Berlin nightlife guide: how going out in Berlin works

Berlin clubs open late and run long. Before midnight there is little going on almost anywhere; it gets full between 1 and 3 am, and many places do not close until 6 to 10 in the morning. Some techno clubs run from Saturday night straight through to Monday morning. Whoever queues at 11 pm usually queues alone – unless the guest list is only valid until midnight, in which case that is exactly the right time.

Bars fill the time before. A typical Berlin night starts in a bar and ends when the trains run again – or, in Berlin, while the trains are still running.

Berlin door policy is notorious but not random: the door wants people who come for the music and will not disturb the night. What helps: arriving in small groups, arriving sober, knowing who is playing, not being loud and not looking like a tourist. What does not help: arguing. A no is a no, and the next door is ten minutes away.

Many clubs ban photography – a sticker goes over your camera at the entrance. They mean it: take photos inside and you are out. ID is mandatory; more on that under clubs in Berlin 18+.

Guest lists are the Berlin hack tourists rarely know: at many parties they get you in cheaper or without the regular queue. How it works is in the guest list guide.

Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg are the centre – along the Spree and around Warschauer Straße you find the big techno and house clubs, plus open-airs in summer. Neukölln is smaller and more bar-heavy: pubs, basement clubs, parties you will not find without Instagram. Mitte is more mixed and commercial; many hip-hop and R&B nights run here. In the west, is quieter, with bars and a few classics.