The Berlin night offers everything from grungy dives to ultra-chic discos. The Sage-Club (Köpenicker Strasse 76, 278 9830, www.sage-club.de) is a complex beneath Heinrich-Heine-Strasse U-Bahn station, with an assortment of club nights. Kaffee Burger (Torstrasse 60, 2804 6495, www.kaffeeburger.de) hosts a varied programme of live music and other events. Berghain (Am Wriezener Bahnhof, no phone, www.berghain.de), is Berlin’s new techno temple.

Berlin’s gay scene is one of the biggest and wildest in Europe. The bars of Motzstrasse and Fuggerstrasse in Schöneberg, Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg, and Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg make good starting points, while Saturday nights at SchwuZ (Mehringdamm 61, 6290 8819, www.schwuz.de) find a mixed crowd enjoying an assortment of dancefloors and bars. SO36 (Oranienstrasse 190, 6140 1306, www.so36.de) is another key venue for both gays and lesbians.