Last updated on 06/19/2026
Some days just go wrong, but Berlin has the right antidote ready on many corners. At the Bonbonmacherei Kolbe & Stecher in Mitte, sweets are made just as they were a hundred years ago, at the Cafe Keese in Charlottenburg people dance seven days a week, and at the Prime Time Theater in Wedding, the only theatre sitcom in the world gives your laughing muscles a real workout. Anyone with a sweet tooth can try unusual flavours like Baumkuchen or elderflower buttermilk at the Eisteufelchen in Tiergarten, and at the Zaubertheater Jedlin in Charlottenburg the artists have been enchanting their audience for over 25 years. Here, good mood is a matter of minutes. Which of these places lifts you out of a low the fastest?
Ellen Mehrhoff-Roddewig
When the day starts off badly, I know exactly where I need to go. A scoop of Baumkuchen ice cream at the Eisteufelchen, a round of laughter at the Prime Time Theater, or a few dance steps at the Cafe Keese, and the bad mood is already forgotten. For me, this list is something like an emergency pharmacy for grey Berlin days.
Illuminati Escape Room Berlin is located in a factory courtyard on Abbestraße in Charlottenburg, opposite the Berlin University of the Arts. Four rooms tell a shared story about a secret society, played for 60 minutes in groups of 2 to 9 people.
Farbrausch 3D Adventure Minigolf on Jägerstraße in Berlin-Mitte features 19 blacklight courses, where neon paintings appear three-dimensional through 3D glasses. A round takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes, and a ticket costs 15 Euros on weekdays.
In the Heckmann-Höfe on Oranienburger Straße, Katja Kolbe and Hjalmar Stecher cook candies in a copper kettle using old recipes. Through the glass show kitchen, one can watch how woodruff leaves and raspberry drops are made.
The Kochbox Cooking School is located in the S-Bahn arches on Dircksenstraße, just a few steps from Alexanderplatz. TV chefs Dirk Müller and Heiko Schulz offer cooking classes and organize team events for groups of 12 to 120 people here.
Café Keese on Bismarckstrasse in Charlottenburg has been a dance hall since 1966, featuring table telephones, around 400 seats, and an 80-square-meter dance floor. Tuesdays offer Disco Fox with a free taster course, and Sundays feature dance tea with bingo.
Since 2004, the Prime Time Theater on Müllerstraße in Wedding has been staging the theater sitcom 'Good Wedding, Bad Wedding,' now with over 140 episodes. The auditorium seats 230, and drinks and snacks from the café are allowed inside.
The Squash House on Vulkanstraße in Lichtenberg has nine squash courts, three badminton courts, four bowling lanes, and a sauna. 45 minutes of squash cost 10 Euros per person in the morning, and 14 Euros in the evening and on weekends.
Eisteufelchen is located in a railway arch on Flensburger Straße, directly at Bellevue S-Bahn station. The ice cream is made on-site, alongside classics, there are flavors like Baumkuchen or Basil, a scoop costs 2.10 Euros.
Mewis Dojo martial arts school, located in a commercial courtyard on Franklinstraße in Charlottenburg, offers kickboxing, self-defense, Capoeira, and Yoga. It is led by André Mewis, a multiple world champion, with training in small groups starting from age 4.
The Chinese House in Sanssouci Park in Potsdam is a gilded pavilion built between 1755 and 1764, surrounded by life-sized figures of musicians and tea drinkers. From May to October, the interior with its ceiling painting and porcelain collection is open.
