A List of Alternative Cafés, Bars and Venues in Europe

This is a list of interesting alternative bars, clubs and venues all over Europe. If you have any suggestions, please, let me know. This travel guide will be updated regularly.

AUSTRIA

For more information and events in Austria check out gothic.at.

Vienna

Cabaret Fledermaus
Spiegelgasse 2
A small club in the old town of Vienna, next to the Stephansdom. Wave night every Monday (Blue Monday).

Viper Room
Landstraßer Hauptstraße 38
Vienna’s first place to search for underground events. Gothic and dark 80s events every month, sometimes concerts.

Weberknecht
Lerchenfelder Gürtel 47-49
Usually an ordinary bar, the Weberknecht is regularly organising gothic events.

Graz

Club Q
Luthergasse 4
The most underground place you can find in Graz. More a metal place, but there are also dark events held from time to time.

Club Wakuum
Griesgasse 25
Underground/subcultural club in the centre of Graz. When entering for the first time you need to purchase a member’s card at the entrance.

Bunker
Griesgasse 25
In the same building as Wakuum is Bunker, a disco and concert venue, where gothic and EBM parties are organised.

CZECHIA

For more information and events in Czechia check out sanctuary.cz.
Sactuary also organises the annually Prague Gothic Treffen.

Prague

Underdogs’
Nádražní 3
Not so easy to find, but once you do, you find an amazing venue in a basement, where regularly concerts are organised.

Café V lese
Krymská 12
A culture and underground club a little outside the centre of Prague. Lots of events and post-punk concerts.

Cross Club
Plynární 1096/23
A very stylish club. The interieur is completely designed in a steampunk style. Electro, punk and new wave events.

ESTONIA

Tallinn

Depeche Mode Baar
Voorimehe 4
I was quite surprised to find a bar directly in the centre of the Estonian capital, which is solely dedicated to the band Depeche Mode. You can enjoy the DM-songs while drinking cocktails like ‘Master and Servant’ or ‘Personal Jesus’.

GERMANY

Berlin

8MM
Schönhauser Allee 177b
Small non-profit bar with DJ-events.

DarkSide Berlin
Nostitzstraße 30
DarkSide Berlin is actually a fetish/BDSM club, but also features gothic and industrial nights.

Duncker Club
Prenzlauer Allee
Old factory building with very nice gothic and new wave events.

Nuke Club
Pettenkoferstraße 17a
This place is a real institution, formerly known as K17. On four different floors you can for sure find one with the music you like.

HUNGARY

For events in Hungary check out gothic.hu.

Budapest

Kis Á
Irányi utca 25
Actually a tapas restaurant, the Kis Á also organises darkwave events in their basement.

Zeg Zug
Nagy Diófa utca 17
Small bar with new wave/post-punk parties in the basement.

Dürer Kért
Ajtósi Dürer sor 19-21
One of the ruin pubs, but not in the very touristic centre of Pest, but next to the Városliget. Mostly metal events, but from time to time also something for the dark crowd.

Filter ArtClub
Almássy utca 1
Close to the metro station Blaha Luiza the Filter ArtClub can be found. 80s parties, alternative, rock and dark events, as well as Depeche Mode nights are taking place there regularly. You can also try their homebrew.

~~Szabad az Á~~
Klauzál utca 15
If you are sick of the very commercial and over-touristic centre of Budapest you can find the alternative club Szabad az Á close to the most known ruin pub Szimpla Kert.

ITALY

Bologna

Locomotiv Club
Via Sebastiano Serlio 25/2

Freakout Club
Via Emilio Zago, 7c

Mikasa
Via Emilio Zago 14

Covo Club
Viale Zagabria, 1

Thanks to Giuseppe Lo Bue (Caron Dimonio) for the info!

LATVIA

Riga

Depo
Vaļņu ielā 32
Depo is a small alternative club in the centre of Riga. Regularly organised new wave and indie rock nights.

Melnā Piektdiena
Brīvības 193c
Melnā Piektdiena means “Dark Friday” and is located outside the centre of Riga. It is more of a metal place and not open every day, so take a look at their homepage to make sure something is going on there.

POLAND

For events in Poland check out AlterNation and WavePress.

Gdańsk

Drizzly Grizzly
Ul. Elektryków 1

Kraków

Jazz Rock Café
Ul.Slawkowska, 12
Very nice alternative club in the centre of Kraków. You can dance there to metal, punk and rock music.

Klub Piękny Pies
ul.Bożego Ciała 9
In the heart of the Jewish quarter Kazimierz is the Klub Piękny Pies (Beautiful Dog) where the team around UNKNOWN PLΣASVRΣS regularly organise dark parties and concerts.

Warszawa

C25
Chłodna 25

Chmury
ul. 11 listopada 22

Hydrozagadka
ul. 11 listopada 22

Pogłos
Burakowska 12

Wrocław

Centrum Reanimacji Kultury (CRK)
Jagiellończyka 10c/d

D.K. Luksus
Wita Stwosza 16

Liverpool
ul. Świdnicka 37
Between the mail railway station and the old town the rock club Liverpool is easy to find. Mostly about rock and metal music, sometimes new wave nights.

Sala Gotycka
Purkyniego 1

Stary Klasztor
Purkyniego 1

Surowiec
Ruska 46A

PORTUGAL

Lisbon

Club Noir
Rua da Madalena nº 201
One of the cult dark clubs of Lisbon. New Wave and 80s events are organised regularly.

