Even though we didn’t expect too much of it, we were very pleasantly surprised by the Mauerpark Flohmarkt, the flea market at Mauerpark (Wall Park) on Sunday. If you’re going to visit Berlin, this is definitely something to put on your to do list. The park next to the market area was the big attraction for us. It had a festival vibe, with live performances, people sitting around with food and drinks and graffiti artists spray painting the walls.
Since the market attracts a lot of tourists as well as local Berliners, don’t expect to score a lot of bargains at the Mauerpark Flohmarkt. You can find awesome, unique products there though. There are some private sellers who sell second-hand stuff, but mostly they’re small businesses with fantastic handmade stuff. There’s also a big section with second-hand kitchenware which we didn’t check, so you might find some good deals there. One of the sellers was a Dutch guy selling ‘drop’ (licorice), which we thought was funny. He actually said they now have 9 stores in Berlin. I thought nobody but us Dutchies liked our kind of licorice, but it turns out I was wrong.
No early birds at Mauerpark Flohmarkt
In Holland markets usually start around 9 (even earlier at King’s Day) and you really have to be the first to get there to find good deals. In Germany, or at least at this particular flea market in Berlin, it doesn’t work that way. When we got to the park at 10 o’clock some sellers were still unpacking and it was very quiet. It wasn’t until lunchtime that it got more busy and by 1PM it was really crowded. We talked to one of the food vendors however and he said it wasn’t a very busy day, on a good Sunday the market has up to 10.000 visitors.
Nice food court at Mauerpark flea market
A lot of people came to the market around lunch time. There was a food court, with lots of options from all corners of the world. Korean marinated beef, Mexican burrito’s, German bratwurst, Turkish pizza’s, French crepes and Brussels waffles, to name a few. There were also some vegetarian and vegan choices. And of course, lots of different drinks, from homemade lemonade and juices to various kinds of beer. It amazed us but apparently, Germans can drink beer any time of the day, even very early in the morning…
Festival vibe in Mauerpark
The Mauerpark flea market was nice, but mostly for looking, not buying. There were a few bargains to be had, but most things were quite expensive. It was great for some new ideas though. The real attraction for us was not the market, but the park next to it. When we first arrived it was still quiet, but before long it was filled with people. Lots of live performances attracted quite a crowd and there were people sitting everywhere chatting with friends while enjoying a beer or a picnic. It had a great festival like vibe. Of course, it made a big difference that the weather was great. We actually tried to find a place to sit in the shade with Jace because of the heat.
Mauerpark flea market with kids
As with any crowded market, it’s not really the easiest place to visit kids. We brought our stroller, which was fine when it wasn’t very busy yet. If you go later in the day a carrier might be more convenient, but we saw many other people with strollers and didn’t have any issues. Our little one really enjoyed the positive vibe. In the park he could run around and play. And he had fun watching the performers, even did a bit of dancing himself. He loved trying the different foods (especially the bratwurst, haha) and the graffiti artists were quite an attraction too.Actually we really recommend visiting Berlin with kids. Did you know there’s now even a Legoland in Berlin? How cool is that?!
Mauerpark Karaoke
We read later that around 15:00 they’re doing karaoke at the amphitheatre in the park. Apparently the Mauerpark karaoke is quite famous and it’s supposed to draw a big crowd so we were sorry we missed it (although… lots of horrible karaoke in Asia so maybe it was for the best).
Mauerkpark Flohmarkt: Where & when
Location: Mauerpark (Penzlauer Berg) / Bernauer Strasse 63
How to get there: bus 247 or tram M10 to Wolliner Strasse
When: Every Sunday from 9:00 – 16:00
Website: flohmarktimmauerpark.de
If you’re wondering what to do in Berlin with kids or without, on a sunny Sunday we definitely recommend a visit to the Mauerpark Flohmarkt.
I really enjoyed the market as well. It really is a mix between retro, new, second hand, but all good quality so that’s really nice!