wombat's Top 4 Favourite Markets in Berlin

Spring has almost sprung in Berlin and what better way to celebrate the sun than to spend a hungover Sunday afternoon roaming around buying second hand goodies.  And let me tell you, there is no better way to cure a throbbing headache than walking back to the hostel with a freshly squeezed orange juice in one hand and a broken accordian in the other.

Berlin has quite a few markets on offer depending on what you’re in to.  This is a list of our favourites here at Wombat’s.

1) Mauerpark Flohmarkt (Sundays 8am -  6pm)

Located an easy 15-minute walk from wombat’s, "Mauerpark" (literally translating to "Wall Park" – it runs along one of the few remaining sections of the wall in the city) is easily one of the biggest and most famous flea markets in the city.  You can spend hours wandering through endless stalls selling all kinds of things from locally manufactured clothing to second hand watches to organic produce.

It can get pretty packed and busy though…so when the crowds are too much for you, grab a beer, have a lie down on the grass and listen to some of Berlin's most eccentric street musicians doing their thing.  If you’re lucky, you might even get the chance to see the "Bearpit Karaoke" in full swing.  If you’ve ever wanted to butcher your favourite pop song outdoors in front of 400 people, Mauerpark is the place for you.

2) Flohmarkt am Boxhagener Platz (Sundays 10am – 6pm)

Smack bang in the middle of hipster suburb "Friedrichshain" is the small but extremely popular flea market on Boxhagener Platz.  Join the 20-somethings on their way back from the club, parents with their children and some of Berlin’s most stylish residents trawling through a huge amount of second hand books, records, furniture, clothing and other knick-knacks.

3) Turkish Market at Maybachufer (Tuesdays and Fridays 11am – 6.30pm)

"Angebot, angebot, angebooooot!"  Every Tuesday and Friday, Kreuzberg's Maybach Canal comes alive with the sights and sounds of Turkish produce sellers offering visitors to the market the best deals on kilos of oranges/tomatoes/apples, etc. etc. etc. It is not for the faint hearted; there's usually a huge bustling swarm of tourists, locals and families bargaining with shop-owners.  Towards the end of the market though, one can relax with a crowd of other exhausted market-goers. Sitting along the banks of the canal eating Turkish breads and dips and listening to street musicians.

4) Flea market at Rathaus Schöneberg (Saturday & Sunday 8am – 4pm)

Held in front of the Town Hall in district "Schöneberg" (where John F Kennedy made his famous Ich bin ein Berliner speech) this flea market has more of a local character where Berliners come to buy and sell their bric-a-brac.  Sellers sit under tarps and sell all kinds of random things out of cardboard boxes.  If you have the time to trawl through all the rubbish, it can be totally worth it. But don’t forget…haggle!!