Berlin - cool places to go

A huge park right in the middle of the city: its sheer size, when compared to the overall size of Berlin, is impressive. It was meant to be a hunting reserve for the King; it is ideal for picnics, jogging and relaxing. It is also full of beer gardens, and is the site of flea markets and various initiatives.

Right in the middle of it, at the crossing of the main streets that go through the park, there’s the Siegessaüle, the Pillar of Victory, which has been made famous by "Wings of Desire", the film by German Director Wim Wenders. To the North of the Siegessaüle, there’s the beautiful Schloß Bellevue, which is the residence of the President of Germany.

The Tacheles used to be a big department store; the building had been damaged heavily during the Second World War, and left abandoned. Right after the reunification of Berlin, it has been occupied by a group of people who have turned it into one of the most interesting places in Berlin.

At the ground floor there’s Café Zapata, a beutifully decorated cafè which organizes great concerts. At the middle floor there’s a cinema which specializes in old and alternative movies, at the top 2 floors there are a permanent art gallery and several artists’ ateliers. The garden is big, and turns into a beer garden in the summer.

Address: oranienburger str.54 - 56a

Websites: tacheles berlin (mostly in German) - café zapata berlin

Telephone: 030 / 2816109 (Café Zapata)

Situated on one side of the huge Tiergarten park, in front of the Zoo Station, the Berlin zoo is vast, well-kept, and mostly doesn’t make you feel sorry for the animals in it, since whenever possible they are not kept in cages, but in large, fenced open-air areas. A must-visit if you like animals and want to see them live instead of on TV documentaries.

Website: zoo berlin (loads very slowly...)

The SO36 is a club with 25 years of history: it hosted the first punk concerts in Berlin, and since then has kept a reputation for great concerts and events.

Located in Oranienstrasse, in the centre of Kreuzberg, it has a number of regular theme nights as well as concerts. It is very popular with the gay community, as well.

Address: Oranienstrasse 190

Website: SO36 Berlin

One of the most peculiar clubs around, the Insel is (as the name suggests) a club located in the middle of an island on the Spree river, in East Berlin. It is not very easy to find, if you haven’t been there before: you get there by traversing part of the Treptower Park, then crossing the bridge.

The club is within an old mill, and features three (!!) different dancefloors each with its own bar: one underground, one on the floor level and one on top, the latter of which also has an open-air cafè in a terrace outside. When there’s a dance evening, each of these dancefloors has a different DJ, playing different music. When there’s a concert, one of the floors will have the band on, and there will be different music on the other floors.

The club organizes small festivals and open-air cinema on the island grounds, holds courses for various musical instruments, and even has rehersal rooms for bands.

Address: alt treptow 6

Website: insel berlin

Telephone: +39 30 - 53 60 80 20

The Duncker Club takes it name from the Dunckerstrasse, in East Berlin in the Prenzlauer Berg district, where it is located. It has a long history, dating from the German Democratic Republic (the communist one). It is situated in what looks like a mixture of a church and an abandoned 19th Century factory, it is small (200 people maximum) and has a great atmosphere. There’s a small outside garden, ideal for hot summer evenings.

The Duncker Club organizes concerts for emerging bands, 60’s and 70’s, new wave and indie DJ nights. The best night is definitely monday night, which is entirely devoted to gothic music and EBM, and all Berlin’s ghouls get together, with looks that make Marilyn Manson look like a bank clerk. The music is great, and gets heavier as dawn approaches. Many Berlin employers must be wondering why some people are so keen on having tuesday morning free!!

Address: Dunckerstrasse 64

Website: Duncker club Berlin

Telephone: +49 30 445 9509

This is a great record store for indie lovers! All of the best new releases, plus a lot of second-hand records, and a lot of older records by great bands that are difficult to find elsewhere.

If you’re into anything from Fugazi to Nick Cave, you are strongly advised to go there. It is located near Nollendorf Platz.

Address: Bülowstr. 5, 10783 Berlin

Website: Mr Dead and Mrs Free Record Shop Berlin

Telephone: +39 30 215 1149