Die Hackeschen Höfe is a building complex with eight courtyards located in the Scheunenviertel…read more(Barn Quarter*) between Rosenthaler Straße and Sophienstraße in the Mitte area of Berlin. The building was opened in 1906, with an Art Nouveau facade, and mixed use commercial and residential spaces. After a period of disuse and damage following WWII, a revitalization started in 1993 which included extensive restoration. Today about 40 businesses call this location home--with a similar blend of vendors, including cafes, a theater, residential apartments, and a variety of retailers (apparel, shoes and accessories, home goods and furniture, art galleries, toys, stationery and a salon). For food there are a few restaurants, a couple bakeries and confectioneries, a gourmet food store and a coffee shop. Although the hours on g-maps show 9-10am, opening times for individual stores varies, so check prior to arriving. Especially on weekends when some opening times start closer to noon. When I arrived at 9am on a Sunday morning most places were closed, with the exception of Maison de Souvenirs, which although geared towards tourists, I enjoyed perusing because of the local and regionally made souvenirs they carried. Around 9:30am a couple of other shops started stirring, including a cafe, apparel store and gallery though only the cafe had opened by 9:45am. The courtyards are worth wandering around for 10 minutes to appreciate their unique architecture, though I didn't stay longer since most stores opened later. No parking available close by, they recommend arriving via public transit as it's a very busy area. Hackesche Markt S+U-bahn station is a couple minutes by foot, and a number of trams and buses stop nearby too. No public restrooms unless patronizing the couple of restaurants (and maybe the cinema) in this complex. *apparently in the 17th century this used to be the part of town outside of Berlin city walls that stored hay for animals, kept separate from the rest of the city due to fire concerns.

The store is beautifully appointed. The quality of the product is clear. Alice was exceptional when…read moresharing information and answering questions. Highly recommend stopping in if you are out shopping.

Wow! This is a ginormous bookstore! Four floors of books and more, with information kiosks…read morestaffed for any and all inquiries. I am floored by the amount of books, in every single category imaginable. Yes, they have a large children's section. There is a giant plush figure standing near a black pole in front of the children's books. I checked out each floor. I'm a sucker for novelty items, which they have plenty of. They sell multiple models of Polaroid cameras and film. Tons of calendars in different formats. Their vinyl room is on the ground floor, in the back. The store is sleek, clean, and organized. If you're in Berlin, I recommend visiting this store.

Great bookstore! Plus, a lot of everything else!…read more Dussmann's is an incredible bookstore. But, it is so much more than that. Beyond an insane collection of books, they also have tons of very unique novelty items that make great gifts or, something for yourself-- something that you never knew you needed. This shop is a multilevel business. They have multiple floors with books and other items on every floor. Plus, it is just stuffed full with an insane amount of books covering all varieties to quench your reading experience. As mentioned, they are much more than just an incredible bookstore. They also have a great selection of vinyl. So, for all of you vinyl enthusiasts, this is a great place to go and find that unique piece of music that you've wanted either very recently or all the way back to when you were young. It's really hard to explain just how much this store offers. I mean, if you're looking for a specific book, it's more than likely they will have. And, if they don't, they can most likely get it for you. Dussmann's great places to sit around and take a look at that book you may be interested in purchasing. Or, you can go there and have interesting discussions with your friends or family about literature and/or anything else. This is truly a great shop! Not only do you never know what you will find, but, if you're looking for something very specific, more than likely you'll be able to find it here.

A big giant modern mall. There are all sorts of stores and a food court on the top floor. Great for…read morewarming up on a cold day, people watching, or shopping. Unlike American malls that are withering symbols of the 1980s, the small is thriving, vibrant and alive. Overall cleanliness: excellent. Free Wi-Fi in the mall

The Mall of Berlin is a wonderful place to shop, walk around and stop for a quick bite to eat…read more We came here to clear our heads and to walk around after a brief rest-bit in our nearby hotel to get orientation. It has a multi story setup, along with some stores in the basement. There are several food options, along with Mickey D's

I'm not a mall person per se but the idea makes sense. Berlin weather can be unpredictable and…read morerather depressing in the winter. Why not have all the essentials under one roof? This shopping mall though overpromises and underdelivers. Located right next to the subway and city train stations, plus being on a very busy street, this mall could be your one-stop for everything. In fact, it's just a collection of cheap and trashy stores, squeezed into a tiny mall that gets crowded easily. The highlights of this mall can be summarized as follows: DEUTSCHE POST: The notoriously unfriendly workers here do their best to scare people away. Unsuccessfully though, as the line is usually very long and you'll wait 20+ minutes just to send a package. FOOD: Surprisingly, there is a variety of food options (Doner Kebab, sushi, fried fish, (somewhat) Vietnamese, sandwiches, ice cream, fresh cut fruits). However, first you have to place your order over the counter with folks that either are bored out of their minds or are as grumpy as you can be. You would think that the sheer fact of having a job would cheer these people up but it definitely takes something else. RANDOM SALES EVENTS: Retail stores can rent out spaces in the middle of the pathway to offer their goods. Many sellers take advantage of that, and that means throughout the year you'll find crap that you don't need (homemade sewed sweaters, organic dog food, or jewelry imported from Cambodia), sold by miserable looking college kids. This mall is unavoidable. Just be prepared.

