Germany · The city that never closes
Berlin
Berlin has no closing time, no dress codes and no hurry. Its cocktail bars are among the best in Europe, its clubs are the world heritage of the night.
Berlin starts late. Walk into a bar at 10 pm and you are early; head for a club at 2 am and you arrive at peak time. The city has had no closing time since the nineties, and that shapes everything: bars close when the last guest leaves, clubs open on Friday and close on Monday.
Over the last fifteen years the bar culture has grown into one of the best in Europe. Between Mitte, Kreuzberg, Neukölln and Charlottenburg you find speakeasies with fourteen seats, classics under railway arches and bars that work with fermented ingredients without tasting like a lab.
Then there is the club culture: Berghain, Sisyphos, ://about blank, Kater Blau. Door policy here is not a myth but everyday life. Arrive relaxed, alone or as a pair, without your phone in your hand, and your chances are best. And if you stay outside, you still have the best bar night in Europe ahead of you.
The night profile
- Cocktail
- €14
- Beer
- €5
- Club entry
- €20
- Taxi at night
- €18
Anything but a suit. Black is never wrong, sneakers are standard, effort is punished at the door.
The night in Berlin
From the first hour to the last.
May to September for rooftops and open airs, October to March for the bars. New Year's Eve and the club weekends around public holidays are the fullest.
- 18:00Aperitivo
Sundowner on the Klunkerkranich as the sun sets over Neukölln.
- 21:00Cocktail
Buck and Breck, Velvet or Bar Zentral. Book where you can.
- 00:00Second bar
Bar Tausend with live music or a Kreuzberg pub to change gear.
- 02:00Club
Berghain, Sisyphos or Kater Blau. Now is the right time for the queue.
- 06:00Sunrise
Panorama Bar opens the blinds. Breakfast in the club or by the Landwehrkanal.
Mitte
Speakeasies behind doorbells, hotel bars and Bar Tausend under the railway.
Kreuzberg
Pub culture with cocktail ambitions around Oranienstraße and Görlitzer Bahnhof.
Neukölln
The city's most creative bars, Klunkerkranich on the parking deck, Weserstraße as bar mile.
Friedrichshain
Berghain, RAW grounds, Simon-Dach-Straße: loud, young, long.
Charlottenburg
The old West with Bar Zentral, Monkey Bar and classic elegance.
The addresses
11 bars in Berlin.
SpeakeasyBerlin · Mitte
Buck and Breck
Fourteen seats, one table, one doorbell
Cocktail barBerlin · Neukölln
Velvet Bar
Berlin's most creative bar
Cult barBerlin · Mitte
Bar Tausend
The steel door under the railway
Rooftop barBerlin · Charlottenburg
Monkey Bar
Tenth floor above the zoo
Rooftop barBerlin · Neukölln
Klunkerkranich
Sunset on the parking deck
ClubBerlin · Friedrichshain
Berghain / Panorama Bar
The most famous club in the world
ClubBerlin · Rummelsburg
Sisyphos
Festival without end
Cocktail barBerlin · Charlottenburg
Bar Zentral
Classics under the railway arch
Cocktail barbaresia memberBerlin · Mitte
100 GRAMM Bar & Lounge
Your living room at Rosenthaler Platz
Wine and aperitivo barbaresia memberBerlin · Mitte
100 GRAMM Vino
Natural wine and cocktails in the Circus Hotel
Cult barBerlin · Schöneberg
Green Door
The green door on Winterfeldtstraße
Good to know
Tips for Berlin.
- Bring cash: many bars and almost all clubs do not take cards.
- Friday and Saturday night is Berghain time from 2 am; on Sunday afternoon the queue is shorter and the mood better.
- Späti culture: a beer in front of the corner shop is a legitimate part of a Berlin evening.
- Night buses and the Ringbahn run through the night at weekends. Taxi apps work but get scarce around 5 am.
Frequently asked questions
How strict is the door policy in Berlin?
Strict, but not unfair. Small groups, a calm manner, no phones in hand and a genuine interest in the music help more than any outfit.
When do the bars open in Berlin?
Most cocktail bars from 7 or 8 pm, busy from 10 pm. Clubs open at midnight, peak time is between 2 and 6 am.
What does a cocktail cost in Berlin?
In the best bars between 13 and 16 euros, in pubs from 9 euros. Club entry is between 15 and 25 euros.
