Nightlife

Nightlife in Berlin is up there with the best of them and offers a varied pick of bars, clubs, theatres, music venues and events to keep you occupied after dark.

For clubs and bars you will be spoilt for choice with a huge range of possibilities. Mitte is a popular district for nightlife, especially techno, with a number of clubs located here after popping up in redeveloped buildings post 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down. Clubs such as Kunst Haus Tacheles along with techno clubs like Tresor, E-Werk, Kitkatclub, Ufo and Berghain can be found here along with WMF and Linientreu.  

Other popular clubs to look out for include:

1.      The Saga-Club - Has a variety of club nights.

2.      Kaffee Burger - head here for live music.

3.      40 Seconds - A trendy club aimed at 25 years and over, with a top view of Potsdamer Platz as well as a restaurant. Dress smart to fit in.

4.      90 Grad - A Stylish bar in the Mitte district where you could mingle with the likes of George Clooney and Heidi Klum who have been known to pop by.

5.      Bar 25 - A popular place for after parties and open in the afternoons.

6.      Icon - Basement club for drum and base with International DJ's.

7.      Junctions Bar - More of a club than a bar this venue has a basement venue with bands playing out a variety of sounds including jazz, blues, fusion and hip-hop. DJ's rock the dancefloor later.

8.      Oxymoron - A trendy café by day and a retro music venue and bar at night. Smart dress is best.

9.      SO36 - Great, friendly club atmosphere both for gay and straight party goers.  

10.  WMF - Popular club nights on Friday's and Saturday's. Specialises in Techno and House music.

If you don't fancy a club then give one (or more) of Berlin's bars a go. There are a number to choose from. The Berliner Prater is a well established watering hole dating back from 1852. Come in the summer to enjoy the beer garden, you won't regret it! If you like the idea of lazing in a beer garden (and lets face it, it would be rude not to indulge in this oh so popular German tradition!) then Golgatha is another beer garden offering beer, light snacks and outside music and merriment during the summer months.

Another top spot for outside drinking is the area covering the banks of the River Spree. Here you can find a number of beach bars as well as restaurants and outside areas to sit, eat, drink and watch the world go by. 

For a more ‘traditional' bar experience then head to Bloona, a cocktail bar with an interesting array of cocktails on offer. Or, try Delicious Doughnuts, a cosy bar with table football which is open late (or early depending how you view it!). There's also a small dancefloor if you do feel like a boogie later on.

For gay and lesbian venue's then you could do a lot worse than Berlin which is well known for its diverse nightlife and gay friendly venues. Since the end of World War II the area surrounding Nollendorfplatz has been a focal point for the city's gay and lesbian community and has maintained its vibrant nightlife and lively street festivals.  The Christopher Street Day (Central Europe's biggest gay and lesbian pride event) and Love Parade in the city's Tiergarten are two popular gay pride events enjoyed by thousands every year.

Gay bars which enjoy a great atmosphere include Motzstrasse, Fuggerstrasse, Oranienstrasse and Schönhauser Allee.

Nightlife in Berlin isn't all about clubs and bars however, there's also an impressive array of theatres showing concerts and other performances. Some convention and others more avant guard. Take the production ‘Soap' at the Chameleon theatre for example, music, dancing, bare flesh, water and bathtubs all combine to make an interesting and quite impressive show. Give it a go while it's still on. Other venues include Friedrichstadtpalast, home to more glitzy performances where loud costumes rule and the 2000 seats are rarely left empty. The Wintergarten is an outdoor theatre with a classy feel and a variety of performances on offer. For large concerts then Arena on the banks of the Spree is the place to go.

Classical music lovers are in for a treat in Berlin with the famed Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra based here. Conducted by our very own Sir Simon Rattle, who previously conducted the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, it isn't a cheap night out, but boy is it worth it! The Philharmonie is a perfect place to hear the orchestra play and promises a night to remember.

The Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler is another classical music venue and is used by the students at Berlin's music academy to showcase their talents. It's a top way to see great value orchestral works, choirs and bands and witness the future musical talent of Berlin.

 

Food, Drink and Shopping

Food and drink 

The Germans are known for their love of healthy, hearty food and meals are balanced and filling. Brown bread (Schwarzbrot) cheese and meat - ham, spicy sausages and salami - are a breakfast staple and also make a good snack any time of day. Muesli with milk and eggs on bread are also common choices for a German breakfast.  

