Watergate club, on the banks of the Spree
If it's the weekend and you're out clubbing in Berlin, you can leave your watch at home. Most places don't close until Monday and neither does public transport. It is also not necessary for the wallet to make you very bulky because the Berlin offer suits all pockets: from the free total of improvised raves to entry into clubs with luxury sessions that rarely exceed fifteen euros. Berlin offers alternatives for all tastes , but among musical genres there is an undisputed king: techno.
Berliners don't go out to “party”, yes, that too. But it is something else. Where to go out at night is a well thought out and documented decision. Berlin is a music festival in itself and as such it requires an exercise of discarding and betting among the more than overwhelming cultural offer of its clubs.
The technoviking , native species of the Berlin clubs:
Among so many options, the overwhelming programming of Berghain / Panorama Bar stands out systematically, the definitive club, the necessary club in the curriculum of artists and partygoer s who aspire to play in the first league of techno. However, showing off the highly prized seal has become little less than El Dorado for the hundreds of tourists for whom the already legendary goalkeeper Sven Marquardt and his team will not make it easy for them.
In Berlin there are no afters. After what?
Berghain's enigmatic admissions policy is as notorious as the debauchery allowed inside. The regulars say that everyone knows each other there and that it is in the small percentage of neophytes where luck is played . It is said in the Berlin gossip that to have her on your side you have to dress in dark. And be very quiet -and sober- in the queue. What to answer in German to the question “Wie viele seid ihr?” (How many are you?) When the time comes, it gives points and the magic answer will never be more than “drei” (three). As a tourist, your best bet is to arrive shortly after 11:59 p.m. opening time and stand in line, perhaps for hours. Is app was created to tell you if there is a queue or not but its reliability depends on the degree of collaboration of the attendees. In any case, we already told you that if Berghain is open, the answer to whether there is a queue is YES. In winter, the chances of entering increase purely for statistical reasons, since there are fewer people.
The Panorama Bar, on any given day:
Did they let you into Berghain? Congratulations. Don't say anything. Collaborate in preserving the halo of mystery. The red sticker that they will put on your mobile camera as soon as you pass will help you in the mission. You can take a picture of this one if you want and publicly brag about your success. Will the perpetual sticker on your mobile become the Berlin equivalent of leaving your FIB bracelet on until it falls off?
If you haven't been let in, you can go to sleep while you mourn listening to old sessions from the Panorama Bar. You can also try again on Sunday after breakfast, which is obviously much cooler for the seasoned Berliner. Or what the hell, life is short and you can explore Berlin and check that lavish Nachtleben is a long way from ending in Berghain's queue.
a fetish club
**Tresor could be a good option if you like hard techno**. Aesthetically it is perhaps the closest thing, since it is also located in an old power station. Very close to Tresor, there is the Kit Kat fetish club, only suitable for those who dare to dive deep into the collective night madness that this city offers. Not far away, right next to the Jannowitzbrucke S-Bahn station , there is the cozy and less touristy Golden Gate . It is somewhat hidden but you will know how to guide yourself by its nocturnal heartbeat.
without leaving Friedrichshain , you can try your luck at the spate of clubs that spread out along Revalerstrasse, from the Suicide Circus or Cassiopeia , largely responsible for the decadent identity around the S-Bahn Warschauer Strasse to Rosi's , a recommended summer option for its outdoor area full of sofas.
All these clubs are a stone's throw from the Simon-Dach-Straße , the backbone of the bar area in Friedrichshain, so it is possible to have a few beers beforehand at the more than affordable KPTN or start the pre-warming dance at the Süß war gestern . The possibilities in this neighborhood are endless.
The summer option
When the weather is nice, many Berliners skip the bars under cover of the liberal policy regarding drinking alcohol on the street. They then turn to Spati On duty, they take their beer and go to the nearest park or river to drink it . Späti is the abbreviation for Spätverkaufsstelle, the closest thing to our grocery and nut stores but in an extended version, since they are open twenty-four hours or until the wee hours of the morning.
The list of recommended clubs in Friedrichshain it reaches its eastern end, flanked by the Ostkreuz S-Bahn station. The first time in this station imposes for its desolation and lack of lighting. But a five-minute walk and you'll reach some of the best clubs in the city, including a few meters further on the unclassifiable Salon sur Wilden Renate , located in an old house that still retains some of its furniture.
Celebrate a wedding at the Renate? Why not.
In Ostkreuz you can also take the shuttles that take you to Sisyphos . Its remote location has not prevented it from succumbing to the overcrowding of tourists and the queues that form to enter already have little to envy to those of Berghain. Just like this one, Sisyphos is open from Friday night to Monday at noon at a stretch . If you want to go at night, better be early.
One of the clubs on Revalerstrasse
On the other side of the Oberbaumbrücke there is also life. On the banks of the Spree you will find Watergate, which not only usually has a more than decent schedule, but the views of the riverfront will leave you stunned. The Club der Visionäre is one of the musts of the summer, and although it is a popular option for daytime plans, this beach bar will satisfy your hunger for nightlife. Nearby is the always advisable Chalet, a fundamental pillar of the nightlife in the Kreuzberg neighbourhood.
You have already decided on a club and you have passed the stressful procedure of the goalkeeper. You're inside, and now at the bar, what do you want? The first thing you have to know is that there are usually no drinks included in the ticket price. The second thing is that the cocktail par excellence is vodka – mate. You will be served an invigorating mate-based drink in a half-liter bottle, a Club Mate. You will have to take a long drink, and the bottle is refilled with vodka. Be careful what you pay. You may be charged an extra called "pfand" of 0.5 to 2 euros that will be returned to you when you return the bottle or glass.
From this moment on, you will be able to see for yourself why Berlin has become one of the favorite destinations for revelers. So much so, that the residents are beginning to get fed up with a tourist crowding and distorting their clubs. Options further away from the usual party areas are having more and more success. This is the case, for example, of Griessmühle, in Neukolln , very close to the Sonnenallee S-Bahn station. Reinvents the space that was once a mill. Czar Hagestolz , in Marzahn (northeast of Berlin and a neighborhood generally unlikely to be a party option) is another tourist haven since it opened in August 2014. Rummels Bucht is only open in good weather. It is not far from the aforementioned Sisyphos but it is not as crowded and its outdoor parties are becoming more and more popular.
Wherever you go, happy weekend! Here is a typical experience of a tourist who gets out of hand:
In memory of Stattbad Wedding, great pool, best club. It was closed in 2015 following an anonymous complaint.
It only opens when the weather is good