World Travel Guide

Home -  City Guide  - Berlin  - Nightlife
Nightlife

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

For a first-time visitor, Mitte is probably the better bet, starting around the Hackesche Hofe 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, though, 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 disappearing forever the next.

Listings can be found in Zitty, Tip and Prinz magazines. There are also club listings on the internet (website: www.flyer.de/berlin/). Entry to bars is officially restricted to those 18 years and older. There is often a cover charge for discos, but given the city's relaxed attitude to style, most do not have dress codes.

Bars: For those looking to spend in a trendy atmosphere, the Bar am Lützowplatz, Lützowplatz 7, between the Tiergarten and U-Bahn Nollendorfplatz, offer high-priced cocktails. On the other side of Nollendorfplatz is Hafen, Motzstrasse 19, a popular gay bar. Other established bars are Wirtschaftwunder, Yorckstrasse 81, with 1950s decor and the small, crowded Zoulou Bar, Hauptstrasse 3, which always has an interesting mix of people. Bars line the scruffy streets of Oranienstrasse and Wiener Strasse in Kreuzberg, many doubling up as cafÉs during the day. CafÉ Bar Morena, at Wiener Strasse 60, is an institution. The nearby Wiener Blut is a good local and Madonna a bit rougher.

In East Berlin, there are too many things happening to list. Good places to start on Oranienburger Strasse (the geile Meile) are the funky new Bar Lounge 808, numbers 42-43, or Mitte Bar, number 46, which is popular as much with the arty local set as it is with students. In trendy Prenzlauer Berg the most buzzing bars are the hip hop temple H20, Kastanienalle 16, Prater, Kastienalle 7-9, with its beer garden, theatre and bar and Icon, Cantianstrasse 15.

Cabaret: The legacy of 1930s Berlin and Marlene Dietrich lives on. Over-the-top commercial cabaret is best seen at the FriedrichstadtPalast, Friedrichstrasse 107, with musical revues that combine glittering costumes with elements of dance and theatre into the floorshows at one of Europe's largest revue theatre. Wintergarten - Das VarietÉ, Potsdamer Strasse 96, offers dinner and variety shows. More off-beat shows can be found at independent venues in the area to the north of the Hackesche Hofe and in Prenzlauer Berg.

Casinos: Die Spielbank Berlin is part of the new Potsdamer Platz development and is located opposite the Grand Hyatt at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1 (tel: (030) 255 990; fax: (030) 2559 9109; e-mail: info@spielbank-berlin.de; website: www.spielbank-berlin.de). The DM10 entrance fee includes a DM10 gambling chip. There is also a casino on the 37th floor of the Forum Hotel at Alexanderplatz, open from 1500 to about 0300 or 0400. The entrance fee is DM5. For both, guests must bring identification (eg a passport) and jacket and tie are required.

Clubs: There are a number of tourist-orientated discos in the Ku'damm area, but better bets in West Berlin are Metropol, Nollendorfplatz 5, a large space that features disco and live rock bands on some nights, and 90°, Dennewitzstrasse 37, with a young crowd dancing to funky beats and house on the gay nights (Thursday and Saturday). SO36, Oranienstrasse 190, in Kreuzberg, has different moods and music styles depending on the night, as well as concerts. Pleasure Dome, Hasenheide 13, is a multi-level disco with seven bars.

There is an eclectic array of clubs in East Berlin. In Mitte the current hip place to be seen is the Sage-Club, Kopenicker Strasse 78, with its painfully trendy atmosphere and plenty of upfront house. In Prenzlauer Berg Knaack, Griefwalder Strasse 224, is a multi-level club with a wide variety of sounds, while Pfefferbank, Schonhauser Allee 176, is an intimate reggae/roots haunt. The halcyon days of out and out techno (the soundtrack for the fall of the Wall back in 1989) live on in Casino, Prenzlauer Allee.

Live music: In addition to the clubs that double up as live music venues mentioned above, Berlin has a variety of spots to see live bands. The jazz and blues scene is particularly happening; popular spots include A Trane Jazzclub, Bleibtreustrasse 1, and some nights at Flöz, Nassauische Strasse 37, and Quasimodo, Kantstrasse 12A.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
GENERAL
City Overview
City Statistics
Cost of Living
History
Language
Accommodation
 
GETTING THERE
Air
Road
Rail
 
GETTING AROUND
Getting Around
 
BUSINESS
Business
 
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing
Key Attractions
Further Distractions
Tours of the City
Excursions
 
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Sport
Shopping
Culture
Special Events
Food and Drink