The 16 best clubs in Berlin

If you’re talking about Berlin and clubs, obviously Berghain has to be at the top of your list. It’s the most infamous club in Berlin, and possibly the world, too. Once you’ve been there in person, you’ll know why. The venue was formerly a power station for East Berlin, but it’s now a magical place full of wild characters, dark rooms, and a distinct feeling of freedom. Berghain gets a lot of shtick for its door policy, in which security can let you in or turn you away seemingly ad-hoc, but the atmosphere inside is more welcoming than you might expect. Guests at Berghain are free to party as they please, safe from judgment, cameras and the outside world. It’s a club like no other – but preparing a Plan B wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Come for the clubbing, and stay for the art: Anomalie Art Club is home to some of the most spectacular visual designs on Berlin’s club scene. Over the past few years, this place has played host to techno DJs from around the world, alongside artists working in sound, light, and installation. Anomalie also hosts film screenings, art exhibitions, pop-ups and open-air raves, so be sure to check what’s on before planning your next night out.

In recent years, TRAUMA BAR UND KINO has emerged as one of the most exciting new destinations in Berlin’s club circuit. Tucked away in a quieter corner of Berlin near the city’s central station, it’s easy to miss but an absolute must-visit. The space itself lends itself to a wide range of events and projects: In addition to the capacious dancefloor, there’s a screening room, a maze and rotating art installations, meaning that no two nights out are ever the same. Both the curation and door policy at TRAUMA are inclusive and expansive: Come ready with good vibes and your best behaviour, and you’ll fit right in.

There’s something for everyone at Fitzroy, one of Berlin’s newest nightlife contenders. Here you’ll find an eclectic mix-and-match of live sessions and club nights showcasing everything from experimental pop to trance. Fitzroy’s booking philosophy is forward-thinking and a little more diverse than most of Berlin’s techno-heavy clubs. Look out for pre-sale tickets online before you head out, but don’t worry if you missed your chance to secure a spot at an event: There are usually a handful of tickets available at the door, so prepare to come early and stay late.

This is the X-rated part of the family-friendly Holzmarkt development. Sitting on the banks of the River Spree, this space makes the most of its alfresco location, with a moored boat, a roaring fire at night and hammocks. Meanwhile, a fine roster of electronic DJs spins away unendingly – sometimes for four days straight. The vibe is more rough-and-ready than chic, and increasingly so as the weekend unravels. In the summer, it captures that festival feeling from its roost in the heart of the city. If you have the stamina (and courage) to last well into Monday afternoon, expect to encounter some of Berlin’s strangest creatures.

Yet another victim of Berlin’s Mediaspree development, YAAM was forcibly evicted from its previous home – but you can’t keep a good club down. It quickly found another riverside spot, so it’s business as usual for this legendary beach bar and cultural centre. By day, you’ll see people enjoying jerk chicken and kids playing a laid-back game of volleyball; by night, the space hosts leisurely concerts and parties to the tune of hip-hop, dancehall and Afrobeats.

This canalside venue emerged from the ashes of a devastating fire in 2019, and is today one of the city’s most popular spaces for open-air drinking and dancing. There’s a small indoor dance floor and a rickety open-air wood-deck terrace with a large jetty stretching out across the water. You can drop in during the week for a beer, but the place comes to life at the weekend, filling up with an after-hours crowd, happy to chill, drink and dance the day away. For a waterfront party in the colder months, head to the nearby Hoppetosse boat at Arena Berlin.

Affectionately known as the younger sister of legendary techno club Tresor, OHM has climbed the rankings to be one of Berlin’s top clubs since it opened in 2014. Following a two-year COVID closure, OHM has been back in its visionary bag with cutting-edge club nights that push the envelope like weeeirdos and version, but its door policy is relatively relaxed. The indoor-only space can get packed and heated even in the dead of winter, so prepare for a steamy night out with trendsetters and vanguards that you won’t soon forget.

After Berlin’s Griessmühle was priced out of its property in Berlin’s Neukölln district, the local city’s club scene lost one of its most storied venues for electronic music. But RSO is here to finish what Griessmühle started, with a new name and a massive location in Schöneweide. Getting to RSO can be a bit of a journey out from the city’s centre, but it’s well worth a visit for techno heads – here you’ll find the hot and sweaty Herrensauna and bi-monthly nights from Gegen. The crowd skews more local than clubs closer to the city center, which makes the vibe a little more laidback.

To the untrained eye, there’s little to see from the side of Skalitzer Strasse that leads away from the Kottbusser Tor roundabout in Berlin. One of those unassuming doors leads you to Monarch, a cosy and casual club in the heart of the city. You’ll find a mixed crowd here, with both locals and tourists coming to party (the door policy is more relaxed and affordable than bigger-name venues). Expect the unexpected here; with an eclectic cast of promoters and nights, Monarch plays everything from hip-hop and Bounce to reggaeton. Paloma Bar is right next door if you fancy a change of scenery after a few drinks.

You don’t make the trek out to Sisyphos just for a snoop and a couple of beers. It’s an ‘in for a penny, in for a pound’ sort of place, where the party begins on Friday and trundles on non-stop until Monday. Vast indoor and outdoor spaces at this former dog biscuit factory help create a Burning Man-esque festival atmosphere that’s particularly enjoyable on longer sunny days. Music ranges from pumping techno inside to house tunes out by the ‘lake’ – more of a scummy pond, really. Crowd-wise, expect it all; fresh-faced student revellers and aging former club kids are among the regulars.

This slick two-floor club was a driving force behind the rise of minimal techno in mid-2000s Berlin, as well as the first to invest in a ceiling-mounted responsive LED lighting system, now copied all around the world. The downstairs Water Floor is particularly impressive, with its panorama windows looking directly onto the Spree and a floating deck terrace for watching the sunrise over Kreuzberg. It can feel too touristy at weekends – increasingly populist bookings don’t help – but pick the right night, and you’ll still feel the original magic.

This legendary sex and techno club for all is a labyrinthine complex of half a dozen dancefloors, a dubious swimming pool and plenty of swings. For pure polysexual hedonism, look out for cult party Gegen, which splits its time between KitKat and RSO. Outside of that, kinksters and those looking to explore their sexuality are always welcome; some nights are racier than others, so it’s well worth checking the dress code before planning your night on the tiles. Many nights have a fetish dress code (except Electric Mondays) so if you arrive wearing jeans and a t-shirt, be prepared for a literal dressing down by the door staff.

With a name meaning ‘yesterday was sweet’, the 1970s-style décor comes as no surprise. What is a surprise is the free entrance and cheap beers. There are three areas for dancing, drinking and hanging out, with each room playing a different genre of music, from conventional techno to novelty hip hop.

There’s a lot to like about Alte Münze: Berlin’s former state mint has been home to thought-provoking arts and culture programming for years. During the day, visitors check out photography exhibitions and stop for tea in the plant-filled cafe; at night, the place transforms into a swarming hub of pleasure-seekers and hedonists under the name MUENZE. It’s perhaps best known for Pornceptual, a club night that’s exactly as liberated as its name might suggest. The club is a short walk from some of the most well-connected train stations in the city, so getting home after a long night out is a breeze.

One of Berlin’s longest-running dance institutions, SchwuZ moved into the old Kindl brewery in 2013. A variety of mainstream and underground events take place throughout the week, attracting a mixed and ready-to-mingle crowd who take full advantage of the warehouse.