From long-established literary dens to newly minted feminist nooks, there's plenty of fodder for avid readers across town. Here's our guide to the best English bookstores in Berlin.
Saint George
With 30,000 mostly used books, including many contemporary American and British titles, packed into floor-to-ceiling shelves and little seating beyond a decaying Chesterfield, St. George's is the bookstore of a bookstore whose unfussy, old-fashioned British vibe is accentuated by charming owner Paul Gurner. It remains open, although you may have to queue before browsing.
- Wörther Straße 27, Prenzlauer Berg, Seg-Sex 11-20, Sáb 11-19
Shakespeare and children
Roman and Laurel Kratochvila have run Shakespeare and Sons on Warschauer Strasse since 2011.Cafeteria, a semi-international bookshop, its dual identity means this destination cannot fully open to English readers, curious browsers, eaters and writers during lockdown. However, the lavishly decorated bagels are still available for grab-and-go, along with delights from the French selection and translated Eastern European classics.
- Warschauer Strasse 74, Friedrichshain, aberto diariamente 8-19
another land
This chaotic paradise is both a business and a cult, established bymiss British expat and well-known Berlin personality Sophie Raphaeline. As well as a plethora of second-hand books – any of which can be returned for a minus €1.50 refund – they organize concerts, readings, quizzes and sweet €5.50 dinners outside lockdown.
- Riemannstr.7, Kreuzberg, Mon 12-19, Tue-Fri 11-20, Sat 12-18
the curious fox
Formerly in Neukölln, The Curious Fox has moved to a new location in Kreuzberg. Curious Fox has established itself as a local institution, known for its cozy quiz nights and "if you can spell it, we can ask it!" philosophy, which is why Berlin is delighted to welcome them back in a new way. . Browse the tiny shop's carefully curated children's corner, LGBTQ+ interests section and books by Berlin authors, or chat with friendly Irish owners (and former Other Country acolytes) Dave Gordon and Orla Baumgarten.
- Lausitzer Platz 17, Kreuzberg, Saturday 2pm-7pm, Ter-Sex 11am-7pm, Saturday 11am-6pm
Dussman
If you want to read books in a cozy but relatively anonymous environment, visit the brightly lit superstore Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus. A steady stream of customers, cozy corners in the two-story English section, and long opening hours make this the perfect place to hide out on a gray winter night.
- Friedrichstraße 90, Mitte, Seg-Sex 9-24, Sáb 9-23.30
Berlin love story
This friendly corner on Kastanienallee offers fiction, non-fiction, detective stories, cookbooks and books about Berlin in store, as well as 50,000 pre-order books for next-day pickup. There is also a sizable selection of books in English for adults and children of all ages.
- Kastanienallee 88, Prenzlauer Berg, Seg-Sex 8-20, Sáb 10-18
Hundt Hammer Stein
The cozy German-language book cellar on Alte Schönhauser Strasse offers an extensive collection in English, ranging from favorites translated from German to the latest award-winning fiction. For 16 years, this bibliophile basement has defied competition from the digital giants (a sign warns visitors that they are leaving the Amazon). In recent years, it has battled the relentless gentrification that has consumed nearly every other independent store on Fashionista Mitte's Alte Schönhauser Strasse — but Hundt Hammer Stein is catching on.
- Alte Schönhauser Str. 23-24, Mitte, Seg-Sáb 11-19
Marga Schoeller Book Room
Marga Schoeller's classic green façade has shaped Knesebeckstraße in Charlottenburg for over 90 years. He faced many adversities, from hiding banned books in the Nazi era to finding his way in post-war Soviet and later British-occupied territories. The company has always maintained a strong English language department.
- Knesebeckstraße 33, Charlottenburg, Mon-Wed 10-18, Thu+Fri 10-19, Sat 10-17
book sheet
Located on the brick viaduct under the S-Bahn tracks at Savignyplatz, the book arch has been home to all kinds of stories, memories and encounters for the past 30 years. In 1980, founder and owner Ruthild Spangenberg transformed two of the vaults of an auto repair shop into a bookshop and space for art, photography and architecture exhibitions. Nearly a third of the inventory is in English.
- City Rail Arch 593, Charlottenburg, Mon-Sat 11-19
Ozelot
First and foremost, Ocelot is an attractive space. Large, modern and designed by local designer Martina Zeyen, the beautiful oak paneled interior is hard to miss. In normal times, you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in great comics, comics and books about urban culture over a coffee. While the selection of English literature is small, it does cover a fair range from James Joyce to Haruki Murakami.
