A piece of: Berlin, Germany
Shopping
R.S.V.P
📍Mulackstraße 26, 10119
Notebooks with golden edges, mauve scissors, ochre pencil cases and delicate stationary. Minimalist interior with wooden floors, 70’s inspired shelves and big glass windows - it is hard to walk past, despite being a tiny store. If you have an affinity for organization, R.S.V.P’s beautiful papers, high-end writing tools and elegant calendars, will leave you speechless.
Pick & Weight
📍Alte Schönhauser Str. 30, 10119
Walking into the store you’ll be greeted by baskets filled with vintage silk scarves and an endless amount of clothing racks. Pick & Weight is a vintage kilo store, meaning that every item is marked with a color code that determines its kilo price and you’ll find different baskets for weighing around the store. It’s the perfect way to find some gorgeous light blouses or berets to a cheaper buck. If you’ve had your eyes on previous issues of mags like ID and Dazed, you might also be lucky enough to find it here.
Who killed Bambi?
📍Litfaßplatz 2, 10178
While Pick and Weight can be a bit overwhelming, “Who killed Bambi?” is a lot more orderly, with its curated vintage and upcycled couture. It is Berlin fashion based and offers everything from unique floral shirts to redesigned corduroy pants.
Der Krystall-Laden
📍Knaackstraße 35, 10405
A crystal lover’s haven on earth! You’ll find a large selection of crystals categorized in boxes covered with purple satin, both polished crystals and jewelry, as well as raw amethyst and rose quartz. The store is also filled with sound bowls, Himalayan salt lamps and vintage post cards.
Mutabor
📍Immanuelkirchstraße 6, 10405
Tucked away between supermarkets and apartment complexes, you’ll find Mutabor. A tiny store with bookshelves that reaches the ceilings, filled with books on philosophy, photography, art history, poetry and classic literature. Most of which are written in german, but if you’re lucky, you’ll find a few in English - and you need no language to analyse the beautiful collections of photography.
Art, art & more art
Sammlung Boros
📍Reinhardtstraße 20, 10117
The highlight of any Berlin visit for sure. In a bunker from WW1, that has since been used as both a place to store imported fruit and host rave parties, you’ll now find a private collection of contemporary art. Some of the original walls of the bunker are still exposed and you’ll even find some paint marks left there by the rave parties. The Boros Collection is truly impressive and shows newly acquired and space-specific works by artists such as He Xiangyu, Paulo Nazareth and Pamela Rosenkranz.
berlinische galerie
📍Alte Jakobstraße 124-128
The Berlinische Galerie houses contemporary art, in forms of photography, architecture and paintings, emphasizing works created in Berlin. By stopping by this gallery, you are not only being presented with beautiful and famous art works, but you’ll also learn about Berlin’s history in the process.
Museum island:
📍Spreeinsel
Museum Island is a unique ensemble of five museums which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, making it Berlin’s most famous museum-complex. Pergamonmuseet, Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie and Bode museum features the Nefertiti statue, Babylon’s gates, Islamic art and beautiful architecture. Get yourself a day-pass, and you’ll be able to access all five museums, and everything your heart desires when it comes to art and historical artifacts.
“Toutisty”:
Reichstag building
📍Platz der Republik 1, 11011
The Reuchtag building was the seat of the Weimar Republic government until it was seized by the Nazis and is nowadays housing the German Parliament. The admission is free and the view from the roof terrace is astonishing.
Stasi Museum
📍Ruschestraße 103/Haus 1, 10365
This museum is the former headquarters of Stasi and is now used as both a research centre and a memorial, focusing on the political system in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Inside you’ll discover Erich Mielke's ministerial office, exhibits on state surveillance and spy equipment and personal testimonies from people under surveillance. It is a museum that will leave long lasting impressions for sure.
Unter den Linden
📍10117 Berlin
Unter den Linden is a 1.5 km boulevard which you can walk along to find memorials and landmarks such as the Berliner Dom, St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Brandenburg Gate, the Humboldt University, the Staatsoper and more. If you wish for a day of typical tourist activities, a walk along this boulevard will have you covered.
Restaurants/ cafés
Umami
📍Knaackstraße 16, 10405
Umami is a Vietnamese restaurant that offers lots of well thought through vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. The place is filled with lanterns, wooden tables and dried garlic and herbs hanging from the ceilings. There are Vietnamese restaurants all over Berlin, but this one stands out both in terms of flavors and atmosphere.
steel Vintage bikes
📍Wilhelmstraße 91, 10117
This café and showroom displays a selection of more than 300 vintage and modern steel bicycles, at the same time as offering vegan hot cocoa, zucchini sandwiches, pumpkin soup and other tasty midday snacks. The menu is Mediterranean infused and the interior of the café could not be cuter, with its vintage bicycles and pink neon sign on the walls.
Babel
📍Kastanienallee 33, 10435
Babel has been serving some of the best Lebanese food in the city for more than 10 years. The place is always buzzing because of their tasty falafel sandwiches and mixed platters that can be made according to your preferences. A classic example of how the simple often is the best.
Kastanienallee:
📍Connecting Prenzlauer Berg + the Fehrbelliner Straße
Kastanienallee is a 950 meter long avenue with some of the most charming cafés and restaurants in Berlin. You’ll also discover design stores and fashion boutiques in between, and the combination of vegan burger restaurants and french cafés makes this the perfect place to take a chance and drop by any place to eat, and still discover a gem.
