Galeries Lafayette

The most famous of Paris’ Grand Magasin, Galeries Lafayette, built itself a Berlin outpost in the mid-90s when the city underwent a post-reunification construction boom. Aptly located on the corner of Französische Straße (French street) it brings a sense of Parisian chic to central Berlin. With its smooth glass exterior, designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, it’s a lot more modern than its French counterpart. Fashion-wise it caters across the board, with sophisticated labels such as Ferragamo and Agnes B. for genteel Charlottenburg mums, while French rock-chic from Sandro and The Kooples caters for a younger crowd. As to be expected, their food halls are excellent, if a little less spectacular than at KaDeWe, with a fine butchers selling Charolais beef and capons from Burgundy plus a traiteur (delicatessen) with all sorts of prepared salads, terrines and pâtés to take away.