Berlin Turkish Market: flavors, food, deals in oriental bazaar setting

I visited the Berlin Turkish Market for the first time when you bumped into the graffiti-covered Berlin Wall after walking its length, and the Kreuzberg area of town was one of the few where Turkish guest workers were allowed to live.

That was a few decades when it was at the border of then-divided city. The wall is now gone, Turks are a vibrant and (mostly) accepted part of the German culture, and the Turkish Market in Berlin remains – and is even livelier and most bustling than ever.

The Berlin Turkish Market on the Maybachufer is a combination of farmer’s market, street food festival, Oriental bazaar and flea market – all with a Mediterranean flair. German locals, Turkish families and tourists of all nationalities go shoulder to shoulder down the narrow market avenue between two rows of booths seeking out cultural character, great food finds, cheap seasonal produce, and all kinds of household and personal goods.

Go ready to eat to the Berlin Turkish Market

Go hungry, but be sure to check out the offerings at the market before dipping into your wallet – falafel sandwiches, marinated olives, grilled Halloumi cheese, fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, baskets of berries busting with flavor … YUM! Interestingly, prices vary from booth to booth, sometimes substantially. So consider walking the approximately quarter-mile length before deciding what to get or eat.

Fresh-made grocery items? Local honey and jams, jerky, fresh-baked breads, and other goodies. More YUM!

Need household goods? You can find bolts of fabrics of all colors and types, zippers, bands, tapes, scissors, pocket knives, buttons and bows. Shopping? Bracelets, wallets, purses, shoes, flip-flops, socks….

Berlin Turkish Market, a multicultural photogenic destination

The Berlin Turkish Market is candy for travel photographers and gives a new meaning to multicultural tourist destination. As of this writing, the market takes place Tuesdays and Fridays from about 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the banks of the Maybach canal bordering the neighborhoods of Kreuzberg and Neukölln. I say “about” because if a vendor is setup, the person will sell to you earlier too. Be forewarned that the market day may shift if it lands on a holiday, like Good Friday, so check online before you head over.

The Berlin Turkish Market’s website  is meager at best but it gives the basics – also in English, albeit a pretty funny version of English! The Turkish Market, although a tourist attraction, is sadly only listed on the German pages of the official Berlin tourist’s website!

Don’t let a language barrier stop you, though. Jump the underground or bus and get there, camera in hand, and tummy grumbling with plenty of shopping bags to fill.

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