Those of us who live in Berlin know that the city is unparalleled in terms of its nightlife offerings. But for people who are new to the clubbing capital, traveling through, or just want a change of pace, some lesser-known but wonderful music institutions might pass under the radar.

Most of us know to queue up at Tresor or Berghain for an epic night out. But if you’re looking for a different experience—like a sex party at KitKatClub, a punk show at Urban Spree, or a laid-back drink at the rooftop bar Klunkerkranich—then we recommend you consult the list below.

Read on for nearly 50 of our suggestions for where you—or your visiting tourist friends—should go when you’re out in Berlin.

://About Blank

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: STAUB, Buttons, Away
Door policy: Strict

://about blank sits at what many would consider to be the perfect intersection between the various clubbing vibes of Berlin. Its indoor-outdoor setup includes a massive courtyard with a year-round outdoor stage and plenty of room to relax, but its cavernous main building houses a distinctly grittier atmosphere than other similarly formatted clubs. ://about blank’s two main rooms are connected by dense corridors and house some of the city’s best techno weekenders, including the now-infamous STAUB parties. For those who want the no-nonsense attitude of Berlin’s dingy techno clubs but occasionally like to calm down—and, you know, breathe fresh air—://about blank’s your best bet.

Acud Macht Neu

Neighborhood: Mitte
Notable parties: Shameless / Limitless
Door policy: None

Mitte’s Acud Macht Neu is an interdisciplinary venue that operates at the intersection of art, music, performance and digital media. The space, which faces Berlin’s beautiful Volkspark am Weinberg, acts as a studio, club, bar and art gallery, and showcases events that range from film screenings to lectures, live acts and DJ nights. On evenings where special events aren’t slotted to take place, you can also visit the venue’s bar and outdoor seating space to grab a drink or small bite to eat. Sometimes, Acud is even known to host some pretty killer flea markets. It usually has more experimental-leaning bookings up its sleeve, so expect to come here for some mind-expanding music and a colorful collection of attendees.

Alte Münze

Neighborhood: Mitte
Notable parties: Pornceptual, Numerology
Door policy: Strict

This former State Mint is now a functioning underground venue in Berlin’s Mitte district. The labyrinthine dungeon-like space is predominantly known for hosting the bi-monthly Pornceptual parties, which bring heavy-hitting house and techno DJs to multiple floors of the complex—many of which transform into porn theaters and dark rooms. Twice a year, the space is also home to Tommy 47’s Numerology parties, which showcase darker and more industrial strains of techno across its three dance floors. Ironically, if you don’t visit this venue to attend some of the city’s edgiest events, you can also go to catch the operas, plays and musicals happening here on a regular basis.

Anomalie Art Club

Neighborhood: Prenzlauer Berg
Door policy: None

Anomalie Art Club, which sits next to Mensch Meier on Storkower Strasse on the border of Lichtenberg and Prenzlauer Berg, is a community-driven art and music space. With a public garden that’s always free on Fridays and Saturdays—as well as parties that often feature food and art—it’s one of the more relaxed demonstrations of Berlin’s nightlife culture. From the main hall, you can slip seamlessly into artisanal Mexican food or contemporary art and techno—perhaps all at the same time. Expect a creative crowd, interesting projections and a familiar atmosphere. Don’t forget to stop by the delicious Lamifa Restaurant for a bite to eat.

Arena Club

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Dystopian
Door policy: Moderate

Nestled along the border of Treptow-Kopënick and Kreuzberg is a canal and some green space, lined on all sides by a variety of nightclubs and bars. Arena Club snuggles up next to places like Ipse and Festsaal Kreuzberg as hundreds of revellers pass through the gravel roads and swampy grass en route to one of the dozens of parties that happen in this strip every night of the week. While the huge Hyte New Year’s Eve parties have made use of the area’s full and sprawling capacity, the space is often reduced on typical weekly outings to just the Arena club, which often hosts label nights, like the popular Dystopian parties. During the summer months you can take a breather at the adjacent Badeschiff outdoor pool area.

https://soundcloud.com/dystopian-music/alexdo-dystopian-berlin-06112016

Arkaoda

Neighborhood: Neukölln
Door policy: None

Arakaoda is a hop and a skip away from Sameheads, the Neukölln-based bar and club on Richardstrasse. But while Sameheads offers a kookier and higher energy musical experience, Arkaoda provides its counterpoint. The multi-room space is a laid-back, candlelit venue that plays host to the local experimental music station Cashmere Radio. It’s also known to host DJs that will come to play a night of music by Arthur Russell, Japanese producers from the ‘60s or Turkish psych rock bands. This place might not necessarily get crazy, but it’s an ideal place to come during the week or on the weekend if you want to have great drinks and listen to music that’ guaranteed to be well-selected.

