Berlin Post #4: Outdoor Markets

Snapshot of the Mauerpark flea market

Again resisting the urge to write about something food-related (this time only partially), I come to you today with a bit about outdoor markets in Berlin. They come in all shapes and sizes – located in parks, along canals, and inside decrepit buildings; selling food, clothing, furniture, knick-knacks and art; consisting of a handful or hundreds of stalls; run by hippies, yuppies or Turkish immigrants. In this posting, I describe just two of my favorite outdoor markets in Berlin.

Flohmarkt am Mauerpark (Flea market in Mauerpark)
Address: Bernauer Straße 63-64, Mitte

Hours of Operation: Sun 7 am – 5pm

U-Bahn (Metro) Station: Bernauer Strasse

This is by far my favorite flea market in Berlin, and when I lived just a couple blocks away in the summer of 2008, I could be found there every Sunday afternoon, walking off brunch with a browse thru the many (think hundreds) of stalls selling second-hand furniture, antique dishware, photos of Berlin, Checkpoint Charlie-style hats, vegetarian organic snacks, hand-made soap, rusty but charming jewelry, old-school records, and other random gadgets. Whether or not you are the kind of person to whom any of this sounds appealing, you should visit the Mauerpark flea market for the top-quality people-watching, assuming getting a look at the gentrified side of Berlin is what you’re after (not to be underrated, as it now makes up a good portion of the city). As with all outdoor markets, the Mauerpark flea market is best experienced during the summer, when you can feel comfortable taking a sunny stroll thru the grassy area of the park after your tour of the market to check out the significant chunks of the Berlin Wall still located there.

Türkischer Markt am Maybachufer
Address: Maybachufer, Neukölln

Hours of Operation: Tue and Fri 11am – 6.30 p.m.
U-Bahn (Metro) Station: Schönleinstrasse

This market is totally different from the flea market in Mauerpark in that it sells only food and caters to those on a mission for produce rather than those looking to take a relaxed Sunday jaunt. The Turkish market in Maybachufer (the street that runs along the canal in Kreuzkölln, right on the border between hip Neukölln and über-hip Kreuzberg) features Turkish vendors selling fruit, vegetables, spices, meat, fish, baked goods, cheese, olives and spices on both sides of the street for nearly a half mile. Be prepared when you go there to be pushed around and yelled at in German, English and Turkish. The prices are ridiculously low for what you get, but what you get is not of the greatest quality, to be honest. Nevertheless, I would recommend going with a canvas shopping bag or two because you will inevitably be lured into buying something, whether it be a giant piece of goat’s cheese in brine, a cantaloupe-sized pomegranate or some curiously pungent peppermint.

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