A Special Night Out | Discover some new sides to the city

(1) Out with visitors: A tourist spot (that isn't lame)

Showing your friends the "real" Berlin doesn't always have to end with a tour to the Brandenburg gate. Why not pay a visit to the realm of trashy glitz that the city is so well known for? Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams have been amongst the famous visitors of Zum schmutzigen Hobby, a former queer bar next to the RAW club in Freidrichshain. Berlin's most famous tranny, Nina Queer, hosts the "Glamour Quiz" on Wednesday nights: Twenty questions on the newest coffee klatsch, the winner takes it all, meaning a bottle of champagne and a special jackpot. "Regular readers of Gala and Bild will be at a definite advantage" says Queer's partner Ingo Palmowski. And you never stop learning. "I learned about Justin Bieber's illegitimate child last time". It might not be rocket science, but you'll have tons of fun!

Zum schmutzigen Hobby, Revaler Straße 99, next to RAW, Tor 2, Berlin-Friedrichshain, www.ninaqueer.com

(2) Take your husband/wife-to-be to the strongroom – or the rooftop

Will you marry me? It's the hardest and most beautiful question of all. But how do you ask it and where? Monica Faas, a wedding expert at Hotel de Rome, knows what lovebirds want. "A proposal is a very individual experience. Some people want to pop the question over the pilot's speaker on an airplane, others travel the tip of the Kilimandscharo to do it." If you don't want to go to Africa, you can always come to the strong room at Hotel de Rome for a classic candlelight dinner in the Tresorraum, a former jewelery treasury, or watch the sunset on the rooftop terrace with an overview of historical Berlin.

Hotel de Rome, Behrenstraße 37, Berlin-Mitte, Tel. +49 30 460 60 90, www.hotelderome.de

(3) Out with old friends: Kegel exercises

If you're having trouble finding something to talk about because you're not sure where to begin, a round of bowling might be perfect to losen things up. "We don't have a federal bowling alley," says Maria Mangold about the retro kegel lanes at Figl. "Our lanes aren't calibrated. But sports and competition aren't the most important thing. It's about having fun!" Mediterranean snacks are served from the Figl kitchen and the upstairs restaurant will turn sore losers into good sports with the help of beer and wine.

Kai Schütte/HiPi

Kai Schütte/HiPi

Figl, Urbanstraße 46, Berlin-Kreuzberg, Tel. +49 30 72 29 08 50, www.gasthaus-figl.de

(4) Family time: Tatort

The next time your parents pop up at your door for a surprise visit on a Sunday night, the best thing to save them from witnessing the emptiness of your fridge and desolate state of your apartment is to meet them at your door and defer them to the bar around the corner for some good old Whodunnit. It's easy to find Tatort-screening Bars in Berlin, and especially the Volksbar in Mitte has become a popular spot. "There's always a colorful mix of people – young and old – lounging around on our chairs and sofas," says the owner Till Wasilewski. "You feel like you're in your living room, just with more people." Service at Volksbar is speedy and attentive, and will brink drinks and snacks like cheese nachos directly to your spot on the sofa so you won't miss anything!

Volksbar, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 39, Berlin-Mitte, Tel. +49 30 74 76 95 92, www.volksbar-berlin.de

(5) With colleagues: Four meals and a funeral

It can be tricky to find the right location for office parties or even a "casual" drink with new friends from work. Where do you go? What do you talk about? Strictly organized shows are perfect for nights like these because you can just sit down and let yourself be entertained. But when you're barely allowed to whisper, the downside is that you'll never get to know your colleagues. For a couple of years now, so-called Showdinners have been on the rise. Adagio hosts one at regular intervals, and the club/restaurant's old masonry couldn't be a more perfect backdrop for an Edgar Wallace style dining experience. Dinner guests are mourners at a wake and ensuing reading of the will. Meals are served in several courses as family secrets and intrigues unravel. Then there are short pauses so the dinner guests can riddle together. This way, you've got an excellent dinner and there's always something to talk about.

Adagio, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, Berlin-Tiergarten, Tel. +49 30 25 89 89 13, www.adagioexklusiv.de