AVA

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: Techno Mittwoch, Hot Box
Door policy: None

“A retreat for those who want the Berlin club scene to be a place without hype and excessive door policies,” AVA is a small, inclusive club right off the Spree near Warschauer Straße that pushes against the unforgiving, scene-y vibe many people have come to expect at—and especially outside of—a Berlin clubbing institution. AVA’s clubbing atmosphere is overall more relaxed; it predominantly hosts local DJs, resident nights—including Techno Mittwoch and Hot Box, a queer party on Fridays—and a friendly vibe for anyone who can’t be bothered with having to be “cool enough” to party.

Beate Uwe

Neighborhood: Mitte
Door policy: None

Getting off the S-Bahn at Jannowitzbrücke, you might think the immediate area is a nightlife dead zone lined with grim ’70s GDR Plattenbau apartment towers. And while you might be close to right, Beate Uwe kind of proves you wrong. It’s a small unpretentious club, in an unusual building that feels like a youth center, with a good soundsystem and a relaxed community. It’s sort of like a second Golden Gate (also in the area), but with a less sloppy vibe.

Berghain

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: Klubnacht, Snax, Janus
Door policy: Strict

Little known fact: the bratwurst from the cart outside of Berghain is delicious. Say what you will about the wurst at your favorite beer garden, but this was the first proper bratwurst I had after touching down in Germany, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Crispy outer shell, pretty good mustard, toasted brotchen. It’s all you really need. Also, the people that tend that snack shack have to be some of the kindest, most calm-mannered people you’ll meet in Berlin at any hour, but especially at god knows what time you decided to stumble up to that cart. Good people and good sausages. Good club.

Birgit & Bier

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: None

Equally as close to being a beer garden as a club, Birgit & Bier supplements its club nights and Funktion-One sound system with a couple of individual traits: one, it opens and closes early—at least by Berlin standards—meaning you can get there during the mid-afternoon and party until the early morning. Two, it actually encourages eating. The club frequently offers a variety of food, from pizza and fried snacks to Asian noodle bowls and, yes, even the occasional “sushi donut”. It’s the perfect place to ease any visitors, especially parents, into Berlin’s nightlife.

Burg Schnabel

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: None

Situated between Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Alt-Treptow is a block that somehow manages to pack four well-known clubs into a relatively small amount of space. There’s courtyard club Chalet, open-air minimal mainstay Club der Visionaere, beer-garden-slash-club Birgit & Bier and Burg Schnabel. Of these, Burg Schnabel is the smallest, but it has a completely different vibe from its neighbors. The hole-in-the-wall space is relatively un-manicured, its rough brick walls holding little embellishment other than sparse neon lighting. If your club preference tends towards boxes rather than warehouses, this is your spot. It makes for a distinctly intimate and stripped-down clubbing experience.

Chalet

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Clubnight, Music Lab
Door policy: Moderate

Chalet is a sprawling, ramshackle mansion that’s been repurposed as a club space. Winding staircases, vintage crown molding and dark brown wood furnish this strange clubbing environment. The club is next to the gas station that also flanks neighboring Ipse and Club der Visionaere. With a spacious garden for bonfires and outdoor parties in the summer, plus the former mansion’s large living room-turned-dance floor, it’s no surprise that the Kreuzberg hangout has become a local favorite. Residents like Stefan Z can often be seen opening the floor for artists like Max Graef or Byron The Aquarius. And while house music still finds room on Chalet’s decks, things almost always get harder and darker as the hours pass.

