27 editor picks across Germany.
27 dance clubs worth the night across Germany, editor-ranked. All Germany guides.
Berghain occupies a former Vattenfall power plant in Friedrichshain and remains the canonical Berlin techno club, with Sven Marquardt's door and Klubnacht.
TipNo phones inside, no logo'd clothes, no big groups. Klubnacht queue moves all weekend; small groups in black after 04:00 fare better than 23:00 lines.
Blitz Club opened in 2017 in the former congress hall of the Deutsches Museum on Museumsinsel, with a four-point custom VOID sound system and beech-panelled.
TipNo phones inside. The lease ends in September 2026 and a relocation within Munich is planned, so check the calendar before travel.
Sisyphos took over a former dog-biscuit factory on Hauptstrasse in Rummelsburg and runs a non-stop weekend party with three indoor floors, a lake.
TipRuns continuously Friday night through Monday morning; bring layers, sunglasses and a swimsuit for the lake. S-Bahn to Rummelsburg is the easy way in.
Tresor moved from its original Leipziger Platz vault to the Kraftwerk powerhouse on Koepenicker Strasse in 2007 and still books the harder end of Berlin.
TipThe Globus floor upstairs runs broader house; the cavernous Tresor floor downstairs is where the kick-drum lives. Cash only at the bar.
Molotow on Nobistor in Hamburg's St Pauli has booked indie, punk and post-rock since 1990, with The Killers, White Stripes, Black Keys and Mumford and Sons early shows.
TipMoved to the old Top Ten Club location in March 2025; lease secured to 2037.
About Blank runs next to Ostkreuz S-Bahn as a collectively-run club and garden, programming queer-leaning techno, breaks and electro across an indoor floor.
TipThe garden runs through the warm months and is the reason to arrive at sundown. Awareness team active; no phones on the floors.
RSO opened in 2021 in Niederschoeneweide as the successor crew to the shuttered Griessmuehle, and it now anchors the harder, darker end of Berlin techno.
TipTen minutes on foot from S Schoeneweide. The room peaks 04:00 onward; a quiet 02:00 floor is normal here, not a sign of a slow night.
Else is the Renate crew's open-air club at Treptower Park S-Bahn, opening every May for the summer season with house and slow-techno across a sandy.
TipOpen-air only; Else closes for winter and reopens in May. Bring sunglasses, sunscreen and patience for the cash bar.
Bootshaus in Cologne's Deutz district is an electronic music club running ticketed nights for more than 20 years, voted Germany's best club in 2022.
TipCheck the bootshaus.tv calendar before going: with no event listed the club is closed that night, and doors vary from 22:00 to 23:00.
Uebel und Gefaehrlich on Feldstrasse in a former Nazi flak tower on the Heiligengeistfeld in Hamburg books indie, electro and hip-hop, with the rooftop terrace open in summer.
TipLocated on the 4th floor of the bunker; lift access. Friday and Saturday from 23:00.
Mojo Club under the Tanzende Tuerme on Hamburg's Reeperbahn programs jazz, soul, world music and DJ nights in an underground basement room since 1989.
TipUnderground only; lift from the Spielbudenplatz entrance. Jazz Mondays and DJ weekends.
Grosse Freiheit 36 on the street where the Beatles played in 1960 to 1962 is now one of Hamburg's biggest concert venues, with rock, indie and electronic acts on a 1500-capacity floor.
TipBeatles played the Kaiserkeller in the same building 1960 to 1962; the Star-Club site is across the street.
Bahnwärter Thiel runs in a yard of stacked shipping containers and old train carriages south of the Schlachthof, with a Kulturhaus floor for techno and house.
TipProgramme runs Wednesday to Sunday across multiple spaces; warm months open the outdoor yard and the tram bar. Tram 18 to Poccistrasse.
Indra Club on Grosse Freiheit in Hamburg's St Pauli is where the Beatles first played in 1960, now a medium-sized live club with weekly jam sessions on Thursdays.
TipThursday jam sessions and Wednesday table-tennis nights; weekend programme rotates between burlesque, punk and singer-songwriters.
Docks on Spielbudenplatz on Hamburg's Reeperbahn is one of the quarter's largest live-music halls, booking rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic acts at a 1500-capacity room.
TipCloakroom mandatory; the bar accepts card. Most nights start with a support act 20:30.
PAL on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg's St Pauli runs the basement-techno sister to Baalsaal in the same building, with a smaller dance floor and a strict door from 23:00.
TipNo phones; awareness team. Walk down to the basement entrance from the street.
Rote Sonne shares the Maximiliansplatz 5 building with Pacha and Harry Klein and books harder techno and house from local residents and international guests.
TipThe room peaks well after 02:00. The shared address with Pacha and Harry Klein means three different doors on one corner; check the night's headliner.
KitKatClub shares an industrial building with Sage Club on Koepenicker Strasse and runs an enforced fetish dress code, with tech-house and trance nights.
TipDress code is enforced at the door (leather, latex, lingerie or skin); jeans and street wear are turned away. Lockers and changing rooms at the entrance.
Gewölbe in Cologne sits in a vault beneath the tracks of Bahnhof West at Hans-Böckler-Platz, running techno and house club nights on Fridays and Saturdays.
TipLine-ups and ticket links are posted on gewoelbe.club and Resident Advisor before each weekend date.
Tanzhaus West drives Frankfurt techno through an old industrial complex on Gutleutstraße, marathon weekend sets running past sunrise into Sunday.
TipEvents like the 28-hour season openers run through the morning; check the programme and buy ahead for anniversary nights.
Prinzenbar on Kastanienallee off the Reeperbahn in Hamburg's St Pauli runs a small-room electronic and indie night, with neoclassical interior in a former cinema.
TipCapacity around 300; club nights Fri and Sat from 23:00.
Baalsaal on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg's St Pauli is the quarter's underground techno club, with a long Friday and Saturday programme in a small dark basement room.
TipNo phones inside; door selective on weekends. Cash and card both accepted at the bar.
Artheater on Ehrenfeldgürtel in Cologne's Ehrenfeld has combined a club, a concert hall and a stage since 1998, mixing gigs, stand-up and club nights.
TipCheck the artheater.de calendar for the night's format, since concerts, stand-up comedy and club nights share the same building.
Odonien in Cologne's Ehrenfeld is an independent culture site with an open-air atelier and sculpture park, hosting techno, trance and house club nights.
TipOdonien.de lists each party, flea market and theatre date; club nights usually start at 23:00.
Pacha München sits on Maximiliansplatz inside a multi-club complex with Rote Sonne and Harry Klein, programming electronic, hip-hop and urban nights.
TipThe Wednesday-to-Saturday calendar mixes international DJs with hip-hop and RnB nights. Buy ahead for headline parties.
Cassiopeia sits in a former industrial hall on the RAW grounds in Friedrichshain and runs a broader booking than its techno-heavy neighbours, with hip-hop.
TipThe summer beer garden is the easiest way in on a hot night. Weekday nights are local and cheap; Saturday gets touristed.
Chinaski packs a bar-sized dancefloor near Frankfurt's Opernplatz, the late-week club for people who wanted a bar until midnight and then changed their minds.
TipThursday is the local secret; Saturday queues build after 01:00 when the Opernplatz bars empty out.
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