As far as nightlife in Europe goes, Berlin’s got the title of best clubbing city firmly in the bag. Since the 90’s, Berlin’s dance floor action has reached near-mythical status; the clubber culture having become both a lifestyle and a religion.
This is a city where the nightlife is intense. Techno still rules the house, though there are plenty of other beats like hip hop, dancehall and dubstep. From edgy clubs with recycled venues (two of the biggest hot spots are ensconced in abandoned power stations and two more in old swimming pools) and outdoor performances under summer skies, the following are the best nightclubs in Berlin.
But a word of warning before you make a 7pm start on the Jägermeister: pace yourself. With no official closing time for clubs and bars, the party often doesn’t peak until the wee hours and continues through mid-morning or beyond. Clubs tend to fill up around 2am and parties here last all night, with few places turfing people out before 9am.
If you’re ready to party and want to travel with this information offline, download our free guide from Pearlshare straight to your phone. Click here.
Make sure you keep a business card from the hotel you’re staying at with you at all times (click here for a guide on where to stay in Berlin).
After you’ve been drinking you may forget where you’re staying, but it’s very easy to hand a business card to a Berlin taxi and get home safe at the end of the night.
The Best Nightclubs in Berlin
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Prince Charles
Prinzenstraße 85f, 10969 Berlin
Prince Charles is a stylish mix of club and bar, built into an old factory swimming pool. They’ve aimed to create a pool like atmosphere, with concrete flooring, and bench seating around the bar which is cleverly placed within the sunken pool.
There’s electro, techno and house on the turntable every weekend, and it’s a great place to grab a couple of cocktails in a casual setting before it becomes a raging dance club. The club often plays host to cultural events, so it’s always worth checking out their website to see what’s going on.
Berghain & Panorama Bar
Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin
Known as the church of techno, Berghain is a hardcore party chamber in a converted power station. Massive, mythical and sometimes monstrously hard to get into, it is one of the most famous clubs in the world, and “comes close to the no-holds-barred European clubbing that American film producers dream of”.
There are two different clubs inside. International superstar DJs helm the decks of Berghain, while house dominates the upper Panorama Bar. It’s the perfect place to have a drink, calm down and then go back to Berghain where beats continue right through to Monday morning.
The best clubbing times are Sunday morning and Sunday night, though the door policy has a reputation for being difficult and random. Your best bet for getting in is to be discrete as you can in the queue.
Clarchen’s Ballhaus
Auguststraße 24, 10117 Berlin
This is a legendary Berlin dance hall which celebrated its 100th anniversary in late 2013. “Today, the patina of yesteryear still hangs over the tinsel-decorated, high-ceilinged ballroom that draws dance-happy hipsters aged 20 to 80 with different sounds nightly.”
There’s no techno or electro, though you will find everything else – salsa to tango, swing to waltz, cha cha to disco. Fridays and Saturdays are the nights to go, when a live band strikes up after 11pm. Sturdy wooden tables circle the dance floor, and dancers can stop for a bite of pizza or great German food.
Watergate
Falckensteinstraße 49, 10997 Berlin
Watergate is one of the city’s most popular clubs. With DJ’s from top international labels every weekend, it’s a hotspot among electronic music lovers, and has a head-spinning LED ceiling installation on the main floor.
It’s not a big club, but the hype is that it’s beautiful. Located beneath the beautiful Oberbaumbrueke Bridge on the River Spree, there are floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows which overlook the river, and the outside terrace is a highly scenic spot to take a party pause.
Tresor
Köpenicker Str. 70, 10179 Berlin
Another club in an abandoned power station, Tresor is one of the largest and most respected clubs in Berlin, and one of one of the legendary early clubs in the city. It’s history goes back to 1988, and “the sheer size of the building impresses and its derelict nature makes it reminiscent of a horror movie set.”
There are three separate but connected floors, all with never-ending pounding music; techno, industrial, and acid.
Sisyphos
Hauptstraße 15, 10317 Berlin
Sisyphos is not like any other club in Berlin. In fact, it’s not just a club. It’s a festival, a club, a beach, a bar, it’s a magical village with many diverse ways of having fun!
Half of Berlin spends their summer here, and there are memorable parties every two weeks. There’s a huge outside area where you can chill out, an abandoned bus (you can sit in it or no top), a small lake surrounded by sand, a pizza place and a labyrinth of dance floors. The ‘Hammerhalle’ is one of the biggest dance floors in Berlin and will blow your ears off with their amazing sound system.