Club der Visionaere

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: Moderate

Club der Visionaere—or CDV for short—is a Berlin institution. It’s a local darling for Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoon afterhours and a favorite for tourists and locals alike. The music leans towards minimal and trippy tech-house sounds, but never escalates to full party volume. This is a place that stresses quality over quantity. With an E&S DJR 400 typically fitted in the booth, a selection of good records and stellar in-house and guest DJs (think Vera, Binh, Zip, Ricardo Villalobos and Slow Life) it’s usually a good bet if you’re ever in doubt about where to go. It’s also a completely outdoor venue with a beautiful, canal-side location in Kreuzberg, so get there while the weather’s hot.

Else

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: Moderate

Else is also in the clubbing nucleus on the banks of the Spree. As a summer-only venue, it’s exclusively outdoors and it’s surrounded by a large garden and various bars. Selections focus on house, disco and other lighter variations of underground dance music. It’s famous for its Sunday daytime parties. There are few better places to spend a warm evening with good house music. Else even has a stone-oven pizzeria on-site that attracts some of the most fervent supporters, though they may not be as clothed—or as composed—as the typical pizza-goer.

Farbfernseher

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: ://about what
Door policy: Moderate

This small, one-room club used to be a TV factory, hence the name (which means color TV in German). It’s a typical choice for weeknight jams that often hosts full-blown dance parties that rival any Friday night. You’re equally likely to find melodic techno as breaks or electro at this small, but intimate spot. As smoky as any non-ventilated Berlin club and decorated as such—that’s to say, not really—it maintains a clubbing identity that the city has become so famous for across the world. It’s almost impossible to notice the door, so take a look for people lingering outside, or as always, follow the bass.

Funkhaus

Neighborhood: Köpenick
Door policy: None

As the former national broadcasting center for East Germany, Funkhaus was crafted with the utmost attention to detail. The complex is massive. It has an entire building dedicated to personal studios, while others on the idyllic riverside campus have been repurposed into concert halls and rave spaces. Performances here are typically live—think Alva Noto or Aphex Twin (coming up)—but it’s also been the site for 24-hour rave marathons, like Moscow club Arma17‘s recent anniversary takeover. It’s also home to the recently inaugurated 4DSOUND space, which regularly hosts avant-garde electronics in its multidimensional sonic room. So regardless if you’re here for a weeknight show or a party marathon, this Spree-side location is not to be missed.

Golden Gate

Neighborhood: Mitte
Door policy: None

Golden Gate is Berlin’s gallic village. Situated in one of the arches of the S-Bahn near Alexanderplatz, the club is about as intimate—and as gritty—as it gets. Since it only fits about 100 people, a night at this club can be intense and blurry. Parties here will usually stretch well into the next afternoon, even on a midweek day. The lineups usually feature mostly up-and-coming Berlin-based DJs who predominantly play a range of music somewhere in between tech-house and Euro deep house.

Gretchen Club

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Recycle, Ninja Tune Mode, Pressure
Door policy: None

Kreuzberg’s Gretchen Club, just steps away from U-Bahn station Mehringdamm, is one of Berlin’s most important drum & bass havens. While the layout isn’t necessarily that impressive—it consists of mainly one large rectangular room—the lineup of artists featured certainly is. Residents like Berlin’s Delfonic have helped pave a positive reputation for their informed weekly DJs. It’s also the location for The Bug’s “Pressure” parties, which feature a specially brought in Jamaican-style sound system. Outside of weekends, you can expect to see a range of live performances, including up-and-coming jazz musicians, that compose a multicultural, multigenerational crowd. The sound is loud, but it’s unfortunately not the best the city has to offer.

https://soundcloud.com/esp-international/fixate-live-home-club-gretchen-berlin-april-2015

Griessmuehle

Neighborhood: Neukölln
Notable parties: Synoid, Wax Treatment, Cocktail d’Amore, Mechatronica, Reef, Mother’s Finest
Door policy: Strict

It’s truly hard to pick some of the most notable parties happening at this Spree-side establishment. Griessmuehle has been around for a few years, but it’s been making a big impact in the Berlin scene for the last two or three. From the outside, this dingy space looks like an adult playground: its backyard is littered with various wooden structures, empty silos and scattered tires, cars and complex constructions, most of which are strewn with black-clad ravers at any hour of the day or night. But while the outside might seem whimsical, the inside certainly is not. Griessmuehle has three dark and heavy dance floors which usually showcase the darker and more electro- and industrial-driven side of Berlin’s underground music scene. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad party here.

