Berlin’s best hang-outs are, strictly speaking, unnamed, unmarked and deep underground. As soon as signs start to surface, these places segue into something quite different. A few places, however, are cool enough to withstand the pressure of popularity.

Kastanienallee

The Prenzlauer Berg street that’s nicknamed Casting Alley for the number of poseurs found there. Cafes 103 and Schwarz Sauer house the most.

Berghain/Panorama Bar, Friedrichshain

Set your alarm for 6am on Sunday to go breakfast raving in this former power station. Brace yourself, though – its strict no-camera policy ensures a gay-heavy sexual freedom, in true Berlin style.

St Oberholz, Mitte

The free wireless connection makes this two-floor cafe the place to see and be seen with your MacBook. Breakfast is Berlin’s most important meal (read: networking opportunity), so be sure to bag a seat before the midday rush.

Mauerpark flea market, Prenzlauer

Berg Ostensibly a place to truffle for vintage treasures (clothes, lo-fi technology, records) on lazy Sundays, really more like a mini Glastonbury with DJs, barbecues and beer, and plenty of the expat “family”.

Bar Kim, Prenzlauer Berg

“This old thing?” An unprepossessing empty shop is the perfectly understated venue for one of Berlin’s hippest bars, where up-and-coming DJs play to the art set.

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