In New York it’s the mini Statue of Liberty, in Paris it’s a plastic Eiffel Tower, but what about in Berlin? Well, it has its fair share of tacky tourist trinkets (think beer steins and fake bits of the Berlin Wall – the real thing is protected, so don’t try chipping off your own memento), but you’ll also find city-specific keepsakes that are a cut above your average souvenir.

The TV tower (Fernsehturm) at Alexanderplatz can be seen from almost anywhere in Berlin and is an often featured city symbol on T-shirts, mugs and fridge magnets. At Aus Berlin, which isn’t strictly speaking a souvenir store (but only stocks goods made by Berlin local designers), you’ll find quirky interpretations of the Fernsehturm on T-shirts, bags, coffee mugs, watches and lamps.

Many visitors leave Berlin with an Ampelmann, the green-for-go and red-for-halt traffic light men in the former East districts. Maybe it’s their squat physiques and their endearing pork-pie hats, but there’s definitely something about these figures that is instantly likeable. The Ampelmann store in Mitte is dedicated solely to these popular symbols of the former GDR, which are featured on the usual suspects (T-shirts, jackets, beanies and coffee mugs) as well as in quirkier forms, such as cookie cutters and even Gummibear candies.

If you want something a little more authentic and unique, the oddly named Intershop 2000 has a range of everyday products from the former GDR. Its contents are as unglamorous as its shed-like housing but the excitement here is knowing that all of the stuff crammed onto the shelves is from a country that no longer exists: old beer bottles, tinned sauerkraut, ice skates that could have been worn by East German winter Olympians, and crockery sets from the former GDR rail service. It is not stylish but it’s original and fun.

If you want something cheap and cheerful, Ararat has fabulous hologram postcards of Berlin, including pre and post-war pictures of Potsdamer Platz, and 3D postcards of the cityscape.