Hoppetosse

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Slow Life label showcases
Door policy: Moderate

Hoppetosse is a club on a permanently docked boat just a short stroll away from Arena Club and better known sister-club Club der Visionaere. The club usually holds one dance floor below deck and, similarly to CDV, is a mainstay for the quirky, minimal house and techno sounds of people like Binh and Vera, as well as the tech-house grooves by the local heroes from the Betriebsfeier posse.

Humboldthain Club

Neighborhood: Wedding
Notable parties: Dreams Of Neon
Door policy: None

Humboldthain Club is located beside its namesake park in the northern neighborhood of Wedding. This establishment has one of the nicest gardens in the area, which allows it to host community screenings and table tennis outside of weekend hours. Its signature wall of TV screens across two rooms offer up a nice dynamic while dancing—and probably more light than many other clubs in Berlin. In-house parties like Dreams Of Neon bring together some of the most light-hearted, but energetic, vibes in the city with performances by DJs and musicians alike.

Ipse

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: Moderate

Ipse is one of the most musically balanced clubs in Kreuzberg. While the sound isn’t the best you’ll find in the city, its two rooms—which are arranged around a maze-like entrance and an almost-soundproof structure—mean parties here can go until the very early hours. It also has an incredible patio for the summer season, so morning and daytime sets become a staple in the warmer months. You’ll find a mainly house, techno and electro-oriented booking policy here, although the range is wide and varied. With a door policy that can be restrictive at times, as with most Berlin clubs, it’s best to avoid groups.

Kantine am Berghain

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Door policy: None

Although this space bears the infamous Berghain name, it’s actually located in a building off to the side of the main club and curates lineups that include synth-pop, Afrobeat, jazz and experimental oddities. The cozy interior doubles as a lodge-style lounge complete with a fireplace, peeling paint and red velvet curtains. And the shows—which predominantly take place throughout the week and in the early evenings on the weekends—are held in an intimate, standing-room concert hall off to the side. In the summer, Kantine’s attached beer garden, Bierhof Rüdersdorf, is also an ideal place to chill while you wait for the Berghain queue to die down. Don’t worry about getting turned away from this door. You can usually buy your tickets to shows in advance.

Kater Blau

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: Moderate

Kater Blau is the successor of two legendary clubs: Kater Holzig and Bar 25. But unlike these earlier incarnations, Kater Blau doesn’t owe its charm to the patina of a decaying old building or a ramshackle cowboy ranch aesthetic. Located on Holzmarktstraße just next to where the original Bar 25 resided, it’s managed to keep the ambiance of a playground-for-grown-ups intact. There are different floors, with the main dance floor overlooking the river Spree. The musical direction in the main room ranges from slowed down emo house to tech-house and minimal, and you can experience various strains of oddball electronics elsewhere.

KitKatClub

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Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Gegen, Apokalipstick
Door policy: Strict

There aren’t many clubs in Berlin where you can listen to psytrance while having group sex near an indoor pool. In fact, there is only one: KitKatClub. Since 1994, and across multiple different iterations, the Berlin institution has maintained a reputation for sexual and hedonic excess. Its current location near Tresor in Mitte is one of the city’s most unusual spaces, with the aforementioned indoor pool, a fire breathing dragon fixture and plenty of dark corners. It’s open most days of the week, but the music fluctuates wildly. The best time to go is on the first Friday of the month for Gegen, a party we dubbed the city’s “boldest sex-positive dance party”. It’s queerer, with more techno, and paradoxically, less public sex.

Klunkerkranich

Neighborhood: Neukölln
Door policy: None

There are a lot of rooftop clubs in the world, but we’re pretty sure none of them are like Klunkerkranich. To get to the laidback and hippyish rooftop garden, you have to navigate through the busy Neukölln Arkaden shopping mall, and then wind your way up to its fifth floor parking garage (pro tip: use the elevators near the Postbank Finanzcenter). The reward is an indoor/outdoor space with a rare panoramic view of the city. There you’ll find two dance floors, multiple bars, a generous beer garden-like seating area and even some pretty tasty food. Consider this a destination for your next warm Berlin afternoon.

