- Berlin
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Germany
Germany’s capital Berlin is, for me, one of the best cities on the continent. Berlin is exciting and packed full of history; the best way that I’ve found of getting the most of it is the walking tour and pub crawl run by the New Berlin Guide. The tour starts mid morning and lasts for four hours, it covers a comprehensive range of Berlin's history not just the recent world wars - although this naturally dose get a big share of the time. The tour is done almost chronologically and starts by discussing the Prussian empire and the founding of Germany, after passing through the Brandenburg gate it discusses the beginnings of the European unrest that led to World War Two at the base of the Reichstag, it moves through several key sites and finishes on museum island to discuss the falling of the wall and the origin of the term “Big Lebowski”. At the end of the tour the friendly and knowledgeable guide will inform you of the pub crawl taking place that evening and, should you want to indulge in the debauchery, they will give you a stamp which will entitle you to a reduction (the walking tour is free but the pub crawl does charge a nominal fee). The pub crawl manages to avoid a lot of the shortcomings I’ve found on other such ventures: you aren’t herded around, the organisers don’t feel it necessary to shout every instruction and you don’t have to wear a “look I’m a tourist” T-shirt (although the fact that you are a tourist is not, I shouldn’t imagine, difficult to notice). The “crawl” itself goes to very peculiar bars and doesn’t stick to the generic pubs and clubs that you’d expect. A highlight is the Beach bar – a load of shacks selling beer behind a squat house come art studio. At another bar we were told to show our stamps because they were Serbians on the door and “they don’t take any shit.” After this we jumped on a tram and headed out to a club where the night was finished and we were left to our own devices. Not for kids and not for grownups Berlin, and the New Berlin experience, is for inquisitive young people looking for a good time – I liked it so much I went back two years after my first visit to do it all again!
Great little cellar bar in Oranienburger Strasse. Go down the steps and be greeted by the bowler-hatted Ian Dury-esque owner/designer of this DIY retro establishment. Homemade artworks and paraphenalia adorn the brick walls, candles drip wax over their holders, smoke-filled ambience and Rolling Stones grooves. Relax on a big-armed sofa and discuss the Tachelles art collective (just along the road) over a Berliner Weisse green or red. A real taste of creative, underground Berlin.
Oranienburger Str. 40
10117 Berlin
Google map: bit.ly/gf10hf
For those into something a little alternative (dub, indie, electronica etc), numerous small clubs around the Warschauer Strasse metro stop such as Cassiopeia and Rosis Bar are highly recommended. Relatively inexpensive with a great crowd and good music.
Zitty is a weekly (I think) listings guide that I discovered talking to some locals. Pick up a copy as soon as you arrive in Berlin to make sure you don't miss the best acts whilst you're out there.
Try any newsagent, or see www.zitty.de (German language website)
They're in the same building. Panorama Bar is open on Fridays and Saturdays and Berghain is only open on Saturdays and occasional Thursdays.
They’re like no other clubs in the world. They open at midnight, don't get going until 5am, and close at around 2pm on Saturday/8pm on Sunday.
Pano is friendly, social and quite mixed gay/straight, Berghain is mostly gay and much more hardcore; there's a kind of 'heaven and hell' split.
The regular DJs are always good and there’s usually a star on the roster (recent ones include Miss Kittin, Erol Alkan, Andy Weatherall). Dress code is clubby. The bouncers won't let you in if they don't like the look of you. Entry is 8€ Friday/10€ Saturday, and worth it.
Behind Ostbahnhof. Every taxi driver in Berlin only has to hear the words 'Panorama Bar' to zip off in the right direction.
This is an Ultra-exclusive/fun club that serves great pan-Asian cuisine all night long. It is tricky to find, since it rests in the back of an abandoned warehouse, but with its five-star service and food, not to mention a romantic view of the Spree, it is not to be missed. Expect to be treated like a rock-star.
köpenickerstrasse 16-17
10997 berlin keruzberg
www.spindlerklatt.com
reservation: +49 0 30.695 66 775
In the old east part of town, this is a large old, somewhat derelict and entertaining art workshop. It has a lively bar, with huge garden and installations.
It is on Oraniensburgerstrasse, opposite the bar Obst und Gemuse (literally fruit and veg!)
A nightclub/alternative art gallery/run-down building. It has a silly number of bars, sofas on the roof, films projected onto the opposite building and old cars to sit and drink in. Popular with laid-back locals & travellers.
oranienburger strasse
Easily the coolest club in Berlin, the Sage Club is in a disused area of Heinrich-Heine-Straße underground station in East Berlin. It attracts a mostly local crowd of young, beautiful and trendy people. Each night is a different style of music: rock/alternative on thursdays; R'n'B/funk/soul on fridays; and house/electro on saturdays.
With two indoor rooms and an outdoor chillout area - complete with a VIP pool - it's hard to imagine a more spectacular venue. A great way to see a side of Berlin that 99 per cent of visitors miss.
Köpenicker Straße 76
U-Bahn: Heinrich-Heine-Straße
Unlike London Underground most lines on the U-bahn run all night. We were out in Kreuzburg and had to get back to Rosenthaler Platz at 2.30am - think Elephant and Castle to Kings Cross. We went to the U-bahn at Mariennstrasse and found that trains were still running. We were able to get our connection OK too. Having said that, it's probably worth checking a timetable as some lines do stop at about 1am.
Is this your business?Search Been there
