The best flea markets in Berlin – for thrifting all day long

Berlin’s most famous flohmarkt and an utterly chill way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Quite ironic considering that the now-named ‘Mauerpark’ was once part of the Berlin Wall’s death strip. Today, the market is lined with stalls slinging second-hand clothes, bespoke jewellery, vintage lamps and kitschy beer steins each weekend. It is also home to an outdoor amphitheatre where incredible – and incredibly awful – karaoke sessions take place. Bring a handful of coins for the roaming spritz sellers and cross your fingers for those ear-wrenching renditions of 99 Luftballons. Need to recover from the performance? Grab a Pilsner and a sauce-doused paper plate of currywurst at Mauersegler.

What’s for sale? Expect piles of second-hand clothing, eighties-core homeware, handcrafted jewellery, boxes of old glasses, vinyl records, local independent artwork, custom trinkets, and a large selection of international street food.

Address: Mauerpark, Bernauer Straße 63, Prenzlauer Berg, 10337 / 10435, Berlin

Opening hours: Sundays, from 10am-6pm 

The tables in Arkonaplatz are curated by collectors. A few minutes’ walk from the far larger Mauerpark flohmarkt, this is where you go to find a carefully picked selection of authentic vintage goods and design classics, albeit at higher price points. It’s very relaxed, stocked with well-preserved pieces from past decades. A sprinkling of cafes lines the cobblestoned residential square, along with the Austrian restaurant Jaspers, with its spätzle and wiener schnitzel that are a must. It’s all part of the artsy-meets-boujee vibe this part of Berlin has perfected.

Whats for sale? Mid-century modern furniture, space-age lamps, GDR/DDR memorabilia, retro homewares, antique porcelain, old cameras, heavy typewriters, and laid-back eateries. 

Address: Arkonaplatz 1, Mitte 10435, Berlin

Opening hours: Sundays, from 10am-5pm

A dangerous half-minute exploring the stalls near the entrance of RAW Gelände’s is more than enough to get you sucked into its weekly market. It’s here that you'll find young Berliners emptying their wardrobes of rave-ready wraparound glasses, Nike shorts for a Sunday sesh, and see-through silk shirts (with only a hole or two!). Once you’ve finalised your new party outfit, check out the cultural spaces in and amongst the old factory buildings around you. Shout out to the pool at the African and Afro-Diasporic space Maaya, the biergarten at Cassiopeia club, and the New Media Art Centre.

What’s for sale? Second-hand clothing and clubwear, as well as handmade jewellery, local art prints, and international street food, all surrounded by over a dozen cultural spaces.

Address: Revaler Straße 99, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain

Opening hours: Sundays, from 8am-5pm. Closed the rest of the week

You won't find any mass-produced goods or cheap tat at this Maybachufer stalwart. The canalside ‘Nowkölln Flowmarkt’ on the Kreuzberg border, is exclusively a space for art, private second-hand treasures, and handmade goods. Even if you aren't buying, park your bicycle here and meander down the cobblestoned streets. Sample the treats, pause by the live music, then pull up a patch of grass, or swoop in for one of the contested tables in the sun at Ankerklause bar.

What’s for sale? Private second-hand treasures, local upcycled garments, original handcrafted art, small-batch independent designs, and street food that leans Turkish and Middle Eastern.

Address: Maybachufer 32-33, Neukölln, 12047, Berlin

Opening hours: From the end of March to October, every second Sunday, from 10am-5pm.

This market takes over Friedrichshain's favourite green square every Sunday. Treasure hunters will find vintage homewares, rare books, and vinyl records, with a far less curated, more rugged 'garage sale' feel that makes sifting through for bargains addictive. A bounty of stalls makes for a great vibe, but it also makes pauses from the crammed pathways an essential. Luckily, the whole square and adjoining streets are just as packed with cult food restaurants. Don’t miss the Vietnamese tapas at 1990 Vegan Living and the pistachio-dipped ice cream at Duo.

What’s for sale? Mid-century sideboards, retro home décor, the odd deck of Pokémon cards, stacks of old comics, vinyl, and piles of second-hand clothes.

Address: Boxhagener Platz, Friedrichshain, 10245 Berlin

Opening hours: Sundays, from 10am-6pm

The market that truly puts the ‘junk’ in junk sale. Operating directly under the tower where John F. Kennedy proclaimed ‘Ich bin ein Berliner,’ this is a market that would sneer at any attempt at a trendy aesthetic. Instead, it functions as a raw, unfiltered clearance ground for deceased estates, dusty attics, and deep keller (cellar) clear-outs. Not a place for casually strolling with a kaffee mit Eis: you’ll need both hands free to dig through haphazard piles of genuine bric-a-brac. Finding real treasures hidden among the chaos requires a sharp eye, making an early arrival essential.

What’s for sale? Cardboard boxes of kitchenware, glasses with the lenses missing, dusty painting frames, old Italian suits, endless piles of old photographs, raggedy teddy bears.

Address: John-F.-Kennedy-Platz, Schöneberg, 10825, Berlin

Opening hours: Saturdays and Sundays, from 8am-4pm. 

The granddaddy of Berlin flohmarkts. Running since 1973, this antique and art market is the city’s oldest… and perhaps the fanciest. Straddling the Charlottenburger Tor on Straße des 17. Juni, at the edge of Tiergarten park, it's split between professional high-end objects to the east and specialised local crafts to the west. Expect higher price tags here, but also top-notch items along this tree-lined street. Once you’ve had your fill of ‘window’ shopping (or found that rare item that took all your pocket money), plonk yourself down on one of the wooden benches for a hearty bratwurst im Brot.

What's for sale? Old farmhouse cupboards, fine porcelain sets, Turkish carpets, high-quality jewellery, retro paintings, hand-knitted apparel, carved wooden toys.

Address: Straße des 17. Juni 110 (directly at S-Bahnhof Tiergarten), Charlottenburg, 10623, Berlin

Opening hours: Saturdays and Sundays, In summer, from 9am-5pm; and in winter, from 9am-4pm.