Libertine

Neighborhood: Mitte
Door policy: None

Neighbouring Kater Blau and Golden Gate on the banks of the Spree near Jannowitzbrücke is the Libertine club. A simple structure in its barrel-vaulted, brick ceilinged, single-room set-up, the club tends to lean toward minimal and straightforward techno music, though electro torchbearer DMX Krew played recently. Not unlike many other Berlin clubs, Libertine makes great use of its location under the S-Bahn tracks to avoid noise complaints. But some parties may last all weekend, leaving enthusiastic dancers mingling with BVG staff on break from the office next door. Tables and bar chairs line the back wall with windows overlooking the Spree as mornings come and go in this nondescript but functioning nightclub.

Loftus Hall

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: None

This small, vintage-outfitted club was opened on the banks of Maybach Ufer in September 2011. As a mainly one-room operation with an entrance bar, it’s become a place to grab a cocktail during the week, or even attend yoga sessions outside of rave time. While there is lots of room on the program for hip-hop-inspired styles and other variations of dance music, the program mainly caters to house, disco and techno. Don’t be afraid to dance off some stress and break a sweat under the disco ball on this dance floor.

Matrix

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Door policy: None

Don’t go to Matrix.

Mensch Meier

Neighborhood: Prenzlauer Berg
Door policy: None

Mensch Meier is one of Berlin’s best-kept local clubbing secrets. A Funktion-One sound system, short queues, familiar faces and a relaxed atmosphere help to fuel their well renowned weekenders. Often featuring live performances or hip-hop music early in the night, things shift into a higher gear with house and techno selections soundtracking the parties into the evening and back into the afternoon again. Wear what you want—including that gold jacket you’ve been wanting to bust out— and be yourself on all three floors. In preservation of the community that Mensch Meier is trying to build, they even offer some parties for free.

 Ohm

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Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: TRADE, Same Bitches, Altered Soul Experiment
Door policy: Strict

Quickly becoming a favorite venue for artists and attendees alike, OHM seems to keep having those special parties that you talk about for days after. Because the intimate, low-ceilinged space tends to host more avant-garde and atypical club nights—like the quickly escalating TRADE parties—the crowd is relatively self-selecting, and it tends to attract a generally hipper contingent than the people who attend Tresor nights next door. Its exciting curatorial direction has definitely made this space one to watch for those looking for a different clubbing experience.

Paloma Bar

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Power House, Washing Machine, Down
Door policy: Moderate

Paloma Bar is one of Berlin’s finest examples of the bar/club hybrid model. It’s almost invisible—up the metal-mesh-lined staircase beside the Rewe at Kottbusser Tor—and yet in one of the city’s busiest locations. Upstairs you’ll find a tiny dance floor and bar just as small, while downstairs there’s another bar scattered by seats that look over the busy Kotti intersection. Hearing the likes of Mike Huckaby’s Sun Ra reel-to-reel edits or visiting for Hunee’s all-night-long sessions leaves one with a distinct feeling that Berlin is overflowing with obscure, hidden venues and incredible music.

Polygon Club

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Door policy: Moderate

Formerly the Kosmonaut Club, Polygon, which opened this year, is one of Berlin’s newest additions to the clubbing landscape. Fitted with a Funktion-One sound system and clean, minimalist LED lightening, it has a uniquely tidy yet industrial atmosphere. The music policy leans towards techno, with fair attention paid to harder styles of electronic music. With two—and sometimes three—rooms, a beautiful chill-out garden and thrashing sound, it’s invested heavily into its attempt to penetrate the local clubbing consciousness. The club sits down the road from Ostkreuz Station in a remote pocket on the eastern border of Friedrichshain.