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Photo credits: Berghain doors by Juska Wendland. Watergate by Oh-Berlin.com.
22 Comments
Awesome post, just in time because I’m heading to Berlin soon, and I would love to explore some of those night clubs and experience the Berlin nightlife.
Have a wonderful time in Berlin! Glad we could catch you before your trip :) Party hard!
We are planning a trip to Europe this summer and Germany & Berlin is on the list. Thanks for sharing this awesome list. Will come handy.
Have a wonderful trip to Europe Nisha :) And enjoy the nightlife in Berlin!
This is so cool and brings back so many personal memories. I spent 4 years in Germany and was addicted to Trance and Techno which still was the most popular genre of music. I visited some clubs in Berlin back then, but don’t remember, but this list is really cool. Prince Charles sounds like a perfect place for a night out, very chic and quirky and exciting. Watergate too looks perfect with its setting by the water. Although I’m getting old but I think I still have it in me now to make it to a few clubs. Cheers
4 years in Germany sounds epic Ticker! I can totally understand the addiction to trance and techno while there – it’s like a religion!
I’m the same – I used to love hitting clubs throughout Europe, though now am getting a little bit older and don’t know exactly how I used to go so hard! Still enjoy chic and quirky clubs though, and Berlin has these in spades :)
I’m saving this because I am heading to Berlin next month and think a night out clubbing might be in order. I cant wait to head back to that incredible city
Have a blast in Berlin! If you want to travel with our recommendations offline, be sure to download our pearlshare guide to your phone :) Link above – it’s free :)
We spent a few days in Berlin earlier this winter, but we didn’t make it to any clubs. We will definitely have to put some of these spots on our list for our next visit! I think Watergate would be really great to visit–sounds like a really cool spot!
Watergate is one of the most beautiful clubs in the city, highly recommend stopping there on your way back through Berlin :) Happy travels! Glad to hear you enjoyed your first trip :)
This is a fabulous list Meg; just the kind of guide I’d download and save. I’m hoping to get to Berlin later this year. Out of curiosity, what’s the benefit of posting a guide on Pearlshare?
Thanks Christina! You can absolutely download and save through the Pearlshare app … which is why we post our guides there.
We enjoy using Pearlshare because you can build and share local travel guides really easily, personalize them with quick comments, photos and tips, and then share with friends. Its very quick and straightforward and one of the better guide sharing platforms I’ve found.
And then of course you can download each guide straight to your phone to have the info handy offline. The platform has a fairly active community of professional travel writers and other experts who share guides, so it’s a great place to source info for an upcoming trip too :)
We did a review of the platform here if it’s of interest: https://www.mappingmegan.com/pearlshare-app-review-find-travel-advice-you-can-trust/
Hope that helps! We love being part of the community, so highly recommend checking it out :)
I live at the moment about 3 hours from Berlin and we go over a and stay the night when my husband has gams and are always looking for great clubs! We will for sure have to check out some of these, as we have not heard of them. Thanks for Sharing!
Glad we could set you up with some new party spots! Be sure to download the guide from Pearlshare :) Happy travels! Party hard!
I have never been to Berlin and never thought that the life night of Berlin is intense. What a great list. I would like to check out Sisyphos since it comes with a beach. Is the club busy during winters too?
Hope you have the chance to visit Berlin soon! Yes, some of the best clubbing in Europe here :) Sisyphos is a great choice – during winter the tourist crowds die, but there are still very loyal locals who head out for the nightlife :)
I haven’t been to Berlin yet but for sure I will be checking out the nightclub scene sound so interesting with old powerhouse buildings and swimming pool. Didn’t realise the best time to go I Sunday it’s normally a dive that time.
Party’s go right through Sunday night and on until 9am Monday quite frequently! Crazy party scene :) Hope you have the chance to visit soon!
Hi Megan, thanks for listing some of the best Berlin clubs! German capital is know for its club scene but I always find it hard to pick one or two places to go. I am heading to Berlin soon so I think I will try the Panorama bar. There is never enough of Berlin views!
Have a wonderful trip to Berlin Veronika! Download our guide via Pearlshare if you’re heading there soon :)
Thanks for listing some of the best Berlin clubs!
I’m glad we could help :) Happy travels!