Berlin City Guide - Nightlife

Berlin is one of Europe's most effervescent party cities. The old divides are still there when it comes to nightlife and the Western centre, somewhat ironically, lags behind the real action in the resurgent East. Berlin today is a byword for alternative culture and within the city pretty much anything goes. Punk and various forms of anarchy are struggling to survive among the style bars and yuppie haunts in Kreuzberg but the avant-garde cultural scene and accompanying drinking culture has moved on to Mitte, Prenzlauer Berg and increasingly to Friedrichshain. Likewise, the city's gay scene is divided between staid Schöneberg, Kreuzberg and edgier Prenzlauer Berg.

For a first-time visitor, Mitte is probably the better bet, starting around the Hackesche Höfe and working up Oranienburger Strasse to the numerous bars that first greeted the Western hordes after the Wall fell. Tacheles, at the end of the street, is worth a visit for the spirit of culture and anarchy it once implied. For the real experience of Berlin, however, it has to be Prenzlauer Berg (Prenzl'berg for short). Some of the more established places are reasonably easy to find, but the real fun starts with the wild bars and impromptu clubs that seem to spring up from nowhere one week and disappearing forever the next.

Entry to bars is officially restricted to those 18 years and older. The city has a relaxed attitude to style and most bars do not have dress codes and there are no fixed closing times.

Listings can be found in Zitty (website: www.zitty.de), Tip (website: www.berlinonline.de/tip) and Prinz (website: www.prinz.de) magazines. There are also club listings in the free magazine 030 (website: www.berlin030.de) and in the main English language paper ExBerliner (website: www.exberliner.com).

Bars: For those looking to spend their money in a trendy atmosphere, the Bar am Lützowplatz, Lützowplatz 7, between the Tiergarten and U-Bahn Nollendorfplatz, offers high-priced cocktails. On the other side of Nollendorfplatz is Hafen, Motzstrasse 19, a popular gay bar. Other popular bars are Universum Lounge, K'damm 153 , which has a retro 1970s feel, with NASA pictures of the moon landings and a good line in martinis; trendy Green Door, Winterfeldstr 50, which has a cool line in cocktails; and the small, crowded Zoulou Bar, Hauptstrasse 4, which always has an interesting mix of people. You can also try the unusual N N Train Cocktail Bar, Hauptstrasse 159, a converted railway carriage out in Schöneberg.

Bars line the scruffy streets of Oranienstrasse and Wiener Strasse in Kreuzberg, many doubling up as cafes during the day. Café Bar Morena, Wiener Strasse 60, is an institution. The nearby Wiener Blut, Wiener Strasse 13, is a good local, while Madonna, Wiener Strasse 22, is a bit rougher.

In East Berlin, there are too many things happening to list them all here. Good places to start on Oranienburger Strasse (the geile Meile) are the funky 808, Oranienburger Strasse 42-43, Reingold, Novalisstrasse 11, for cocktails and jazz, or Ambulance Barr, Oranienburger Strasse 27, which doubles as a club. In trendy Prenzlauer Berg, the most buzzing bars are the hip-hop temple, H20, Kastanienalle 16, and Prater, Kastienalle 7-9, with its beer garden, theatre and bar. You can also try the unnamed bar here, on Veteranenstrasse, identified only by a wine bottle drawn outside, and open at night to a young crowd. Hard to find, is the Tabou Tiki Room, Maybachufer 39 nearest U-Bahn Schonleinstrassse, which has a Polynesian theme and is filled with carvings. It is noted for its rum cocktails.

The most unusual bar in the city is the Nocti Vagus, Saarbruecker Strasse 36-38 , which serves food and drink in complete darkness. It often stages events such as music evenings, plays and scent experiences. A similar venue, but with more focus on the food, is Dunkel-Restaurant, Gormannstrasse 14 , which has blind waiters and a choice of six menus.

Cabaret: The legacy of 1930s Berlin and Marlene Dietrich lives on. Over-the-top commercial cabaret is best seen at the Friedrichstadtpalast, Friedrichstrasse 107 (website: www.friedrichstadtpalast.de), with musical revues that combine glittering costumes with elements of dance and theatre into the floorshows at one of Europe's largest revue theatres. Wintergarten - Das Varieté, Potsdamer Strasse 96 (website: www.wintergarten-variete.de), offers dinner and variety shows. Classic German cabaret artists can be found at Die Wuhlmause, Pommernallee 2-4 (website: www.wuehlmaeuse.de). More off-beat shows can be found at independent venues in the area to the north of the Hackesche Höfe and in Prenzlauer Berg.

Clubs: There are a number of tourist-orientated discos in the Ku'damm area but a better bet in West Berlin is 90 Grad, Dennewitzstrasse 37 (website: www.90grad.com), with a young crowd dancing to funky beats and house on the gay nights (Thursday and Saturday). SO36, Oranienstrasse 190 (website: www.so36.de), in Kreuzberg, is a key gay venue and has different moods and music styles, depending on the night. It also hosts concerts.

There is an eclectic array of clubs in East Berlin. In Mitte, one of the current hip places to see and be seen is the Sage-Club, Köpenicker Strasse 78 (website: www.sage-club.de), with its painfully trendy atmosphere and plenty of up-front house music. There is also the ϋber-trendy Maria am Ostbahnhof, Stralauer Platz 34/35 (website: www.clubmaria.de), which features house music. For techno music head to Berghain, Am Wriezener Bahnhof (website: www.berghain.de), a sharp warehouse style club which attracts an energetic crowd out in Friedrichschain. In Prenzlauer Berg, Knaack Club, Greifswalder Strasse 224 (website: www.knaack-berlin.de), is a multilevel club with a wide variety of sounds and concerts early in the week, while Havanna, Haupstrasse 30 (website: www.havanna-berlin.de), offers salsa, merengue and funk. A varied programme of R&B, house and disco nights take place at Matrix, Warschauer Platz 18 (website: www.matrix-berlin.de). For superb views over the city and an ultra-hip vibe, there is Week12End club, Alexanderplatz (website: www.week-end-berlin.de), located on the 12th floor of an office block and open Thursday to Saturday.

Comedy: The Quatsch Comedy Club can be found on Friedrichstrasse 107 (website: www.quatsch-comedy-club.de). Stand-up comics are sometimes joined by double acts.

Live Music: In addition to the clubs that double up as live music venues mentioned above, Berlin has a variety of spots in which to catch live bands. The jazz and blues scene is particularly happening (website: www.berlinjazz.de) and popular spots include A Trane Jazzclub, Bleibtreustrasse 1 (website: www.a-trane.de), and B-Flat, Rosenthaler Strasse 13 (website: www.b-flat-berlin.de), as well as some nights at Oxident, Frankfurter Allee 53 (website: www.oxident.de), and Quasimodo, Kantstrasse 12A (website: www.quasimodo.de). Major rock concerts take place at Columbiahalle, Columbiadamm 13-21 (website: www.columbiahalle.de), and occasionally at large sporting venues like the Velodrom, Paul-Heyse-Strasse 26, Prenzlauer Berg (website: www.velodrom.de), and Max-Schmeling-Halle, Am Falkplatz, Prenzlauer Berg (website: www.max-schmeling-halle.de). Open-air concerts are held at the Waldbühne, Am Glockenturm, near the Olympic Stadium (website: www.waldbuehne.com).