Gift

Planet Wein is the wine shop at Gendarmenmarkt: Sommelière Anja Schröder has been running the shop on Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße since 2005 and has over 500 wines on display, focusing on Riesling, German Pinot Noir, and Champagne. On Fridays, wine is served openly until 11 PM, and on Thursdays, themed evenings feature seven to ten wines.

Cookies, gingerbread, and chocolate directly from the manufacturer: The Bahlsen factory outlet in Tempelhof is Berlin's most popular destination for sweet tooths with a knack for bargains. If you're looking for Leibniz butter biscuits by the kilo or Pick-Up bars by the box, this is the place for you.

At Kieselbach on Steinstraße, the gift is a two-hour individual training session: 390 Euros for make-up or styling, 490 Euros for the Grey Blending training with a personalized plan for transitioning to grey hair. Vouchers are not available, so the appointment is booked directly, and payment is exclusively by card instead of cash.

v. Kloeden on Wielandstraße near Olivaer Platz has been a family business since 1967, combining a bookstore, toy shop, and its own publishing house under one roof. Children's books are also available in English, French, and Spanish, along with wooden toys, dolls, building blocks, and handicrafts from the Erzgebirge. Extensive advice is provided here.

Schöneberg reveals its most creative side: At Bonvivant Cocktail Bistro, the "Brunch and Art" format combines vegan Michelin-starred cuisine with a private action painting workshop, held every first Sunday of the month. Anyone looking to give something substantial for Valentine's Day will find an experience and a work of art all in one.

Sönneken is located at Lausitzer Platz in Kreuzberg, on a traffic-calmed street around a large playground and just around the corner from Markthalle Neun. Kirsten Opdenplatz has been running the little shop since 2006, selecting wooden toys, games, and books based on durability, pollutant-free production, and short supply chains.

Anyone looking for the region's strongest adrenaline rush won't find it in Berlin itself, but 30 minutes north at Fehrbellin Airfield in Brandenburg: Take Off Fallschirmsport is considered one of Germany's largest skydiving centers and has been sending brave souls into freefall for over 25 years.

At Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde in Lichtenberg, you can adopt almost any animal species. The money goes directly to the care of the animals, and the recipients receive a personal adoption certificate.

At Blumen-Koch Berlin on Westfaelische Strasse, Christian and Brise Koch and their team tie by hand only what they would put on their own table at home. A courier of their own carries the bouquets across Berlin the same day, and overnight they travel across Germany and into several European countries, while the collections change with the seasons.

colorblind patterns is a Berlin label from Wedding, working exclusively in black and white. Hand screen-printed bags, lampshades, and fabric posters with geometric patterns are created in the studio on Antwerpener Straße.

kisui Berlin is actually a bridal fashion label, which is precisely why the gift box here is special: lace from France, sewn in Berlin, and vegan. The larger box costs 155 Euros, the smaller one 135 Euros; both contain a Piccolo and are therefore only available to adults. Vouchers are available in increments starting from 20 Euros, digitally or printed.

Frieda Hain on Gärtnerstraße at Boxhagener Platz combines a fabric store and a children's store under one roof. Myriam Kliewer has been running the shop since 2009 and sews school cones, sleeping sheep, name pillows and grow-with-me trousers from fabrics the customers pick themselves. Toys and GOTS-certified clothing round it off.

Paper & Tea offers exquisite teas, accessories, and gift items. Only whole-leaf teas and high-quality herbal teas from sustainable cultivation are offered.

Miriam Eva and Rüdiger Kebe have been handcrafting over a hundred products in Lichterfelde since 2004, from organic Ras-el-Hanout to the seven-part spice salt series Meehr Salz. The manufactory, shop, and café are together on almost 300 square meters. For exotic spices and ingredients, this means: pure single ingredients instead of ready-made mixes.

Studio32 at Goltzstraße 32 in Schöneberg offers vegetarian and vegan cooking classes, cocktail workshops, and wine tastings. Cooking classes start from 119 Euros per person, and a second location on Kottbusser Damm in Kreuzberg will be added starting November 2024.

Wohlfarth Schokolade produces bean-to-bar chocolate in the Soldiner Kiez, and the shop is a glass manufactory where you can watch the conching process. Here you can give a playable chocolate record for 20 Euros or the Berlin Box for 18.50 Euros, plus vouchers from 5 to 150 Euros, which can only be redeemed on-site.

Anyone who loves Knoppers, Toffifee, and Werther's Original should visit the Storck factory outlet in Reinickendorf. Directly at the family company's Berlin production site, popular confectionery classics are available at attractive prices, supplemented by seasonal specialties.

Werken Spielen Schenken is located directly at the Schloßstraße subway station in Steglitz and fills over 2,500 square meters with around 200,000 articles. The toy department alone measures 1,300 square meters, the craft area over 1,200 on two floors. For children's birthdays, the store sets aside the child's desired items in a dedicated gift box.

The Yi-Spa at Monbijouplatz 3a combines Asian massage art with natural cosmetics made from coconut, yogurt, tamarind, honey, and papaya. Each treatment begins with a foot peeling bath and ends with tea and a small snack. Bathrobes and flip-flops are provided, and the underground car park is available to guests free of charge. Couples receive a double lounger.

Inanna Wellness in Berlin-Mitte, just a few steps from Gendarmenmarkt, stands for precise, non-invasive body and skin care at the highest level. For those looking to give a Valentine's Day gift that truly makes an impression, a treatment voucher here is the perfect choice.

At the claï studio ceramic atelier on Christinenstraße, Stefanie Opitz throws her own ceramics and teaches small groups on the potter's wheel. A one-day course costs 90 Euros, the four-part series costs 260 Euros, and vouchers are available for courses as well as for everything from her own collection. The atelier is located in a coach house in the backyard.

Anyone who believes real Berlin marzipan comes from Lübeck will be proven wrong in Britz. In the Neukölln district, Lemke's Lädchen is hidden away, the factory outlet of one of Germany's oldest confectionery producers, where marzipan, nougat, and nut purees go over the counter directly from the manufacturer at wholesale prices.

In Berlin-Mitte, not far from Unter den Linden, Doppel D has made a name for itself as a fitting studio and lingerie shop for large cup sizes. For bras and lingerie from D-cup upwards, it offers one of Berlin's most extensive selections, combined with personal advice that truly fits.

Opposite the Adlon, Curry Wolf grills the Berlin currywurst with or without skin, served with twice-fried chips and the house chilli sauce Opium. As a gift for men the sausage goes over the counter in a swing-top jar, alongside a currywurst gin of its own and vouchers for a Berlin menu for two people, redeemable at both stands.

A couple photoshoot as a Valentine's Day gift that truly fits: Photographer Helmut Biess in Friedenau photographs couples with a clear eye for intimacy, naturalness, and honest moments. No kitsch, no fuss, just 99 Euros for one hour and ten digital pictures.