Main meals focus on the three staples - meat, vegetables and potatoes - although the increasing influence from abroad means, pasta, pizza, curries, Turkish falafel and kebabs are also popular choices. Berlin is certainly a city with many international culinary offerings and probably one of a handful of European capitals where you can order a decent dish of pasta for just £2. Indian, Italian, Turkish, French, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and American restaurants scatter the capitals streets and many have outdoor areas in the summer to enjoy a bit of al fresco dining.

But if you really want to enjoy the local atmosphere and be a true Berliner then head to one of the many beer gardens (the one inside the Tiergarten is lovely) where you can order a German beer and munch on a pretzel while sat on one of the wooden benches that look out onto the lake (hiring boats is optional!). Prater Garten, Berlin's oldest beer garden is another top choice.

Local markets are one more good way to get to grips with the German fare. Here you can treat yourself to a freshly cooked German sausage with mustard as you browse the stalls offering fresh bread, fruit and vegetables, cheese, seafood and other tasty treats. Winterfeldplatz is a popular Saturday market you could try. As well as lots of yummy food you can browse the arts and crafts on a Saturday. Türkenmarkt is a further top market where you can find loads of great fresh food. Think olives, cheese and vegetables and then add some great value prices and you have a perfect way to shop for food. Molkenmarket is the city's oldest market square and has a dusting of historic sites surrounding it having survived the war. Busy with lots of traffic though...so perhaps not the place to quietly browse.

For a good meal in Berlin here are a few restaurants to try:

1. Hugo's - Top French Mediterranean food with great views from the 14th floor of the InterContinental to include the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column.

2. Chef's Choice - A true German indulgence - A sausage parlour open until 5am in the morning. Come, eat sausages, drink and be merry!

3. Buddha Haus - Great interior and tasty food, including many good vegetarian options. Also the possibility to eat outside in the summer.

4. Cantamaggio - Great little Italian with home cooked dishes - always busy - a good sign. Open until midnight.

5. Dada Falafel - Great little takaway offering sandwiches and falafel among other tasty treats.

6. Dolce Pizza - Great pizza - thin crust with tasty toppings.

7. Engelbecken - The place to come for Bavarian food and beer along with wooden tables and South German charm. Feast on veal sausage, chewy pretzels, dumplings and roast pork and good old apple strudel and custard for desert. Stays open until midnight.

8. Good Time - A Thai restaurant where you can enjoy satay chicken and coconut curries among the many delicious dishes on offer.

9. La Caleta - A great Spanish restaurant conjuring up favourites like Valencian paella. Add a good Rioja and you have the perfect meal!

10. Ousies - A Greek restaurant where you can indulge yourself on a selection of mezes (small, tapas sized portions).

Shopping 

Go shopping in Berlin and you'll be treated to a wide range of options from big stores to small boutiques selling a variety of products. For label lovers Friedrichstadtpassagen is the place to go. Here you'll find designer brands like Prada and Gucci as well as Quartiers, three shopping complexes which are joined by underground passageways.

Les Galeries Lafayette, the big French Department store is also found in this area (Quartier 207) and is home to a wide range of French products as well as its pretty impressive building, designed by Jean Nouvel. For more department stores then head to Kurfurstendamm or Tauentzienstrasse, you'll also get more designer boutiques if you haven't quite had your fill. Ku'damm is another area of trendy shops and the KaDeWe department store is a real must for any serious shopper!

Antiques hunters should go to Suarezstrasse in Charlottenburg or Keithstrasse and Goltzstrasse in Schöneberg. Alternatively, head to the Antik and Flohmarkt which is located below the railway at Friedrichstrasse station or the huge flea market on the Strasse des 17 Juni which you can find in the Tiergarten on Saturdays and Sundays.

Some shops to look out for include:

• The Art of Soap - A specialist soap shop where you'll find unusual combinations of ingredients making up some seriously tempting soap like goats milk and cinnamon and egg and avocado.

• Bagage - As the name suggests sells bags, but not just any old bags but those by international labels like Crumpler, Schlepp and Luma. An interesting choice of materials (recycled rubber, postal sacks and mattresses) make the bags sold here truly unique. 

• Berlin Story - For some good old fashioned souvenirs. Bears, T Shirts, maps, videos and books.

• Dussman - Huge book shop spanning three floors and with two floors of CD's and other bits and pieces.

• Erich Hamann Schokolade - Chocoholics will be in heaven in this chocolate factory which has a great reputation for its bitter chocolate and chocolate bark.