Expert expat's tips: Cam Hassard, Berlin

Berlin has a wonderful nightlife year-round.Credit: iStock

Stepping out from his stomping grounds in between Melbourne's leafy east and hipster inner north, Cam has spent seven years in Berlin, wielding a pen and tenor sax in his roles as a journalist and musician, IG: @camhassard

SEE

I live right by Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin's de-commissioned airfield turned open-for-all recreation park. The pop-up cinema hidden inside the old departures hall is a peak Berlin experience. In a city flush with galleries, clubs and historical hotspots, Sammlung Boros ticks all the boxes: former military bunker during WWII, club hub post-Wall years, and these days, an archetypal Berlin art institution. See sammlung-boros.de

Cameron Hassard.Credit: Anna Serrano

DO

Kreuzberg's Viktoria Park has a waterfall and panoramic view of the otherwise fairly flat Berlin sprawl. I spend balmy summer eves here necking wegbier with pals, or by the dinghy-laden Landwehr canal around Admiralbrücke, a bridge where buskers and locals meet for golden-hour drinks and revelry (fun fact: Berlin has more bridges than Venice).

EAT

For a great local buzz, Markthalle Neun is a historical market showcasing celebrated in-house artisans like Kumpel & Keule, Alte Milch and Café 9. My infallibly loyal third-wave caffeine dealer is Chapter One. See markthalleneun.de, chapter-one-coffee.com

DRINK

My preferred Wim Winders-style smoky dive saloon is Ratzeputz in Neukölln, a joint I perform in occasionally with surf-western sleaze duo 'Ron Huss and The Weasel'. Order a smoky 'Husserac' and tell 'em Ron sent you (otherwise a shot of the eponymous 58 per cent herbal liquor will have you seeing quadruple). See ratzeputzberlin.com

AVOID

Staying in. A nightlife wonderland year-round, Berlin is an endlessly moveable culinary and gastronomic feast. The city explodes in summers, rife with grill parties, open airs, live gigs, clubs, rooftop sessions, and spati (late-night licenced convenience stores) crawls.

THRIVE

In winter I like to nude up and thaw out with young and old in the co-ed Balinese-inspired sauna retreat, Vabali (an unbeatable €40/$A63 for a full day's pampering). See vabali.de