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A-Trane
This is everything a jazz club should be - intimate, loud and usually packed. The talent on display is invariably top-class and, despite the cosy tables, everyone is standing by the end of the evening. On Monday the local jazz cats play; go on Saturday for the late-night jam session.
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Ackerkeller
Run by a nonprofit group, this cosy and alternative lesbigay pub spins into a party venue several times weekly with rock, pop, electro and even Polish music keeping the dance floor grooving. The crowd's mixed too, except for the saucily named Schlagernacktparty (Naked Pop Party, second Saturday) for pals and Busenfreundin (bosom buddy, third Saturday) for gals. It's a lot more innocent than you might think...
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Admiralspalast
This 1920s party palace burst back onto the scene in restored splendour in 2006 and once again specialises in crowd-pleasing musicals, concerts and comedy performed in the lavish main theatre and on two smaller stages. A café, club and mineral spring-fed spa are supposed to follow in 2007-08.
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Ankerklause
Ahoy there! This nautical kitsch tavern in an old harbour-master's shack is a great place for quaffing and waving to the boats puttering along the Landwehrkanal. On Thursdays DJs shower attitude-free party people with electro, soul and breakbeats.
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Babylon Mitte
This gorgeously restored silent movie-era cinema specialises in rare retrospectives, GDR movies, cult classics and contemporary art-house features; it also hosts offbeat readings and concerts. For the silent-movie series, the original theatre organ is put through its paces.
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Badeschiff
Take an old river barge, fill it with water, moor it in the Spree River and - voilà - an urban lifestyle pool is born. In summer, a hedonistic Ibiza-vibe reigns with bods bronzing in the sand and on wooden decks and a bar to fuel the fun. Come early - the place fills up quickly. In winter, it's covered, heated and has two saunas (men only on Mondays).
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Bar Gagarin
Prepare for lift-off with vodka, Russian beer and borscht at this retro lounge dedicated to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. This is the more low-key cousin of Pasternak next door, with a spacey mural, crouched conversationalists and friendly staff. Good breakfast and Sunday brunch.
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Bar jeder Vernunft
Entertainers at this wonderful venue have a veritable cult following and shows - many with a camp or bizarre bent - are often sold out. Part of the draw is the exquisite setting: a historic Art Nouveau-style tent decked out with dazzling mirrors and booths bathed in red-velvet and candlelight. After the show, the place turns into a relaxed piano bar.
The same people run the Tipi, a much larger tent with more mainstream appeal.
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Berghain
Those behind the legendary Ostgut have scored another huge hit with this vast post-industrial techno-electro hellhole. The Panoramabar became the coolest spot in the city within days of opening. When the full club's open on Saturday its three levels are packed with the most mixed crowd in Berlin. One warning - no cameras are allowed. Truly, truly essential.
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Berghain/Panoramabar
Raw, massive, industrial - this hedonistic club in a former power plant looks like a utopian wet dream: sort of Metropolis meets Blade Runner . On weekends it's ground zero for techno-electro with top vinyl masters like André Galluzzi and Tama Sumo heating up three floors of cold concrete. On Fridays, the action is just as wild but limited to the upstairs Panoramabar. Lines are longest after , but the party goes to the following afternoon. No cameras allowed.
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Bergstübl
The name implies Alpine cosiness, but the only thing southern German about this trashy lounge is the tasty Tannenzäpfle beer from the Black Forest. A boho crowd packs the well-worn sofas in winter and the pavement in summer. It's a good place to crash at weekends after the party has stopped elsewhere.
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Blue Man Group
This musical and visual extravaganza starring a trio of slightly nutty and energetic guys dipped in Smurf-blue latex suits now performs at its own permanent theatre, a converted IMAX now called Bluemax.
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Bundespressestrand
Sure, it's expensive and deluged with tourists, but if you happen to be in this area on a sunny day, this sandy bar with wicker chairs, kiddie corner and power view isn't a bad spot to give your feet a rest. There's food and special events like salsa parties or barbecue cook-offs.
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Café Moskau
Still flaunting 1960s flair, this snazzy commie-era restaurant now hosts special club and concert nights as well as Sunday's GMF (www.gmf-berlin.de in German) gay parties with buff and bronzed boyz enjoying high-energy pop and house. Rumour has it that GMF may move in 2007, so check the website or the Zitty (www.zitty.de), Tip (www.tip-berlin.de) listings magazines.
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Casino Berlin
Craps with a view: Berlin's highest den of vice is way up on the 37th floor, offering all the usual card and random-chance games. There's a separate slot-machine area on the ground floor for those prone to vertigo.
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Cassiopeia
An old-time train-repair shop has been turned into a grungy playground that includes a skate hall and this attitude-free, two-floor party den. The crowd defines the word eclectic and so does the music, which covers the spectrum from vintage hip hop to hard funk, roots and reggae to punk. Opening days vary but the club's always open Friday and Saturday.
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Chamäleon Varieté
This intimate venue presents variety shows - comedy, juggling acts and singing - often in a sassy and unconventional fashion.
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Cinema Café
This unpretentious movie-themed pub is the last alternative hang-out in the slick Hackescher Markt area. Thick smoke, candlelight and heavy talk give it an almost existentialist vibe reminiscent of Paris in the '50s, but there's outdoor seating too if you need a breather.
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Cinestar Original
This state-of-the-art cinema in the Sony Center shows the latest Hollywood blockbusters, all in English, all the time.
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Clärchens Ballhaus
Yesteryear is now at this late, great 19th-century dance hall where everyone from groovers to grannies swings their legs to tango, waltz, disco and pop. Concerts and dance classes are held upstairs in the lavish Spiegelsaal (Mirror Hall). They also serve food - pizza and German classics - best enjoyed alfresco in summer.
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Club Culture Houze
This sex-party palace caters primarily for gay men with hot 'n heavy themes ranging from 'Naked' Mondays and 'Fist Factory' Fridays to 'Naked & Underwear' Saturdays. Adventurous straight couples can get it on Wednesdays and Sundays.
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Club Der Visionäre
This summertime chill and party playground is in an old canalside boatshed across from Freischwimmer and great for a drink or two while catching some rays on the wooden decks. On Sunday it hosts one of the liveliest afterparties in town.
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Cookies
The seventh incarnation of this legendary midweek party palace has been cooking since January 2007, this time in a former East Berlin cinema behind the Westin Hotel. Once past the picky bouncers, it's all about dancing with friendly folk, sipping the signature Watermelon Man cocktail and scanning the crowd for celeb sightings.
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Csa
Friedrichshain's fanciest bar has been carved out of the offices of the former Czechoslovakian national airline and sports clear lines and a wonderfully self-ironic Soviet vintage vibe. Cocktails are strong and the bizarre wall sculpture behind the bar is an excellent conversation starter.
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Deutsche Oper Berlin
Until the arrival of Kirsten Harms, Germany's first-ever female major opera boss, Berlin's largest opera house suffered from budget shortages and artistic mediocrity. Thanks to her vision, quality is up and so is attendance, despite some controversy in late 2006 over a production featuring the severed heads of Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha and Neptune.
