Berlin has long been a favorite shopping destination for many residents of Russia and neighboring countries. And this is not surprising, because here you can find wonderful things at prices several times lower than in domestic stores. One of these favorite places is the Lafayette Gallery in Berlin. This is a peculiar corner of France in the very center of the German capital.
The building of the "Gallery"
In addition to interesting shopping in Berlin, Galeries Lafayette is also an architectural landmark of the city. This is a whole shopping complex of three buildings made in one style and located on an area of 9 thousand square meters. Buildings made of glass and concrete were created by the French architect Jean Nouvel, and the artist Patrick Blanc came up with the idea of decorating the facade with unique vertical gardens. Gigantic cones and cylinders made of glass, which create a unique feeling of a building floating in the air, also add a twist to the construction.
Concept
Galeries Lafayette is a French chain of large department stores scattered throughout France. But in the 90s, the leadership decided to enter the international market, and the first Gallery was opened in Berlin. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the opening of the country for everything new gave the company a great chance to make itself known. The success of the Berlin branch inspired the French, and today the Lafayette sign can be found not only in Europe.
Today the Lafayette Gallery in Berlin is the mouthpiece of the French lifestyle for residents and visitors of Germany. Many French brands are represented here, and in general the assortment, although international, is still more French. The Galleries respect the traditions of their homeland and celebrate French holidays such as Young Wine Day and Mother's Day. All of them are accompanied by interesting events and offers for customers.
Despite the fact that most of the brands on sale belong to the luxury category, there is also a mass market, which attracts representatives of the middle class. Despite your income, you can be sure that you will certainly be helped with a choice. This is achieved largely thanks to an international team of managers and consultants; representatives of 35 nationalities work in the Gallery.
Here you can buy everything: from accessories and clothing to electronics, home decor and products. But what to buy at the Galeries Lafayette is worth telling in more detail.
What can i buy
On the ground floor, the Lafayette Gallery in Berlin offers cosmetics and accessories: bags, glasses, scarves and scarves. The most famous brands are represented: “Burberry”, “Chanel”, “Michael Kors”, “Fendi”. Here is a large selection of perfumes, especially niche with nice prices.
Second floor - women's clothing. Here are well-known brands for wealthy customers, and quite affordable youth knitwear. But be prepared for the fact that there is not enough space here, and in some departments things are located quite randomly. On the male floor, the choice is not very large: mainly clothes, shoes and accessories offer a strong floor "Gallery Lafayette" in Berlin.
Reviews note that the choice of colors and models on sale is very conservative and attracts mainly older people. If you are a fan of fast-fashion and youth brands, then here you will not particularly like it.
The lower floor of the Gallery is a gastronomic paradise. Here you can buy French desserts and sweets, cheeses, oysters, snails and much more, and choose the best French wine in the wine cellar.
Shopping Secrets
As elsewhere in Europe, the best shopping in the Gallery Lafayette department store in Berlin is during sales days, then prices even for famous brands do not bite like that. The main sales of the year are the period after Christmas, namely January and February (or rather the start of the sale - the last Monday of January), as well as the summer months of July and August, when stores are in a hurry to free shelves for fresh collections of the new season.
If you do not speak German, use the words Sommerschlussverkauf, which translates as summer sale, and Winterschlussverkauf, that is, winter sale. And so as not to get lost among the departments, remember that the words that start on Damen denote women's clothing, Herrenkonfektion - clothing for men, and Kinderkonfektion - for children. Look for shoes in departments with Schuhe signs, Spielzeuge for toys, and Schmuck for jewelry.
The rest of the time the store attracts tourists, rather, as a tourist attraction. Here you can drink coffee or dine at one of the dozen local restaurants if you are not ready to shop. But be sure to visit the lower floor, try the local goodies and take a look at the dishes - this is a real work of art.
If you do not want to get on sale, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the events planned by the department store for the coming months. So you can get a special gift in the form of a discount on certain brands in the form of a gift set or a loyalty card.
Galeries Lafayette in Berlin: Address
Three buildings of the “Gallery” are located on the main shopping street of Friedrichstrasse 76/78, in German look for the inscription Friedrichstraße. You can come here by metro, if you go to the Französische Straße station, you will get directly to the main entrance.
For those arriving in Berlin for shopping, it’s useful to know that there are several direct buses from Tegel Airport. You should get off at the Unter den Linden / Friedrichstraße stop, it is very close to the Galeries Lafayette in Berlin.
Opening hours
The gallery is open every day except Sunday, without lunch, from 10 a.m. to 20 p.m. The department store is always happy with its visitors.