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Newton
Nudes by Newton (Helmut, the photographer, that is) grace the walls at this über-chic place where terminally trendy tourists and locals lounge in clubby red leather armchairs, ordering drinks from the attentive staff, or slurp up the potent cocktails at the bar, where the liquor is kept in cages.
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Orient Lounge
Heed the call of the kasbah at this classy shisha lounge infused with ambient Arabic sounds and the sweet aroma of apple and honey. Find your favourite cushion in the sultry back room or reserve a private niche to sip your cocktails behind a tinkling pearl curtain. The entrance is hidden within the Rote Harfe pub.
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Oststrand
Drink a toast to Berlin as you wiggle your toes in the sand of this congenial beach bar on the Spree side of the East Side Gallery, roughly halfway between Oberbaumbrücke and Ostbahnhof.
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Oxymoron
By day, the opulent baroque salon in front - complete with plump velvet sofas, gold-leaf mirrors and chandeliers - caters to the cafe crowd. After dark, it morphs into an eats-and-lounge act before turning into a chic club hosting a variety of retro and electro nights with occasional 'extras' such as go-go dancers. Dress on the smarter side of casual.
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Prater
Berlin's oldest beer garden is also one of the prettiest. It's the perfect spot for quaffing away beneath a canopy of mature chestnut trees. The complex includes a small stage operated by the Volksbühne (People's Theatre), a cocktail bar, a traditional restaurant serving updated German fare, and the popular Bastard club.
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Qiu
One of the best hotel bars in town, this hideaway lounge has the air of A-list exclusivity but is really more a place to see without being seen. The cool fringe lamps and golden mosaic waterfall feel almost hypnotic after one or two of their potent cocktails.
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Radialsystem V
Contemporary dance meets medieval music, poetry meets pop tunes, painting meets digital. This progressive performance space in an old riverside pump station blurs the boundaries between music, dance, fine arts, new media and other art forms to nurture new forms of creative expression.
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Raumklang
This concept club has a ground-breaking sound system specifically tuned to prevent hearing damage at high volumes. Give your ears a guilt-free work-out as you shake it up to electronica, soul and disco in the colour-drenched rooms. Over 21s only.
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Reingold
Inside the metal cocoon flutters the butterfly heart of a beautifully opulent 1930s glamour lounge. The bar does impressive cocktails and oysters while deep house and Latin sounds dominate the decks. There are also regular events and readings.
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Rosa Bar
With only a pink 'Bar' sign and a bell to beckon you in, this basement den of liquidity lures mostly clued-in locals with a top-flight cocktail menu as long as a Tolstoy novel. Sippers chill on white bean bags or in semi-privacy in one of three coveted booths.
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Roses
Kitschy yet pretty, Roses is a firm Kreuzberg fixture and still draws patrons in party mode with its strong drinks and over-the-top décor.
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Ruderclub Mitte
Bringing quality electronic music back to Mitte is the stated mission of this newish club off Kleine Präsidentenstrasse, where the line-up often features well-known Berlin DJs like Tanith and Namito along with residencies by Mark Reeder and Jack Flash. It's in the S-Bahn arches within Monbijoupark.
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Sage Club
One of the top clubs of the '90s, Sage is still packing its four dance floors with hotties awed by the shimmering pools and fire-breathing dragon. There's live rock on Thursday; funk, soul and hip hop on Fridays; and electronica on Saturdays and Sundays, which get buzziest after the sun's up.
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San Remo Upflamör
It's a tight squeeze in this relaxed neighbourhood hang-out where everyone from ageing punks to wide-eyed students hunkers down over cakes, cocktails and conversation. In summer tables spill out onto the pavement.
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Sanatorium 23
This 'sanatorium' is likely to cure whatever ails you. The look is Zen-meets-pop-art-in-hospital, the vibe is relaxed and the leather lounge beds and wispy curtains sensual. On weekends, DJs turn the place into a party zone, and if you're too trashed to go home there are even rooms for rent.
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Schwuz
On Friday and Saturday nights, gays and lesbians fortify themselves at Café Sundström then head to this basement club to press flesh on the two high-energy dance floors. The rotating party roster ranges from retro hits to alternative and classic rock. On the fourth Friday it's lesbians only during L-Tunes.
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So36
This seminal punk venue of yore, 'Esso' keeps Kreuzberg's alternative ethos alive with offbeat concerts and lesbigay theme nights. Long-running faves include the 'homoriental' Gayhane (fourth Saturday) and Sunday's campy Café Fatal ballroom boîte (club). Check the listings before setting out.
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Solar
The food's overpriced and the cocktails only so-so but the views - oh, the views - really are worth the vertigo-inducing trip aboard an exterior glass lift to this 17th-floor retro-futuristic lounge. The entrance is off-street, in a nondescript high-rise behind the Pit Stop car mechanic.
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Stiller Don
A relic from GDR days, 'Quiet Don' is anything but, especially on Monday nights when boy pals kick off the evening with beers, peanuts and flirty chat before moving on to cruisy Greifbar (Wichertstrasse 10) with its busy darkroom.
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Strandbar Mitte
This riverside playground started the local beach-bar craze back in 2002. Around May truckloads of sand, palm trees and deck chairs are carted to the edge of Monbijoupark for another season of 'Copacabana on the Spree'. It's nicest when the setting sun tints the Bodemuseum façade.
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Tadschikische Teestube
Hidden inside an 18th-century town palace, this authentic Tajik tearoom feels like a fairy-tale retreat. Surrounded by carved sandalwood pillars, you can loll on thick pillows and enjoy a Russian tea ceremony (around €8 ) complete with samovar, assorted sweets and vodka. Shoes and smoking are not permitted. Skip the food.
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Trompete
It took something pretty spectacular to eclipse the competition in Tiergarten, until Trompete arrived with a blast. It's co-owned by an actor, whose notoriety is enough to guarantee permanent crowds, especially as he appears to be the bar's best customer.
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Universum Lounge
The curvaceous teak bar and white-leather banquettes of this spacey retro-glam libation station fill up quickly after the curtain falls at the Schaubühne theatre located in the same building, a 1920s Bauhaus gem by Erich Mendelssohn.
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Volksbühne Am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Nonconformist, provocative, radical: performances at the 'People's Stage' are not for the squeamish. Enfants terribles Frank Castorf and Christoph Schlingensief regularly tear down the confines of the proscenium stage with Zeitgeist -critical productions that are somehow both populist and elitist.
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Week-End
This hot 'n heavy club on the 12th floor of a GDR-era office building delivers extraordinary views, award-winning design and high-profile DJs like Dixon, Phonique and Tiefschwarz whipping house and techno hits into a froth. Bring your sunglasses to watch the sunrise. After on Sundays the action expands to the 15th floor.
