Berlin Nightlife

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Sky Travel Producer, Jo Ellis, checks out Berlin's bustling night life and reveals a few of her favourite bars.

Sky Travel's roving producer, Jo Ellis, reports back on the nightlife in the 'Kapital of Kool', Berlin.

Berlin is a city like no other.

In the last century it was fragmented, bombed, divided, re-united and reconstructed. So much change and disturbance has left an edgy feeling city where you get a sense that nothing's set in stone. This sense of constant evolvement attracts the kind of people who want to live on the edge.

It's a trendy city for trendy people. And not in the main stream ‘listen to dance music and wear clothes from Top Shop' kind of way. I'm talking über cool. So cool in fact that many fashion brands test their designs in Berlin months or even years before releasing them to the rest of the world! They're that ahead of the game here!

All these trendy people need places to socialise after hours of course. Forget the brash and brassy pubs or bars you'd find crammed with inebriated townies in many British cities. In Berlin people in the know drink at sophisticated & quirky bars with dim lighting, fantastic cocktail menus and discreet (but very current) music.

In the know in Berlin

Berlin's not a pretty city, and a tour of its best bars is by no means a tour of its nicest areas. Rather you'll need to search places out. They'll be hidden within high rise housing blocks, or behind anonymous building facades, or within industrial sites.

They get going late as well; this is a city where the most fashionable don't even go out until gone midnight! In fact many start partying early on a Sunday morning and continue into the next day (daylight doesn't necessarily mean the end of the night in Berlin!)

East and West do offer a slightly different nightlife, largely due to the fact that until 1989 they were completely divided. So if you want to experience a more upmarket style of fashionable bar head west. And if you're a bit edgier and more urban you're definitely best off heading east.

Wherever you go one pleasant surprise will be the low cost of a night out in Berlin. Especially if you're used to the extortionate prices of our own capital city's nightlife. With so many students and a very young population Berlin's bar prices are relatively low, particularly if you stick to beer rather than cocktails!

→ Next Page: Jo's picks of her favourite Berlin bars.

A Few Favourites

Solar

You'll think you've come to the wrong place when you get dropped at Solar (in fact our taxi driver drove up and down a good few times and phoned a friend before he dropped us off!). From the outside Solar is a dreary tower block straight out of the Cold War days. The only give away that something interesting might lurk within is the bright red glowing lift that scales the outside of the building. And sure enough once the doorman's let you in, and you've passed the jellyfish light installation, you'll be whisked up 15 floors to a slick restaurant and bar with sensational views of the city. It's very dark in here in the evening, but that only showcases the view all the better. And for such a fashionable kind of place it's a pleasant surprise that a beer will only set you back around 3 euros!

CSA

Head east down Karl Marx Allee and you'll find this small but perfectly formed bar. It used to be the booking office of Czechoslovakia's national airline - hence the name and the Soviet-era interiors. It's been bought bang up to date though, with a minimalist feel, muted colours and some of the best cocktails you'll find in Berlin.

AM & PM

Slightly more mainstream, but we've chosen this bar because it's in the lovely Hackescher Markt area. This is a great early evening spot, and with plenty of restaurants in the area and a smattering of trendy shops too, it‘s the perfect place to end an afternoon of shopping, before you return to your hotel to prepare for a long night! The outdoor seating area in particular is comfortable and relaxing, with big hanging chairs and lots of cushions.

Reingold

Reingold is a long and seductive bar with the kind of atmosphere you get in your local rather than a trendy city bar. The gold interiors, friendly staff and soft seating create such a cosy feeling that you'll forget you're meant to be being ‘cool'. Until you notice the very latest sounds coming from one of the resident DJs and remember that you're in Berlin where people are cool without trying!

With low cost daily flights from London with Air Berlin it's never been easier to get to Berlin. Head to our city break section to book your weekend away.

Sponsored by Air Berlin & Berlin Tourism

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