Berlin in a nutshell

Use Resident Advisor (RA) App to see who is playing at what club and to buy tickets
You will need cash at clubs. Cover is usually 15-25€, Drinks around 10€ for longdrinks. Tipping not required.
Berlin clubs are all pretty queer friendly. While there are gay clubs, I wouldn’t necessarily call any clubs exclusively straight. Everything is a bit fluid in Berlin
I recommend to learn basic partying phrases of German to be able to speak to bouncers at the door. In general, try to be cool when waiting in line. Bouncers will reject if they think you’re not a vibe for the party, so ideally inform yourself where you wanna go, who’s playing etc.
https://www.justapack.com/partying-in-berlin-get-into-berlin-clubs/?cn-reloaded=1
Sisyphos is a great club
Tresor is popular with tourists
KitKat is more fetish and absolutely worth the experience. My favorite berlin club. You need to dress the part tho. And no white sneakers.
Berghain is obviously super popular, but hard to get into and super long lines (you will wait hours on saturday evening)
Soda is probably the straightest of them all. Has like 7/8 floors with all types of music, which is cool if you’re with people who don’t wanna listen to techno all the time
Avoid Matrix. Popular with 16 year olds who have trips to Berlin for the first time, but I went once sarcastically and was laughing my ass of the entire night having a good time

Mitte is where all the government and official buildings are, but also where you will find most of the startup scene (around Hackescher Markt). Mitte also has many great restaurants from all over the world in all price classes imaginable
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is legally just one borough, but the two areas are physically separated from each other by the river Spree. In Kreuzberg you will find most “Hipsters” and also startup culture (used to be low-class neighborhood 15 years ago, now its super popular and “cool”) and lots of coffee spots. Friedrichshain is known for its many great and diverse restaurants, especially around Boxhagener Platz
The area around Bahnhof Zoologischer Garten (short: Bahnhof Zoo) used to be the downtown area of former West Berlin. Here you will find lots of expensive shopping options along Kurfürstendamm, but also lots of cool bars
While all of Berlin is pretty queer-friendly, Schöneberg tends to be the most famous LGBTQ+ neighborhood, especially the area around Nollendorfplatz. Boyberry and Heile Welt are great gay bars.
Neukölln used to be a rather problematic, low-income neighborhood. It is currently being heavily gentrified and undergoes a similar development Kreuzberg has experienced in the past 15 years.

I absolutely adore li.ke Thai kitchen (in Friedrichshain). It’s a vegan Thai restaurant with an amazing cuisine and selection. I recommend ordering 2-3 small bowls per person and some rice on the side. If you go with other people, that way you can mix & share and try lots of different options
https://goo.gl/maps/pgpCJknPfXznTHEL8
Kebap with Attitude (in Mitte) is a fancy, stylish place that sells high quality Döner and Falafel. While more expensive than just getting a “normal” kebap anywhere in the city (which you absolutely should also do!), I think it’s unique branding, atmosphere and taste are worth the upcharge
https://goo.gl/maps/3noSeM2DQqQH8Pjo7
YamYam (in Mitte) is a great Korean food place that started my love for Bibimbap and Bulgogi
https://goo.gl/maps/teoR2KtWvp9fyxzk8
Borchardt has the best Schnitzel of the city. While kind of pricey, definitely worth it if you want high-quality authentic veal Schnitzelhttps://goo.gl/maps/tgbg2Ct6bX9X6PmSA
Curry 36 has multiple locations within the city (the original location is located on Mehringdamm) and has the best Currywurst in Berlinhttps://goo.gl/maps/6FmSjp3V6bR1n3vV6

The Käfer Dachgarten-Restaurant on the Reichstag is a little secret. While a bit pricey, I don‘t know any other parliament in the world where you can have dinner with an amazing view over the city. Plus, you get easy access to the Reichstag dome. Reservations required 48h ahead. https://maps.app.goo.gl/B2rT3EBFVaPQnz9Z8

Germany recently introduced the Deutschlandticket. It‘s a public transit ticket that is valid in trains, buses, ferries etc all over Germany (except for IC & ICE trains, those are excluded) for 58€/month. You need to get it as a subscription, but you can cancel it immediately and only use it for one month. If you’re just there for a couple of days, I propose getting a weekly pass via the Jelbi app
I usually use Apple / Google Maps for transit directions. You can also use Jelbi (app from BVG) and get tickets on their app (including Deutschlandticket)