POSI+TIVE continues his collaboration with the blog “She Thought Outside The Box“, that is a project run by two Silvias, Cabra and Conde. We are this “she”, the ones who think outside the box and the ones who want to share these ideas with the world. We write about nice cafés, unusual shops, special people specially from Berlin and Barcelona, but also punctually from London, Lisbon or Madrid.
You can read about the previous post about bookshops in Berlin here
Berlin is a city full of contrasts, a place that can’t stop surprising you. Everyday, as you wander around the streets, you easily find something new that catches your eye.
One of the things that really attracted our attention during our first days here was the amount of markets that the city has. From food to authentic vintage clothes or just some old stuff that Berliners want to get rid of, here you can find things you would never imagine.
As far as we know, the markets can be classified according these types. The most popular are the Flohmarkt and the Trödelmarkts (the flea markets). Nevertheless, there are famous food markets too, the Künts und Trödel Markts (antique markets), and the Weihnachtsmarkts (only in Christmas time). In this post, we are going to talk about some of our most-liked flea markets: Flohmarkt am Mauerpark, Trödelmarkt Arkonaplatz, Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz and Hallentrödelmarkt Treptow.
Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (Sundays from 8 to 18h)
Mauerpark could be considered the king of the Berlin flea markets. Its dimensions and number of stands makes it the most popular among the Berliners and the tourists too. Be warned so, that it is always very crowded.
It is located in the nice neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg. It is said to be one of the eastern districts with the fastest rejuvenation after the reunification. A lot of artists, creatives and intellectuals went to live there. Even thought Berliners claim that it has lost its edge, it is a good idea to check out the cute bars, cafes and shops of the area.
If you really want to have an insight of what is Mauerpark, you should devote the whole Sunday to it. You can find everything needed to spend the entire day. The amount of stands is amazing, it is almost impossible to take a look at all of them. What is more, each of them sell different things, from vintage clothes and little designers’ collections, to second-hand furniture, vinyls, old cameras, bikes, leather bags and many more non classifiable items.
Whenever you feel hungry, you can choose from a wide range of different food, such us Wursts (German sausages), Turkish specialities, Vegan food, Burgers, Waffles… And if it is sunny, we truly suggest you to chill in a deck chair of the fake beach and listen to some live music. Then, if you are tired of haggling and you want to have fun, you can go to the big open-air Karaoke. It is full of young people singing without any embarrassment.
Trödelmarkt Arkonaplatz (Sundays from 10 to 16h)
Situated also in Prenzlauer Berg, this flea market differs a lot from Mauerpark. It is installed in the small square of Arkonaplatz. So its little proportions makes it really homelike and warm. Moreover, the stallholders are most of them families selling their kids’ old clothes and toys. Even though, you can also find other second-hand items and antiques as well as home made food.
In this familiar atmosphere, you will rarely find tourists. The market it’s more popular amongst the Berliners of the neighbourhood. As its visit doesn’t require much time, we recommend you to combine it with Mauerpark.
Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz (Sundays from 10 to 18h)
The Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz is a truly familiar market with a very homely atmosphere. It is located in Friedrichshain area, a quite pleasant part of the city from old East Berlin. Nowadays this is a young and dynamic zone which seems to be full of life. There is plenty of restaurants and cafes, tiny charming shops and some second hand stores.
The Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz is a truly familiar market with a very homely atmosphere. It is located in Friedrichshain area, a quite pleasant part of the city from old East Berlin. Nowadays this is a young and dynamic zone which seems to be full of life. There is plenty of restaurants and cafes, tiny charming shops and some second hand stores.
You can quickly get to the market from Warshauer Strasse station. Incredible may it seem, it is possible that if you go at 11 on the morning you will find some people that are still partying or something. That actually happened to us!
Just as the one in Mauerpark, the market takes place every Sunday, that is you will consequently find it less crowded. However there is an amount of people too, so it is better to go early to find the best bargains. Despite being a small flea market, here you can find many things, from second hand books to vintage clothes, antiques and furniture. And all of them come from proper Berliners that sell their own stuff. You can find hand-made objects such as t-shirts too. Normally there is no food, because a food market takes place there on Saturdays since 1905. Anyway, you can simply eat something in one of the restaurants located in the same square. Hamburgers are mouthwatering!
On the whole, we can say it is a perfect market for enjoying a sunny Sunday in a undisturbed market.
Hallentrödelmarkt Treptow (Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 16h)
You will find this market in Treptow, East Berlin too. This area is located next to Neukölln and under Friedrichshain. At first sight, it seems to be a very nice and peaceful neighbourhood which is well-known because of its large park.
Apparently, this flea market is in doors, that is the stallholders do not need to pack their stuff every time. And maybe because of that the place is so full of stuff. We were under the impression that it is an old building that has been filled up with cheap goods and dust during the years. However, as you walk through the place, you realise that you can still find something valuable.
To everyone’s surprise, you can find hundreds of remote controls, cables, old VHS players and even vintage telephones. There are many different home accessories too. At the same time you can buy the typical flea markets’ stuff, like second-hand furniture and vintage clothes, specially boots, fur coats and leather jackets.
To sum up, we highly recommend this market to people who are in need of something particular or those who want to find unusual vintage stuff.
Personally speaking, these are just the ones that you shouldn’t miss. As might be expected, there are more Flohmarkts in Berlin. Some of them are temporary or take place just once in a while. We guess that there are still more which are unknown and waiting to be discovered.
And this is Berlin, a quite unknown city which is worth exploring.