Prince Charles

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: JAW Family, Horse Meat Disco
Door policy: Moderate

As Kreuzberg’s house and hip-hop hotspot, Prince Charles bears a big responsibility: to create a place for the lighter side of music that doesn’t always get a chance to shine in Berlin. Located on Prinzenstrasse near Moritzplatz U-Bahn station, it’s hidden down a parking-garage-style hallway in the back courtyard of the Auf Bauhaus complex. Inside, the sunken swimming pool acts as the bar, while the party goes on all around it. With bookings like Theo Parrish, Leroy Burgess and Detroit Swindle, it puts up some of the best house and boogie you’ll find in the city. (Especially notable are the JAW Family parties, which we profiled a few years ago.) Weekly hip-hop parties also make Prince Charles a preferred spot outside of the usual underground dance music community.

Ritter Butzke

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Door policy: None

Situated in a rather enviable location, Kreuzberg’s Ritter Butzke is a formerly illegal club that has been reopened right near the Moritzplatz U-banh stop. Having taken over a former factory, Ritter Butzke has three dance floors plus an outdoor courtyard, and it plays host to mainly local DJs and patrons. Since reopening, the club has become much more popular, but it’s still a far cry from the more international-act-oriented clubs jammed with tourists every weekend. And in this case, that’s definitely a good thing.

Salon Zur Wilden Renate

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: The House of Red Doors, Voyage Voyage, Oben Unter Überall
Door policy: Strict

This labyrinthine riverside hotspot cuddles up to the Spree, and its infamous weekenders rage on past Monday. Equally famous for its parties as its décor, Salon der Wilden Renate has established quite a reputation since opening. Parties like The House of Red Doors bring a host of guests solely for its erotic-oriented, masquerade evenings. While wandering the giant apartment’s separated flats and individual rooms, you can listen to selections that range from techno and house to the more minimal side of underground dance music.

Sameheads

Neighborhood: Neukölln
Notable parties: Twista, Dancing For Mental Health, Bahnsteig 23
Door policy: None

This quirky Neukölln hipster haven isn’t just a bar—it’s also a club that acts as a soapbox for budding avant-garde electronic artists, a home to online radio outlet Radio Rixdorf and a hub for a number of regular fashion and art events. The venue’s upstairs is bedecked with fashion mannequins, film posters, vintage tapes, pinball machines, piñatas and an abundance of other eccentric decorative embellishments. So whether you’re there to grab a late-night drink or dance downstairs until the early morning hours, the intimate neighborhood spot is always an interesting place to hang out. To keep up to date on all of the awesome artists coming through the club—which range from electro dons like Berlin’s Mechatronica label residents to more experimental curators like London’s Elena Colombi—check out their Facebook page here.

SchwuZ

Neighborhood: Neukölln 
Notable parties: Tasty
Door policy: Moderate

Founded in Berlin in 1977, SchwuZ—short for “gay center” in German—is one of the city’s most important clubs catering to the queer community. While the parties—which sometimes take over all three dance floors—generally feature a music on the house and disco spectrum, the darker the room often means the darker the music. As one of former West Berlin’s most notoriously open and accessible community spaces, it’s worked hard to maintain the same reputation in present day Neukölln. Outside of club hours, there are community screenings and lectures, and most nights feature a live performance of music or drag.

Sisyphos

Neighborhood: Rummelsburg
Door policy: Strict

Equally known for its seemingly-endless line and theme-park-sized real estate as its music, Sisyphos is perhaps the most notorious club in a dominant sub-genre of the Berlin clubbing atmosphere: large-scale, multi-stage clubs that offer a myriad of music- and non-music-related activities, usually in a pseudo-bohemian setting. This class of clubs, including Kater Blau, ://about blank and Chalet, have all the usual club attractions, but they also offer something difficult to find at most other clubs: quality downtime. Sisyphos does this exceptionally well, with a sprawling outdoor “chill out zone” that includes, among other things, better-than-decent pizza. Also, partying in the less-intense, semi-outdoor side stage—more like shack—is always a great vibe.

St. Georg

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Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Ratchet Berlin, Bantu’s Diary
Door policy: None

If you’re looking for Berlin’s streetwear-clad underground trap and hip-hop subculture, you can find it hidden in a basement next to the popular Ritter Butzke club. St. Georg is a subterranean space that regularly plays host to events soundtracked by DJs whose taste strays towards decidedly more bass-heavy selections. Lately, it’s had a number of parties thrown by and featuring the artists associated with the hyped Live From Earth collective, which counts German cloudrap phenomenon Yung Hurn as one of its members. It’s not all rap though. In the past, the club was also where such now-huge parties such as Pornceptual and Cocktail d’Amore got their respective starts.

