The Original Insider Tour Berlin

In terms of night life, Berlin is the city where you can find anything and everything. The club and bar scene is one of the largest and most progressive in Europe, but it's sometimes difficult to actually locate the right place since the city is so sprawling. We're here to help.

The main nightlife districts are in the east: Mitte (especially north of Hackescher Markt and tucked away behind Alexanderplatz), Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg (around Schlesisches Tor) and Prenzlauer Berg (around station Eberswalder Str.).

Berlin's scene boosts world-class DJs and live acts, but there are also many clubs playing swing, 60's beat, alternative rock and pop. Clubbing nights are Thursday, Friday and especially Saturday, though some clubs are open every day of the week. Parties start no earlier then midnight and peak around 3 or 4 am. The city is rightly famous for its long and decadent after-hours parties.

JAZZ CLUBS

Yorkschlösschen

Listen to blues, jazz, funk, or soul in this brilliant Kreuzberg haunt which has been serving locals for over 100 years. It is a favorite hangout for Berlin’s musicians and is generally an appealing melting pot of young and old, rich and poor. It also serves food and has a pleasant beer garden.

Yorckstrasse 15 / corner of Grossbeerenstrasse, Kreuzberg

Mehringdamm (U7) bus M19

http://www.yorckschloesschen.de/index.htm

b-flat

Close to Hackescher Markt, this cavernous bar has a pared-down cool interior designed to enhance the acoustics. You will hear generally mainstream jazz with vocals, but also blues, tango and swing.

Rosenthaler Str. 13, Mitte

Rosenthaler Platz (U8)

http://www.b-flat-berlin.de/index.php

IRISH PUBS

The Lir

A cosy well-stocked Irish bar offering a fireplace in winter and a beer garden in summer with friendly Irish staff.

Flensburger Straße 7, Tiergarten

Bellevue (S Bahn)

http://www.pub-berlin.com/en/home.html

The Oscar Wilde

This location housed a dance hall in the 20's and a nightclub from the 50's to 80's. Re-opening as one of the first Irish pubs in Mitte in 1991, its big-screen sports coverage, karaoke and live music has kept it a favorite for expats and visitors alike.

Friedrichstrasse 112a, Mitte

Oranienburger Tor (U6).

http://www.oscar-wilde-irish-pub.de/

Kilkenny

Nestled under the train lines and centrally located at Hackescher Markt, this cozy bar has a great atmosphere and is the perfect place to reenergize after a visit to Museum Island. Often hosting live bands and always playing the match, Kilkenny has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, meaning you'll be sure to find a table. Plus this home away from home has been voted “Guinness Irish Pub of the Year” three times now!

Am Zwirngraben 17-20, Mitte

S Bahnhof Hackescher Markt, Weinmeisterstrasse (U8)

http://www.kilkenny-pub.de/index.php

BARS

Café Cinema

This authentic little spot has a simple and charming appeal and you'll find the night slips away easily here. Buzzing with locals and tourists alike, Café Cinema boasts a great music selection and vast collection of photography and theater posters pasted on the wall. Expect nothing too fancy on the menu but rather plenty of draft and bottled beer, a few wines, pretzels, olives and cheese.

Rosenthaler Straße 39, Mitte

S Bahnhof Hackescher Markt, Weinmeisterstrasse (U8)

Wohnzimmer

The ‘living room’ is so named as its furnishings comprise threadbare divans and worn-in armchairs that look as if they came straight from the flats of the bohemian types who frequent this place. In keeping with the theme, the bar is made up of an assortment of kitchen cabinets. The candlelit gold-painted walls add to the charming den-like atmosphere. Enjoy a beer, cocktail or cappuccino along with some organic snacks and soak up the artsy atmosphere.

Lettestrasse 6, Prenzlauer Berg

Eberswalder Straße (U2)

http://www.wohnzimmer-bar.de/

Red Rooster

This is a great place for young travelers with its reasonably priced drinks, regular movie nights, DJs, live music, and open mic nights. The Odyssee Hostel next door ensures a boisterous crowd from all over the world. With beer on tap, cider and absinthe, the bar is sure to satisfy everyone's needs.

Grünberger Str. 23, Friedrichshain

Frankfurter Tor (U5)

http://www.redroosterbar.de/

CLUBS

Kaffee Burger

With a party sure to be going on every night of the week here, this bar and club is an institution. From karaoke, to live brass or folk and even a Russian disco, the scene is unpredictable in an adventurous way. A small dance floor tends to spill over into the rest of joint as the night goes on, but if you must you can always escape to the smokers' lounge out back.

Torstraße 58-60, Mitte

Rose-Luxemburg-Platz (U2)

http://www.kaffeeburger.de/

Junction Bar

This basement-level venue has live rock, jazz, alternative, metal, and funk... pretty much a different sound every night. Stick around for the after party where DJ’s spin soul, funk, R&B, hip hop and 90's.

Gneisenaustrasse 18, Kreuzberg.

Gneisenaustrasse (U7)

http://www.junction-bar.de/junction/index1.htm

Kit Kat Club

Although named after the club where Sally Bowles performed in Cabaret, this place has bypassed the naughty lyrics and gone straight to the sex – literally. Half the crowd are in fetish gear and the other half in nothing at all. Because it’s a straightforward affair, i.e. you will almost certainly get some, it’s not in the least bit seedy. Trance and techno is the standard.

Köpenicker Straße 76, Mitte

Heirich Heine Strasse (U8)

http://www.kitkatclub.org/Home/Club/Index.html

SO36

This old ballroom turned club is definitely an institution. Named after the district's former postal code, SO36 embodies the diversity and edge of Kreuzberg. An extremely open policy upheld by the doormen makes sure that everyone feels welcome, that is as long as you're not stepping on anyone else's toes, so to speak. Punk, metal, hip-hop, crossover, techno, and drum 'n' bass make up the bulk of the program. Weekly events also include public readings, neighborhood bingo, karaoke night, ballroom dancing in “Café Fatal”, and the oriental gay party “Gayhane”.

Oranienstrasse 190, Kreuzberg

Kottbusser Tor (U1/U8)

http://so36.de/

Watergate

A very cool club with its own record label and a discriminating door policy, Watergate offers brilliant views overlooking the River Spree. Here you'll find yourself dancing to music played by the very best of Berlin's electronic DJs, and you can enjoy a bit of variety as you go from one dance floor to the other.

Falckensteinstr. 49, (at the Oberbaum Bridge), Kreuzberg

Schlesisches Tor (U1/U15)

http://www.water-gate.de/

 

For an extensive and up-to-date list of nightlife by district, have a look at this great site in English.

http://www.exberliner.com/nightlife