A collection of stores, not too big it makes you dizzy, and not too small so you find nothing. My…read morepersonal favorites is the electronics store (ofcourse, i am a guy!), and the bread shop in the first floor. They make lovely onion- or olive-flavored breads. The Icrecream shop on the ground floor and the toy shop in the underground floor are frequently visited by me and my daughter, and always impress her with good taste and friendly staff.

When in Berlin visit KaDaWe and go directly to the 6th floor. There you will find gourmet food…read morecounters and restaurants. It's similar to Harrods in London or the magnificent department stores found in Tokyo. Oh my! You can get anything here! Amazing pastries, high end chocolates, charcuterie, huge cheese counters, smoked fish of all varieties, fine wines, specialty restaurants and much, much more. We enjoyed delicious crab sandwiches. I think they may have been the best sandwiches i ever had. Stop reading and get over to KaDeWe right now. Highly recommend.

Kaufhaus des Westerns is sehr groß and reminded us of Bloomingdale's on Lexington Ave (NYC) but in…read moreHerald Square proportions. It's huge and an absolute treat shopping here and I haven't even discussed the two food floors on 6 & 7. Wow. The quality of their offerings is impressive and upscale while also somewhat eclectic as well. We also found their prices to be fair and not obnoxious. Service throughout the store, is old style personal and friendly. We were always warmly greeted, in a sincere way. Nice!

Potsdamer Platz Arkaden is one of the many shopping malls in the German capital of Berlin, it is…read morelocated just around the corner from the Mall of Berlin, the latter being in a much better, central location in Postdamer Platz, close to two metro stations and being a larger and more modern mall alltogether. Potsdamer Platz Arkaden in my opinion really is a big down compared to the other nearby mall, as despite being a decent size over three floors, I find the overall selection of stores to be a little restrictive, for example there isn't even a Starbucks here, albeit that is the same with the Mall of Berlin, and there is a Starbucks on the street leading up to the mall and many others in the Postdamer Platz area so perhaps one right inside, in the heart of the mall, as they have in Alexa for example isn't needed here. There are a few large flagship shops such as H and M, Mango and Wohrl and as I recall Rewe and O2 have a branch here, but overall the selection if restrictive and with a lack of maps around the mall, the layout is also something I found to be confusing, I ended up going up and down every floor looking for a Starbucks only to find out, it is located just outside opposite Pizza Hut and Rewe which was frustrating, there also was a lack of staff and help desks too. In my opinion, Potsdamer Platz Arkaden will always come second to the Mall of Berlin mainly down to it being insuperior in near enough every way, being smaller, less modern and having a more confusing layout with less people to ask for help/maps etc, sadly deserving a single one star rating.

Want to kill time before dinner?…read more Literally a 2 minute walk from the moment you step out of Potsdamer Platz station, Arkaden is a very nice shopping complex with many stores spread over three floors. We easily wasted an hour or so window shopping here. All that walking in Berlin convinced my friend she needed a new pair of sneakers to take back home to the US. She didn't find it here, but she was directed by the helpful staff to another mall. You won't go hungry here as the food options range from full service restaurants to small cafes where you can take a short break. Caffe e Gelato was busy as a bee: the ice cream line moved quickly and I guess in Berlin, even when it's raining, its always ice cream time!

Beautiful department store in the middle of Berlin…read more I've seen my fair share of fancy and high-end department stores throughout the U.S. and Korea, but Quartier 206 has such a unique character and interior that I devoted time to wandering around the entire department store. I was there to buy some Santa Maria Novella products, and the staff was helpful, accommodating, friendly. Did not blink at my lack of German. Great dept. store - rec. highly!

Sadly good service is a rare virtue in Berlin...Unpleasant staff. Shouted at me when i opened the…read moredoor 5 min before the opening. Btw the door WAS open. Had to stay in the street and wait before they let me in....security guy barked at me when i bite my sandwich in the hallway and pointed to some card that apparently said "no food!" Ok but the girl next to me ate her food and had no problem))) never mind I thought...luxury stores in Berlin have strict policies, behave yourself))) so 10 minutes later i could finally enter the perfume department. I searched for a specific perfume, named it 5-6 times to the assistant but he kept rolling his eyes as if i just made it up and know nothing of niche perfume brands...))) had to google it and show the picture to prove that the perfume exists! This very fact kind of perplexed him)) Bottom line: i didnt feel comfortable at all, the experience is not worth it. Gallerie la fayette next door is better. PS: and no the selection of perfumes did not impress me at all. Online retailers from Munich and Hamburg offer a much more interesting selection.

The service could vastly improve! All that they have going for them is their view! Our server…read morecouldn't wait to be off her shift and sit in front of us laughing and smiling her cigarette's!

Bikini Berlin was described to me as a mall for hipsters. I walked around for a bit, but didn't…read morefind anything. Apparently, there is a roof terrace, the Bikini Berlin Shopping Garden, which offers views into the neighbouring zoo. I'm sorry I missed out on that.