Suicide Circus

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: Rituals, X:Ploration
Door policy: None

Suicide Circus—which is celebrating its ninth anniversary this year—is one of those clubs in the RAW district situated at Revaler Strasse 99 that’s both blessed and cursed by its location. Directly adjacent to S-Bahn Warschauer Strasse, the industrial setting overlooking the railway tracks doesn’t stray far from the traditional Berlin club model. But it doesn’t offer the most unique setting, either. With an outdoor area during the summer focusing on the housier side of electronic music, the indoor main room is almost always dedicated to no-nonsense techno. It’s not hard to find and not hard to get in—that applies to everyone.

Tresor

Neighborhood: Kreuzberg
Notable parties: Herrensauna, Grounded Theory, New Faces
Door policy: Moderate

Internationally lauded and epicenter of the Detroit-Berlin axis, Tresor is the monolith of Berlin’s club history. Originally opened in March 1991 on Leipziger Straße, a stone’s throw away from the former death strip that separated East and West, Tresor remains one of the key venues of Berlin nightlife. Since the club’s move into a cavernous former power plant on Köpenicker Straße in 2007, it’s run through an impressive process of rejuvenation that’s included reviving the legendary annual avant-electronics festival Berlin Atonal, opening the intimate club sister Ohm, elevating the club’s label to new heights and generally putting up rock-solid state-of-the-art bookings.

Urban Spree

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: Night Shift, Italo Festival
Door policy: None

While many people may overlook this small space located near Berghain, Matrix and other bigger Berlin clubs, Urban Spree is a true local gem. The music venue, art book store, tattoo studio and beer garden is nestled below street level by the Warschauer Strasse S-Bahn stop, and plays host to a lot of the city’s punkier-leaning music bookings as well as noise-, industrial- and EBM-leaning techno. By night, the inside of the club is just as dark as the music it accommodates, filling with red lights, heavy fog and pulsing strobes. But if you want to take a break, there’s usually lighter fare playing by the picnic tables outdoors. Urban Spree is also one of the venues associated with Krake Festival, and once a year it accommodates one of the city’s largest independent label markets.

Void Club

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Door policy: None

Founded in 2015, Friedrichshain’s Void club has a particular focus on the harder variations of underground electronic music, whether it’s drum & bass, psytrance, hardcore, new-rave, bass music or dubstep. And since it’s located just minutes from the conveniently-located Frankfurter Allee and has a relatively relaxed door policy, it’s slowly developing a reputation in the city. With two floors of Kling & Freitag and Adamson sound systems, Void is trying to stake its claim as one of Berlin’s most reliable hotspots for hardcore. But this space doesn’t have a garden, so if it’s outdoor parties you’re looking for, we recommend you turn elsewhere.

Watergate

Neighborhood: Friedrichshain
Notable parties: Rise, Rauschen
Door policy: Moderate

This Berlin staple opened in 2002 in what was then a strange riverside location for a club. At the foot of Oberbaumbrücke, you’ll find the distinct “W” logo of Watergate. On the Waterfloor, you can enjoy a morning dance as the sun rises over the Spree, while upstairs on the main dancefloor, you can watch the signature LED ceiling go to work on creating the club’s traditional photo-friendly image. House and techno reign supreme at this club, which is also home to the label of the same name. It’s a favorite for midweek jams, and it’s friendly to visitors and locals alike.

Weekend

Neighborhood: Mitte
Door policy: None

When Weekend opened up on the 13th floor overlooking Alexanderplatz in 2004, it broke with Berlin’s tradition to reclaim abandoned industrial spaces. Instead, Weekend was a comparatively posh-looking design straight out of Wallpaper magazine. Dixon started his Innercity party at the Berlin club, which eventually turned into the powerhouse we now know as Innervisions. A couple of years ago, the club radically changed its musical direction, changing its name to House Of Weekend and turning the venue into a haven for tourists, commercial house and hip-hop nights.

Read more: The 10 best clubs in Germany that aren’t in Berlin

Published July 17, 2018.