Berlin by Night – City of 1000 Possibilities
EVENINGS & NIGHTS IN BERLIN
Cinema: There are the commercial cinemas and cinema chains like UCI, Cinestar, Cineplex etc., which you can also often find in shopping centers. For original titles or if you need subtitles, it’s best to go to Potsdamer Platz or Hackesche Höfe. There are also “alternative”, smaller and more individual cinemas that make it their business to play “low budget productions” or more individual, special films, including documentaries. You will find them in Prenzlauer Berg (Kulturbrauerei), Kreuzberg (Movimiento) or Friedrichshain (York). In summer, you must not miss the numerous romantic open-air or drive-in cinemas (there are in almost every district, see Internet).
Restaurants: Well known in Berlin are the excellent curry sausages and kebab stalls. Here you get for laughable money a really good snack that lasts a long time. If you like it more noble, you should try one of the two dark restaurants (invisible and Nocti Vagus). In “Borchardt”, “Grill Royal” or “White Trash Food” you can expect exclusive food and a high celebrity density. At the Gendarmenmarkt there are many expensive and excellent restaurants. Otherwise, Mexicans, Italians, Arabs and Thais are recommended. For typical German food and beer, it is best to choose the “Brauhaus Mitte” at Alexanderplatz.
Bars: You can actually find the best bar of your choice in Berlin if you wander through a neighborhood where there is a lot going on in the evening and just look around. Prenzlauer Berg, Friedrichshain or Mitte have a lot going on, but the west can also keep up with Kreuzkölln (that’s what they call the area on the Spree between Neukölln and Kreuzberg), Savignyplatz in Charlottenburg, Kreuzberg (Oranienstraße, Bergmannstr. and Mehringdamm!) and Schöneberg. Avoid the typical bars next to the sights at Alex, Potsdamer Platz or Hackescher Markt, here you will only get rid of way too much money! Most of the time “bar hopping” or “pub crawl” is the order of the day anyway, meaning several locations are visited in one evening. Drinks are cocktails, wine or beer. If it goes, one sits outside and observes beside pleasant discussions the city hustle and bustle.
Events: Berlin live concerts are great. Whether it’s listening to unknown musicians in a small bar or shaking it off with your favorite international stars in large halls, most acts make a special effort for their Berlin performance. You can get information and tickets for concerts on the Internet at eventim.de, in the city magazines (see Clubs section). An insider tip: Watch out for the band “Rotfront”. These Berlin ruffians got together in the infamous Russendisko and enchant with the best party music from Balkano beats with a Russian touch. They often play at “Kaffee Burger” or SO36. There are also always good concerts at the LIDO.
Furthermore, there is the Museum Night, where one ticket is valid for almost all museums, the Castle Night, the Long Night of the Sciences, where you can get an insight into the research of the institutes, the Club Night, special classical, tango, multicultural, reading weeks, etc…If you walk through Berlin with your eyes open, you will surely get stuck on one or the other event poster.
Clubs: Here, with the huge selection, what counts is what music you like best and whether you like it small and cozy or big and bustling. Generally, there are many electro parties, in the summer gladly outside as open air. Top, but well attended and with very hard door policy are Cookies in Friedrichstr. (Attention, only Tuesdays and Thursdays), Weekend at Alexanderplatz (13th floor of a skyscraper, both Mitte) and Berghain at Ostbahnhof (Friedrichshain). If you prefer different dance floors with different music, you should visit Kalkscheune (Mitte, also for Ü30 crowd), Spindler & Klatt (a bit classier) or Fritzclub (also at Ostbahnhof). If you have no idea at all, the Kulturbrauerei in Prenzlauer Berg will help. This large complex is home to more than five clubs with different target audiences and music genres. You can always find out what’s going on in the city magazines Prinz, 030 and Zitty (also available on the Internet). The entrance fees are between 5 and 15 euros, it can be celebrated from Mon to Sunday, clothing is always adapted to the music and the target audience of the club. Usually you should be around zero o’clock only d, because Berlin nights are long and go especially in the techno scene until around six or seven in the morning.
Erotic: In addition to escort services and brothels, there are numerous bars with pretty ladies, most of whom also dance (Spürbar and Butterfly in Prenzlauer Berg, Café Psst! in Charlottenburg). Another trend is swinger clubs, which are regular dance venues that feature dark rooms or playgrounds for partner swapping, gangbang parties or sex in front of others. There are themed parties on lacquer, leather and other fetishes, or they specialize in a certain style of music. Hot to recommend is the KitKat club in Mitte or the Insomnia in Tempelhof.