Entertainment in Germany
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Moviemento
Berlin’s oldest cinema, this three-screen independent place (with a maximum capacity of just over 100) shows a good range of nonblockbuster mainstream foreign and German movies.
reviewed
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Baden-Baden Casino
Inside the palatial Kurhaus - besides lavish festival halls used for balls, conventions, concerts, dance competitions and weddings - is the opulent Baden-Baden Casino, opened in 1838 and reminiscent of the 19th century or a 1970s James Bond film, depending on your proclivities.
Its décor, which seeks to emulate - indeed, outdo - the splendour of France's famed chateaux, such as Versailles, led Marlene Dietrich to call it 'the most beautiful casino in the world'. After observing the action here, Dostoevsky was inspired to write The Gambler.
You need your passport or European national ID card to enter, and cell phones must be switched off. Games include French and American…
reviewed
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Elbphilharmonie
A squat brown-brick former warehouse is being transformed into the new Elbphilharmonie, due for completion by 2012. Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron are responsible for the design, which, like their Tate Modern building in London, boasts a glass top. This time, however, they're being far more ambitious, as the glass facade should be taller than its brick base and the roof line will rise in wavelike peaks to reflect the waterfront location.
reviewed
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KitKatClub @ Sage
This 'kitty' is naughty, sexy, decadent, listens to techno and house and fancies leather and lace, vinyl and whips. Berlin's infamous erotic nightclub currently hides out at Sage Club with its multiple dance floors, shimmering pools and fire-breathing dragon. Check the website for dress code instructions.
reviewed
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Musikhalle
The premier address for classical concerts is this splendid neobaroque edifice, home to the State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Along with the opera house, it's now artistically directed by the world's leading female conductor, Australian Simone Young.
reviewed
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Yorckschlösschen
This knick-knack-laden watering hole has plied an all-ages, all comers crowd of jazz and blues lovers with tunes and booze for over a century. There's live music on Wednesday and weekends, pub grub till 1am, a pool table out back and a garden in summer.
reviewed
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Zum Uerige
This cavernous beer hall is the best place to soak it all up. The suds flow so quickly from giant copper vats that the waiters - called Köbes - simply carry huge trays of brew and plonk down a glass whenever they spy an empty.
reviewed
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Melody Bar
After 10pm you may have to shoehorn your way into this jewel of a cocktail bar that's an island of sophistication amid the boisterous Altstadt thirst parlours. The drinks are excellent, the owner couple gracious and the crowd mixed.
reviewed
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Päffgen
Busy, loud and boisterous, Päffgen has been pouring Kölsch since 1883 and hasn't lost a step since. In summer you can enjoy the refreshing brew and local specialities beneath starry skies in the beer garden.
reviewed
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Früh Am Dom
This warren of a beer hall near the Dom epitomises Cologne earthiness. Sit inside amid loads of knick-knacks or on the terrace next to a fountain. It's also known for great breakfasts.
reviewed
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Tonhalle
The imposing domed Tonhalle, in a converted 1920s planetarium, is the home base of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker (Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra).
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Centrum
This club gets a young crowd for dance music, live bands and occasional film screenings.
reviewed
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Tresor
The techno pioneer is back in the dark industrial maze of a former power station.
reviewed
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Floating Lounge
The best time for a cold one at this retro lounge on the Eastern Comfort Hostelboat is at sunset when the sun paints the Oberbaumbrücke (bridge) a fiery red. Very romantic, very Berlin. On Wednesday nights, the Floating Lounge hosts the Boat Party, which brings together an easy-going, all-ages, international crowd keen on practicing their English skills with a merry band of English-speaking expats and visitors. It’s a fun way to meet locals and visitors over a beer and bratwurst. The party attracts lots of regulars, but don’t be shy – people are eager to welcome newcomers. Admission is €1, which is added to your first drink. Also check MC Charles’ website, www.english-ev…
reviewed
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Kuschlowski
If you’re a veteran Berlin traveller and wistfully remember the days when Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg were the haunt of improvised, trashy-cool bars, pubs and cafés, you should feel quite Piccadilly in Kreuzkölln – the hot new Kiez (neighbourhood) between Neukölln and Kreuzberg. The bad-rap ‘ghetto’ south of the Landwehrkanal is being discovered by kool kids from across town hungry for a funky, unrenovated non-scene where prices are low and people relaxed. And new ventures open up all the time to feed their appetite. Here, a fresh wind has blown into an old bordello: a small and charismatic bar with a fireplace and Russian vodka.