- Brunnenstrasse 181, Mitte, Seg-Sáb 10-20
Pro qm
A bright and shiny mecca for those who have time to browse, this central bookshop offers a thematic take on art and theory, design, architecture, politics and economic criticism – with plenty of tabletop gems in English. They also stock a selection of lifestyle magazines from around the world.
- Almstadtstraße 48, Mitte, Seg-Sáb 11-19
are you reading me?!
The elegant and spacious store on Auguststrasse offers a brilliant selection of contemporary international magazines, special interest magazines and books from over 20 countries with a focus on art, fashion, photography, design and architecture, as well as contemporary literature, music and culture.
- Auguststraße 28, Mitte, Mon-Sat 12-18
pequod books
A Multilingual Treasure: Pequod in Neukölln's Schillerkiez used books in English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, German, Polish, Danish and Norwegian, among others. The quiet, well-organized store has two rooms with over 12,000 books.
- Selchower Strasse 33, Neukölln, Seg-Sáb 13-19
Ivallan's Exceptional Used Books
On Schönleinsstrasse, Ilya Evdakov sells used books, mostly in English. Evdakov wants to reinvent the book-buying experience. Instead of organizing the volumes by genre or author, they organized their shelves by personalized themes, acting as your "literary matchmaker."
- Schönleinstraße 32, Kreuzberg, Tuesday to Saturday 12-20
Amarelinha's Reading Room
Tucked away in a backyard on Kurfürstenstrasse, the Hopscotch Reading Room is a place to explore non-Western and diasporic perspectives. The shelves are crammed with novels, poetry, theory and history of all kinds, but there is a clear emphasis on the anti-colonial struggle. Visit their website or subscribe to their newsletter to stay up to date on events, readings and book recommendations.
- Kurfürstenstrasse 14/House B, Schöneberg, Tue-Sat 13-19
she said
It's time to ditch the Jack Kerouac and ditch the Audre Lorde with a little help from She Said, the queer feminist bookshop and cafe that opened on Kottbusser Damm in late 2021. Founder Emilia Von Senger dedicates an entire store to the unsung lights of heroines the world, with 1300 works handpicked to educate and inspire. Visit this safe place for a good book, ethical tea and a break from heteropatriarchy.
- Kottbusser Damm 79, Neukölln, Fri-Sex 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm
modern graphics
Modern Graphics is a store almost as old as united Germany. Its origin story is based on the Wild West days of reunified Berlin in 1991. This cramped Kreuzberg store is a very special universe - cramped not for lack of space, but the sheer volume of geeky merchandise. The three adjoining rooms are filled with current issue comics, graphic novels, trinkets and various paraphernalia to fulfill your quest. Of course they carry a lot of comics in English and German.
- Oranienstrasse 22, Kreuzberg, Mon-Sat 11-19
a.p.
Right on Lindower Strasse, squeezed between a friendly backyard mosque and a cash-strapped local coffee shop, a.p. looks at the street behind its huge glass wall. From the outside, it looks more like a lounge of sorts (complete with a sofa and designer lamps) than your average commercial bookstore. Step inside and you'll find long, elegant decks of beautifully curated, beautiful tomes and intriguing art books — an unsurprising vision for a store that started in fall 2020 as a trading partner for a non-profit organization.Callies, the luxurious artists' home in the same building complex.
In addition to his artistic focus, a.p. offers themed areas such as "Cooking" or "Sex and Intimacy". Elsewhere, Didier Eribon's contemporary queer social self-fiction encounters German greats like Rilke. In addition to books mainly in English, there are poems in French and some in Italian and German. With its calendar of artistic events, book presentations, lectures and film screenings, a.p. sells itself as an island and sanctuary. Come worship!
- Lindowerstr. 20, Wedding, Tues-Sat 12-19
beautiful and sad
Lumpy the Poodle (named after Winnie the Pooh's Heffalump) welcomes guests to Wedding's oldest independent bookshop, Belle-et-Triste. The store - whose name is a pun on the French for "beautiful" and "sad" in German fiction - was opened in 1982 by Friederike Reinhold and Winfried Kellman. Forty years later, the same German couple are still looking for the handpicked books - alternative political literature and philosophical tomes, as well as classics and new releases in German and English.
The store now offers an impressive selection of young adult literature, which is a bit of social responsibility for Belle-et-Triste. According to Reinhold, children in Wedding don't always have access to books, so they've worked with local schools and even organized a toy campaign to attract tomorrow's readers. When you need a break from the noisy Mullerstrasse or the ultra-trendy expat spaces, this fictional little hideaway is the perfect retreat.
- Amsterdamstr. 27, Wedding, Mon-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 10am-2pm
In a book mood? Read ourcomplete guide to the Berlin International Literature Festival 2022.