Berlin
The great outdoors, indoors
Dussmann's self-styled 'culture store' is a Berlin treasure in more ways than one.
A fabulous bookshop arranged over multiple floors, it also stocks a wide range of music and movies and doesn't close until midnight on weekdays - trading hours almost unheard of in Berlin.
Throw in a much-frequented English language section and you're talking a seriously useful emporium.
But even if all this fails to entice, an impressive 'vertical garden' installed at the back of Dussmann's ground floor is well worth a visit.
The lush expanse of living plants is irrigated by trickling cascades, forming a soothing backdrop to a lovely cafe that certainly counts among Friedrichstrasse's hidden gems.
Books and gardens? It's a winning combination.
See also:
Secrets of Friedrichstrasse station
A garden wine festival
Dussmann bookshop: Friedrichstraße 90, 10117 Berlin
