Berlin is burning, part 2

One may not think so but but Berlin is truly a great place to go shopping. We mainly shopped in the old Eastern side (around Mitte), since the most interesting boutiques could be found from there. The best shops were all around the Rosa-Luxemburg Platz, so for all you serious fashion hunters, that's the best place to start.

I really liked a store called Apartment (don't let the upstairs gallery like open space with a pink cube fool you, the actual store is located downstairs) and it's side store Cash which sells second hand and second season high fashion (I got my Ann Demeulemeester horse riding boots there for a really great deal!). Andreas Murkudis and Ulf Haines are for those interested high fashion as well, I scored an amazing Ann Demeulemeester silk top from the latter. For men I highly recommend checking out Darklands; a very dark and minimalistic boutique with excellent service (many thanks to Campbell!). They carry brands like Julius, the Viridi Anne, Damir Doma and my friend's label Obscur. If you're more into mid-priced fashion, COS and All Saints are excellent choices offering quality garments with affordable prices for both men and women. Personally I could have cleared the whole COS, every single piece was like made for my wardrobe.

However, if you want to visit the West side and are more of a commercial fashion lover, Kurfurstendamm (or simply KuDamm) shopping street will be something to see. My favorite place there didn't have actually anything to do with fashion, as it was the the food department of KaDeWe, one of the biggest department stores in Europe.

If arts and culture are more your thing, Berlin has a lot to offer: just follow the banana figures to spot out the best art galleries around the city. For those interested in magazines and periodicals, Do you read me? offers about the every publication you can imagine covering arts, fashion and interior design. For record hunters I would recommend checking out the Record Store (Brunnenstrasse 186) or Mr Dead and Mrs Free.

When you're caught by thirst or hunger whilst shopping, don't worry, cute coffee shops are almost around every corner and food is fairly cheap even in the fancier restaurants. If you want to try something local and moderately priced, order a chicken snitzel and a pint of Berliner pilsner for example at an athmospheric bar/restaurant called Adebar.

Due to the location of shops and nightlife, I recommend getting a hotel from the Eastern side of the town. Our hotel, hotel Leonardo was situated on the West side which was about 20 minutes away from the Alexanderplatz. The hotel was excellent and quite close to the Tegel airpot but next time we're definitely staying in the East, just to be closer to all the action.

Unfortunately we didn't have time nor energy to check out he famous club scene of Berlin but I think that it will be covered during our New Year's trip - more than it's actually necessary. Can't wait! Also, auf wiedersehen Berlin, mein Liebe!

Want to know more about Berlin?:

• Check out also Essi's guide (part 1, part 2, part 3) to Berlin (in Finnish)
• My shopping recommendations from Tyylitaivas (in Finnish)
• The indie guide to Berlin is also a great source for finding good stuff in the city (in English)