SCOTLAND

Glasgow

Asylum
Queen Margaret Union, 22 University Gardens
Monthly organised gothic party.

SLOVAKIA

Bratislava

Batcave.sk occasionally organise the oldest gothic party of Bratislava which is still in existence, nowadays in collaboration with Sunless.

In Bratislava you can find a former YMCA, which has developed to the centre for alternative culture in Bratislava. The building is close to the railway station, you can find several clubs there:

Majestic Music Club
Karpatská 2
The Majestic Music Club (MMC) is a larger concert venue for alternative concerts.

Randal Club
Karpatská 2
The Randal Club is located in the basement of the YMCA building. Punk, metal, goth – you can find everything here.

Hopkirk
Karpatská 2
The club Hopkirk is a chill out club, where electro and other DJ-events are organised as well.

A4
Karpatská 2
A4 is more like a cultural place, where alternative events take place.

Fuga Club
Námestie SNP 24
Pure devolution. From metal through alternative ones, also many techno parties… and sometimes Batcave too.

Batelier – Underground Deluxe
Tovarenská 14
In Batelier you can find different events, like 80s parties or goth nights. About 20 minutes walk from the old town of Bratislava.

~~Midnight Café~~
Radlinskeho 24/B
Really nice coffee-house dedicated to dark music lovers.

~~SubClub~~
Nabrezie Arm. Gen. L. Svobodu
SubClub is like a cave, located inside the castle mountain of Bratislava. Mostly this club is about drum and base or dubstep, but there is also a Batcave-party every two months. Sometimes concerts are organised. SubClub unfortunately has stopped working.

Banská Býstrica

Klub 77
Horná 54
Klub 77 is a bar and a concert venue with occasionally organised Depeche Mode parties.

Rockscape
n.A.
The team around Rockscape organise yearly a festival in summer and a Depeche Mode weekend in the Tatras.

Košice

Collosseum
Vrátna 70
The main place for subcultures in Košice, mostly for fans of metal and punk. Two floors, cheap drinks, nowadays very political.

Kasárne Kulturpark
Kukučínova 2
Cultural place, former miltary barracks. Many events and concerts of all kinds.

Tabačka Kulturfabrik
Gorkého 2
A complex of old re-established factory buildings. Tabačka Kulturfabrik is an alternative culture centre for those who were hipsters before it was called like that. They have a bar, a bistro and a larger concert venue, where once Laibach played.

M-House of Music
Mäsiarska 1
A basement club with several rooms.

Trnava

Art Klub
Hlavná 17
In Art Klub Trnava occasionally Sunless-parties are organised.

SLOVENIA

Ljubljana

The Slovenian capital is not only one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen (that’s why I was living there for four years), but has also a lot to offer for alternative people. There is a squatted place, called Metelkova, where you can always find some events:

Channel Zero
Metelkova mesto
Channel Zero (CH0) offers different DJ-events, as well as concerts, from harsh electro over synthpop to EBM and dubstep.

Gromka
Metelkova mesto
In Gromka different DJ-events and concerts are organised. Check out their homepage.

Gala Hala
Metelkova mesto
Gala Hala is the biggest club in Metelkova. Concert venue and DJ-events. Nice backyard, only open in summer.

Menza pri koritu
Metelkova mesto
The Menza is a venue for art performances, concerts and DJ-events.

Orto Bar
Grablovičeva 1
Orto Bar is an alternative venue, close to Metelkova. 80s parties, concerts and rock nights. Cult, but not very cheap!

Pritličje
Mestni trg
Pritličje is a bar in the very centre of Ljubljana. A place where the hipsters and the “woke” gather. Sometimes good concerts (minimal wave).

Maribor

Pekarna
Ob železnici 16
Alternative zone of Maribor. Many events for subcultural people.

SPAIN

Madrid

The DJ-teams DarkHole and Mysteria are organising dark events in Madrid.

Unterwelt
Fomento 16
Open on Fridays and Saturdays, also sometimes on holidays.

Cosmos Bar
Calle de Garcilaso 3
Open on Fridays and Saturdays, also sometimes on holidays.

Barcelona

Undead Dark Club
violant D´hongría nº 128
Open on Fridays and Saturdays.

Thanks to Javi for providing these locations for Spain!

UKRAINE

For events in Ukraine check out gothic.com.ua or LembergDarkFan (FB group).

L’viv

Doctor Faust
Вірменська 14 (Armenia Street 14)

FESTrepublic
Старознесенська, 24 (Staroznesens’ka 24)

Малевич нічний клуб (Malevich Night Club)
пр-т В. Чорновола, 2 (Prospekt V. Chornovola 2)

Паб Братиська (Pub Bratys’ka)
Проїзд Крива Липа 11 (Projizd Kryva Lypa 11)

П’яте підземелля (The Fifth Dungeon)
Площа Ринок, 5 (Ploshcha Rynok 5)

Човен (Choven)
вул. Вірменська, 33 (Armenian Street 33)

~~Bukowski~~
вул. Івана Франка, 3 (Ivan Franco street 3)
The deepest hole you can find in whole Lviv. Good music, cheap drinks. Don’t get involved in any fights!

Thanks to Katryusa for providing these locations for L’viv!