reviewed
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Insomnia
For a night of hedonistic pleasure, travel to far-flung Tempelhof, south of Schöneberg, the home of Insomnia. This late-19th-century ballroom has been reincarnated as a classy playground of passion presided over by SM and fetish queen Dominique. Besides the dance floor and big-screen Andrew Blake porn, there are performances and various pleasure pits, including a whirlpool, a bondage room and gynaecological chair. Saturday’s Circus Bizarre is good for first-timers; Sundays are reserved for couples and their playmates. The special-themed sex parties during the week are for more advanced players; many require preregistration.
reviewed
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Bayerische Staatsoper
Considered one of the best opera companies in the world, the Bavarian State Opera puts the emphasis on Mozart, Strauss and Wagner but doesn't shy away from early baroque pieces by Monteverdi and others of the period. In summer it hosts the prestigious Opernfestspiele. Performances are at the Nationaltheater in the Residenz and often sell out.
The opera's 'house band' is the Bayerisches StaatsorchesterM0245, in business since 1523 and thus Munich's oldest orchestra. It's currently under the capable helm of Kent Nagano who occasionally shakes up the tried-and-true repertory with contemporary and avant-garde works.
reviewed
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Lago Bay
Lago Bay is wedged between Hamburg del Mar (which looks like a pirates' cove with its famous St Pauli skull-and-crossbones flags) and Hamburg City Beach Club (with its Moroccan lounge). Refreshingly, you can actually swim at this chic retreat. Sun-loungers are arranged around the outdoor pool, while free exercise classes will help you keep fit, er, between cocktails.
S-Bahn Königstrasse will get you here, or catch bus 112 to Hafentreppe/Fischmarkt and walk for five minutes straight ahead or west from Hafentreppe; downhill from Fischmarkt to the riverbank and then right or west.
reviewed
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Stubu Dancehouse
This long-term Bremen institution has spread its wings and now offers five different spaces over three floors, from the traditional 'music club' in the basement to the new Skyline area, with house, funk and chart hits. Stubu is on a street of wall-to-wall clubs, including the huge, ex-multiplex La Viva (cnr Rembertiring & Auf der Brake). Many Bremers, however, dismiss this area as largely for 'teenies'.
Clubbing in Bremen is relatively cheap; expect to pay around €4 to around €8 at the door for regular nights, although special events may cost more.
reviewed
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Berghain/Panoramabar
It’s the best club in the world, according to Britain’s well-regarded DJ Mag, and we have no problem seconding the hype. Only vinyl masters such as André Galluzzi and Ricardo Villalobos heat up this hedonistic bass junkie hellhole inside a labyrinthine ex-power plant. The upper floor (Panoramabar, aka ‘Pannebar’) is all about house; the gay-leaning big factory hall below (Berghain) pounds with minimal techno beats. Strict door and no cameras. In summer there’s a beer garden for daytime chilling.
reviewed
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Atelier
Arthouse cinema in a backyard; Monday is 'MonGay' with homo-themed releases. Shows English-language movies.
For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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Mathäser Filmpalast
Modern 14-screen multiplex in a former beer hall. For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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Atlantis
Shows English-lanuage movies.
For show information check any of the listings publications. Admission usually ranges from around €7.50 to around €9.50 though one day a week, usually Monday or Tuesday, is Kinotag (cinema day) with reduced prices. Movies presented in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym 'OF' (Originalfassung) or 'OV' (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln).
reviewed
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Bar 25
With the 'Mediaspree' river development likely to become reality, some of Berlin’s most beloved riverside party spots are threatened. Summers just wouldn’t be the same without this surreal playground where you can arrive on Thursday and stumble home on Sunday without the party letting up. The setting is straight out of Twin Peaks : rustic log-cabin-style bar, candle-lit restaurant, a rope swing, an outdoor cinema, a spa with sauna and a trancey, thumpy club with disco ball.
reviewed
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Rechenzentrum
This club had its start in April 2008, so fingers are crossed it’ll survive. Far, far off the beaten track, in a GDR-era data processing centre (some of the chunky old computers are still there), you can feel the electro beat on Saturday night, then chill by the UFO in the riverside Funkpark on Sunday (summer only). Opening times vary, but it’s usually open Saturday and Sunday. A free bus shuttles between the club and Ostkreuz (corner Neue Bahnhofstrasse and Sonntagstrasse) between 11pm and 5am.
reviewed
