Klunkerkranich – Car Park Turned Rooftop Bar

It’s been a long time coming but if the weather forecast is to be believed we’re on the verge of a genuinely warm and sunny spell in Berlin this week.  My tip for soaking up some sun and cold beer is Klunkerkranich, the bar on the rooftop of the car park of the Neukölln Arcaden shopping centre.

Winters in Berlin are cold and long so as soon as the sun shows its face again Berliners are keen to spend as much time as possible outside.  Fortunately, the city has pavement cafés, beer gardens and rooftop bars aplenty, not to mention a glut of inner-city parks and a relaxed attitude to drinking alcohol on the street.

Klunkerkranich opened in the summer of 2013, combining a community garden and rooftop bar, in what had long been a popular spot for having a few drinks and watching the sun go down over a jaw-dropping Berlin skyline.

There’s something charmingly ramshackle about the decking, wooden furniture and plant beds, much of which has clearly been cobbled together from reclaimed materials.

The atmosphere when I was there last Sunday was relaxed but buzzy, though I should imagine it will be ridiculously busy as the summer progresses.

A relaxed afternoon and evening in the sun with friends and a few drinks culminating in a beautiful sunset, while admiring the view of the Fernsehturm from Klunkerkranich is high on my to do list this summer.