Bars & Clubs

PHOTO: Badeschiff, see page 58

Klunkerkranich

Beach Bar

For many travelers, the zeitgeist of Berlin is its allure: the draw of city life teeming with culture and history populated by eccentric characters and intriguing personalities. You can do just about anything in the landlocked German capital—including go to the beach. Spread out across the city, beach themed bars complete with sun and sand are lively hangouts during the summer. One of the most famous for travelers is Klunkerkranich—a rooftop beach bar with a relaxed, inclusive atmosphere often featuring local music and serving a wide variety of German beers. Clad in shorts and fip fops, you’ll meet a variety of people from around the world traveling just as you are, drinking a Berliner Pilsner and taking in the view of the city sharply punctuated by the omnipresent TV tower glinting in the distance. Ironically located on the rooftop of a large commercial shopping complex, escape the city right on the high street.

Neukölln Arcaden, Karl-Marx-Straße 66, 12043 , Neukölln | Rathaus Neukölln | €€€€€ | klunkerkranich.org 10.00 - 1.30 |

Words: Milan Cater

Badeschiff

Beach Bar

On a hot sunny day all signs point to Berlin’s many beach bars, and a top choice is the Badeschiff. This beach bar, tucked away by the Arena Berlin, features a neon blue pool mounted on the Spree river: the blending blues of the pool, the sky and the river against the Berlin cityscape make for a truly stunning view. Look to the right and you will see the fghting molecule men statue in the distance; to the left you will see the red Oberbaum Brücke (bridge) and the omnipresent Alexanderplatz TV tower jutting into the

sky. The pool is 2 metres deep, enough to summersault out of the humid summer air into the cool city oasis. The wooden deck is often packed with lounging beach chairs and a station for renting surfboards is open in the mornings and early evening. Before you arrive at the pool area there is the man-made beach complete with swinging couches, warm sand, a BBQ food truck and a fully stocked bar. This beach bar is extremely popular and it isn’t unheard of to be greeted by a 2 hour long wait in the queue, but is certainly worth the wait.

Eichenstraße 4, 12435, Alt-Treptow | | €€€€€ | arena.berlin 8.00 - 0.00 | Treptower Park

TRESOR

Tresor is a revered institution in the techno world. Celebrating 25 years since opening in 1991, people travel from around the world to hear the best DJs and techno artists play in an iconic atmosphere. Inside the powerplant-turned-club, a labyrinth of rooms are connected by a long tunnel. Flashing lights, smokey air and an impressive sound system deliver clean beats and a meditative atmosphere, where you can dance from midnight until noon. The main dancefoor, the Tresor cellar, is pressed in between two bank safes, blocking out all concept of time and space with music. Notorious for its strict door policy, avoid taking photos, going in large groups or being overtly intoxicated--you will only be let in if you are really there to dance. Headlining acts usually play between 3am and 6am.

Köpenicker Straße 70, 10179, Mitte |

Heinrich-Heine-Straße | 15€/10€ |0.00 - 12.00 |

tresorberlin.com

Words:Milan Cater

SALON ZUR WILDEN RENATE

This club is one of the most creative nightlife venues in Berlin: formerly a block of apartments beside the Spree river, this derelict building has been transformed in true Berlin fashion into a bizarre and entertaining atmosphere to dance the night away to techno. The outside is a biergarten with mismatching old chairs, a gazebo overgrown with greenery and a few hidden rooms around the back. The three main rooms inside host different DJs of various subgenres of techno: The Green Room, The Red Room and the Black Room. The many other rooms become rest, smoking and bar areas. The rooms of Renate resemble an abandoned hoarder’s home or a storage space for a feamarket vendor: it is full of stuff on the walls and on the ceiling, including a room with a giant robotic woman crawling away from a generator, and another bedroom kept intact with all the furnishings. While not particularly strict at the door, this club does restrict their services to chosen clientele, and can ask an assortment of questions at the door like where you’re from, why you’re at this club, and if you’re over 21. On the cheaper side of Berlin’s nightclubs, Renate is worth it for the uniquely great atmosphere they create.

Alt-Stralau 70, 10245, Friedrichshain |

Treptower Park | 0.00 -7.00 |

renate.cc

Words:Milan Cater

FEATURE: BARS, CLUBS & NIGHTLIFE

BERLIN AFTER DARK

WORDS: WILLIAM BARBER

NO PHOTOS PLEASE

Berlin’s nightlife is an ever-changing beast, with countless ways to experience and enjoy it. As such some sort of comprehensive list of places just isn’t feasible. You can have as chilled or as crazy a night as you wish - it does have it all. Just wandering the streets at night taking in the sights and sounds with a road beer is an awesome adventure in itself, you are never too far from a corner shop, a staple in Berlin nightlife. Look out for the signs Spätkauf or Stube indicating little shops to hook you up with a cold pilsner, a bottle opener available right at the cashier counter. The transport network’s 24 hour service on the weekend enables you to keep it moving if you want to bar hop or club hop.

Revaler Straße provides partying opportunities - hip-hop, reggae, techno, etc. can be found from one bar to the next. You can walk into one of these crazy places and fnd deep house music, then come back to the same spot the following night and they have sixties themed swing music from a live band. The spontaneity and randomness of it all will put a smile on your face. If you’ve got the techno craze, then the notoriously strict Berghain may have to be visited, or you can hit up the more lenient Watergate. Alternatively, if feeling super adventurous, there is KitKat club, a place glittering with nudity, absurdity and awesome techno music.

There is a traditional German beer hall in Alexander Platz if a stein of beer takes your fancy, quite a funny venue when packed on the weekend, although you may fnd a bunch of English people getting smashed for their mate’s stag do which hardly gives you an authentic Berlin experience. Unsurprisingly, central areas tend to be a tourist trap: a bar called AM to PM is the worst example of this - rip off watery beers, tacky music, depressed staff and drunk tourists - please God no!

A lot of locals will cite Kreuzberg as the area with the best nightlife. It’s not quite as easy as just heading there and fnding places as it’s a vast neighbourhood with tucked away streets, but the area near Görlitzer Park, while somewhat sketchy, has a sprawl of heaving bars. It’s where the “cool kids” hang out, so be prepared for some in your face pretension and backwards hats and neck beards. Nevertheless, there are some sweet spots to be found here.

It’s impossible to give a comprehensive guide but hopefully this is a start.