Berlin Nightlife: Clubs, Techno & the World's Best Party Scene

Berlin's nightlife is a UNESCO-recognized cultural institution and the reason many residents moved here in the first place. The techno scene born from reunification's abandoned buildings now runs Thursday night through Monday morning. Berghain — a former power station — remains the pinnacle; door selection is famously rigorous (dress dark, go alone or in pairs, no photos). Tresor in Mitte occupies a former bank vault for ferocious techno. Watergate on the Spree has floor-to-ceiling riverside windows and one of the city's finest sound systems. Sisyphos, in an old dog food factory, is the friendliest and most surreal. Cover charges run €12–€20; drinks are affordable by any European standard.