153 Best Bars in Germany

A drinking spot for people who love cigars, or a smoking room for people who love top-shelf alcohol, Lebensstern consistently wins awards, in and out of Germany, as one of the best bars in the world. If the floor-to-ceiling cases full of bottles make you dizzy, ask the bartenders for a recommendation: all are well-versed in the relative merits of rums and whiskeys.

This trendy bar has moved into the former space of Die Kelter jazz club. There's no more live music, but there are inventive drinks and bar bites, and it's also open as a coffee shop at lunchtime.

The tiny Mister B's is a treat. Featuring classic jazz performances, the club is run by New Yorker Alex Best, who also mixes great cocktails and, unlike so many other barkeeps, usually wears a welcoming smile.

After changing locations, the storied Mojo Club has been reborn and is now located beneath a spaceship-like hatch, which rises out of the sidewalk to allow in revelers who come to see live local and international acts, as well as DJs spinning jazz, funk, soul, and electronic beats.

A true Reeperbahn institution, this bar and venue hosts local and international bands and DJs. Featuring a large outdoor area for summer gigs, Molotow is one of the best locations for live music in St. Pauli. Due to its size, it attracts smaller acts than the venues on Grosse Freiheit but that just makes the atmosphere all the more intimate and memorable.

This ultramodern nightclub, formerly the Cocoon Club, has four spacious dance floors that play different types of music, three bars, and two restaurants serving Asian-European dishes. Techno is the presiding music genre and draws a mostly young crowd; the club is open Thursday to Saturday only. A night out here will take a toll on your wallet: a taxi is required to reach its location on the eastern edge of town, and the cover charge and cocktails are both pricey.

Open regularly in the winter, the docked boat MS Hoppetosse rocks steady to reggae and dance hall, house, techno, or hip-hop. A few steps into Treptow from Kreuzberg (if you pass Freischwimmer you're on the right track), there are fantastic views of the Spree River from both the lower-level dance floor or the top deck. The boat is the winter location for Club der Visionaere and hosts occasional parties in summer.

One of the best live venues in the city, this club housed inside a historic power station hosts up-and-coming bands as well as leading indie acts from around the world. The café-bar (open during events only) and the modest beer garden (open when the weather is good) serves surprisingly good organic food along with organic beer from the Lammsbräu Brewery.

An independent craft beer pub, Muted Horn was opened by Canadian expats in Berlin and has become one of the city's best brewpubs. With 22 rotating taps, a rustic interior of wooden tables, and a bookshelf full of board games, it's easy to stay here for hours. An outdoor patio is open all year as well. Make sure to try a beer flight.

This posh bar in Mitte has been around for ages. Helmut Newton's larger-than-life photos of nude women decorate the walls.

Opened in 1967, the Ochsengarten is Munich's men-only bar for lovers of leather and rubber.

Bordering the Englischer Garten, in a wing of Haus der Kunst, the P1 club has been a popular party location since the 1980s. It is chockablock with the rich and the wannabe rich and can be fun if you're in the mood. Seats on the seasonal terrace are highly coveted, so reservations are essential. The bouncers can be choosy about whom they let in, so you'll need to dress in style—or according to the theme for their special events such as Halloween. 

This classic, kitschy, roaring twenties–style Altstadt Biersalon plays oldies from Piaf to Porter.

For live jazz, head to the tiny Papa Joe's Jazzlokale, where there's never a cover charge.

Established more than a decade ago, this is still one of the most lively clubs on the scene, combining dance, burlesque, and all kinds of music, all night long.

The name ironically refers to the planned socialist economic system; it attracts an alternative crowd.

This club, located under the multipurpose art space Planet Modulor Aufbau Haus, has become a neighborhood hangout. DJs, live bands, flea markets, and even food events have all found a home in here. The club is a bit hard to find—look for the ramp leading down to what seems like a parking garage off Prinzenstrasse. It's next to Parker Bowles restaurant, which the club also operates.

A Munich fixture since 1974, the nautical-style Pusser's Bar pours great cocktails and Irish-German black-and-tans (Guinness and strong German beer). Try the rum-based \"Painkiller,\" a specialty of the house. Enjoy live piano music Thursday to Saturday evenings from 9pm on in the downstairs piano bar. 

To get to Quasimodo, the most established and popular jazz venue in the city, you'll need to descend a small staircase to the basement of the Theater des Westens. Despite its college-town pub feel, the club has hosted many Berlin and international greats. Seats are few, but there's plenty of standing room in the front.

This club may not enjoy the breathless hype of some of its brethren, but it has consistency, and perhaps staying power (it's been open since 2007—a lifetime in Berlin). Only the determined will find the place: it’s in an old factory that you reach via a courtyard off a quiet street. Three dance floors with different kinds of music allow you to pick and choose, and the club’s decor includes some Alice-in-Wonderland-like objects like a giant teapot, strangely illuminated stacked cubes, and a ceiling made of umbrellas.

If you don't find any eye candy at tiny Roses there are always the furry red walls and kitschy paraphernalia to admire. It opens at 9:30 pm and keeps going until very late (and is usually very smoky).

This cocktail bar, which bills itself as the oldest in Berlin (it opened in 1975), may have the right to be a bit snooty: there is only room for around 30 people, and if they're full you'll be waiting outside in the cold. But inside, the bar is classic and cozy, with built-in shelves for spirits, and every patron has a front-row seat to the bartenders' show. The drinks, too, are worth the wait—just don't let the bartender catch you showing ignorance about alcohol or, God forbid, treating your cocktail as anything less than a work of art.

Affiliated with nearby Sage Restaurant, this eclectic club is open only on Thursday. Different floors play different music, from rock to electro, so expect to see diverse crowds depending on the vibe (check the program on the website).

This bar, club, and performance venue has anchored the district’s nightlife scene ever since it was founded by three visionary British brothers in 2006. The upstairs is a straightforward bar, cozy and local, while the cavelike cellar hosts live bands and a range of shows including experimental fashion, open-mic, and underground vinyl parties.

A favorite hangout among the city's business elite, this stylish bar serves great cocktails.

In the same location since 1703, it was a favorite of the Burschenschaften, or dueling fraternities, for two centuries. These days it's popular with Heidelberg's university students, locals, and visitors for its traditional ambience and well-priced food and beer that starts flowing at 7:30 am daily. The wood-panel walls are filled with historic photos and maps. There also are budget-price rooms upstairs.

SchwuZ moved to the newly hip Neukölln neighborhood from its original location on Mehringdamm, in Kreuzberg, and the new digs in the old Kindl brewery serve it well: in addition to 1980s music and house dance nights, expect more varied offerings like drag shows, concert performances, and art exhibitions. The venue prides itself on being a "shelter" for queer communities and non-heteronormative lifestyles.

This perennially popular Irish pub in the heart of the Old Town has a vast selection of whiskies and spirits. It also, somewhat surprisingly, does one of the city's best schnitzels. It's open from lunchtime until late.