Night Owls

The Berghain is located in a district heating plant from 1953, which the operators bought themselves in 2010. There are 18 meters of air above the dance floor, the sound is provided by four Funktion-One towers, and upstairs in the Panorama Bar, house plays instead of techno. Among Berlin's techno clubs, this one has the toughest door, as cameras are taped over and there are no mirrors.

High above City West, on the 10th floor of the listed Bikini House, the Monkey Bar reigns supreme with a panoramic view that is second to none: the Memorial Church, Berlin Zoo, and Kurfürstendamm lie at your feet. A rooftop bar that shows Charlottenburg at its best.

Right on the Spree in Treptow, Berlin dances as long as the sun shines. ELSE is the seasonal open-air counterpart of Salon zur Wilden Renate, offering house and techno on wooden floorboards with a view of the water.

High above Kreuzberg, on Stresemannstraße near Anhalter Bahnhof, the Solar Sky-lounge & Restaurant is enthroned on the 16th and 17th floors of a high-rise building. Those who enter the glass external elevator land 70 meters above the Berlin skyline, trading street level for a 270-degree panoramic view over the entire capital.

Where Bar 25 once wrote Berlin club history, today the Kater Club stands on the Spree riverbank in Friedrichshain: an open-air club that has made the long weekend from Friday to Monday its principle.

The Vettern Bar in Neukölln's Reuterkiez combines raw exposed concrete with vintage flea market furniture. Here, Berlin's student scene gathers in an atmosphere that tastes of the provisional and creativity.

Located on the site of a former dog biscuit factory in Rummelsburg, Sisyphos celebrates non-stop from Friday to Monday, combining techno and house with a labyrinthine outdoor area full of sand, a pond, and art installations.

Charlottenburg has many faces, but this one is the spiciest: Bier's Kudamm 195 has been serving currywurst with homemade sauce directly on Kurfürstendamm since 1965, where strollers pass by during the day and night owls stop in at night, preferably with a glass of champagne in hand.

High above the rooftops of Kreuzberg, Solar Restaurant sits on the 16th and 17th floors of Stresemannstraße, offering a 270-degree panorama over Tiergarten, the Victory Column, and the Berlin skyline. Diners here enjoy modern cuisine with a sharing concept and one of the most spectacular views Berlin has to offer.

Berlin Mitte's Bar Tausend is first and foremost hip since you cannot see that it's a bar from the outside.

High above the rooftops of Neukölln, the Klunkerkranich reigns: a cultural rooftop garden atop the Neukölln Arcaden parking garage, combining concerts, club nights, and sunset vibes with a panoramic view. Singles in Berlin looking for a place where meeting people still feels like a chance encounter will find themselves right at home here.

Grosse Freiheit 114 in Friedrichshain has been an integral part of Berlin's LGBTIQ* scene since 2005 and is the only bar in Friedrichshain to offer a darkroom. With the motto "Queer & Friends," it creates an open safer space that welcomes queer people of all genders.

Located at Rosenthaler Platz in Berlin-Mitte, there's a cocktail bar that's more concept than pub: The Sharlie Cheen Bar bears the name of a fictional playboy and serves drinks whose menu is designed like his diary. Craftsmanship and precision in every glass are paramount here.

The About Blank at Ostkreuz is owned by a cooperative where ten people make decisions by consensus, everyone earns the same, and fees are capped. It features two floors, a garden stage, and three bars; photography is not allowed. Among Berlin's techno clubs, it's the most political, and it's located on the A100 motorway route.

The 8MM Bar on Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg has been Berlin's most famous DIY music bar for Post-Punk, Darkwave, and Garage Rock since 2002. Small, dark, raw, and yet legendary: Whoever enters here lands right in the city's underground scene.

Since 2007, Maxxim Club Berlin has been a staple for Black Music parties in West Berlin. Here, night owls regularly gather for exclusive Hip-Hop and Old School Black Music events.

Tresor opened in 1991 in the vault of the Wertheim department store and has been operating since 2007 in the disused power plant on Köpenicker Straße, complete with built-in original lockers. A thirty-meter tunnel leads into the Vault, while House music plays in the Globus. Of all techno clubs in Berlin, this one has the longest Detroit connection.

On two floors on Rudolfstraße, there are 18 pool tables, three snooker tables, five dartboards, and three poker tables, separated into smoking and non-smoking areas. Billing is per minute per table, regardless of how many people are playing. Indoor sports in the rain are possible here without a closing time; the house never closes.

Two skulls flank the entrance to the Last Cathedral, a dimly-lit flight of stairs takes you underground...