly. they also have vintage novelty items, comme des garcons perfumes and various other goods. rochstrasse 4. www.woodwood.dk
Harvey’s
small, classic boutique with an unusual selection of japanese and european designers. rare carpe diem pieces, yohji yamamoto, martin margiela and others. too bad the store is literally stacked to the roof and challenging to browse! kurfürstendamm 56. www.harveys-berlin.de
Bless
next to APC, this home of the german design team is filled with their conceptual clothing and wacky accessories and goods. always fun to check out. mulackstrasse 38. www.bless-service.de
Lil Store
the original comme des garcons guerilla store, now simply a store carrying a variety of cdg goodies including junya watanabe. brunnenstrasse 184. www.lil-shop.com
eat.
Leo Bettini
while this adorable little café lacks meats on the menu, it should suit even the most obstinate of meateaters. the good pasta and salads come second to the amazing knödels – big potato dough meatballs sans meat, but with tomato and mozzarella, mushrooms and other wonderful ingredients. you’ll be coming back for these.
Mulackstraße 33. www.leobettini.de
Susuru
delicious noodles in a hip and lively atmosphere. the name means slurping for a reason. try the chicken curry!
rosa luxemburg strasse 17. www.susuru.de
Kuchi
a good japanese spot in mitte with an extensive menu of sushi and other goodies. gipstrasse 3.
Atame
great tapas food in a cozy, dimly lit setting. pick many dishes, eat outside on a warm day and watch the trains go by. www.atame-tapasbar.de
Eve and Adam’s
organic salads and smoothies made from fresh ingredients, great pit stop in mitte. rosa luxemburg strasse 24.
drink.
CSA bar
located inside an old Czech Airlines office, this bar/lounge has a very unique interior and a neat atmosphere. karl marx allee 96. www.csa-bar.de
40 seconds
this restaurant and club has one of the best views of the city, the outside terraces don’t hurt either! potsdamer strasse 58. www.40seconds.de
Weekend
if clubbing, as in clubbing, is your thing, then this could be the place for you. two separate floors plus a roof terrace. alexanderplatz 5. www.week-end-berlin.de
White Trash Fastfood
trashy burger dive slash bar slash tattoo shop? exotic to say the least, the no. 1 hipster hangout in town.
schoenhauser allee 6-7. www.whitetrashfastfood.com
for more drinking and clubbing, check out some of the links at the end.
see.
Walking around Mitte gives a good view of Berlin, take the s-bahn to Charlottenburg for some contrast. The view from the TV tower is quite good on a clear day. The Museuminsel is filled with museums and sights, if that’s your thing you can easily spend a day here.
There are several flea markets that are open on Sundays. Mauermarkt is one of them which takes place at Mauer Park. Here, you can also find hundreds of people who are still (after)partying from the night before – a sight one can only come across in Berlin.
The Sony Center in Potzdamer Platz is a complex of entertainment, while extremely touristy, the area can be fun for people watching and you can catch an english movie here on a bored day. Walk through the park to see the parliament building (Reichstag) as well as Pariser Platz and the Brandenburg gate. Nearby, the eye catching jewish memorial is worth a look.
If you require more sightseeing, we recommend grabbing a book. oh, and skip checkpoint charlie unless you’re looking for a desperate tourist trap.
galleries and events.
there are a thousand small galleries in berlin with varying exhibitions. Check out Intoxicated Demons and The Future Gallery for interesting showcases. Seven Star gallery, which used to house Darklands, shows interesting photographs. But lets face it, if you read this in a few months, there’ll be several new galleries and a few closed, so the best way to stay up to date is to check websites focusing on news and events in the city – see the links below.
links and further reading.
superfuture - store listings
berlin.unlike – unbeatable berlin info
iheartberlin – guide to events etc
Written by Arto M.