Berlin Gay Bars - Photos: Babewyn & OutUK | For more than a century our history has been profoundly affected by events in Berlin. It's had a massive cultural and social influence on the whole of the continent and today Berlin has a gay scene unrivalled in size and visibility by any European city. |
| In the 20's and 30's its divinely decadent gay nightlife, celebrated in Cabaret, attracted a legion of British homosexuals escaping from this country's oppressive laws. More than 90% of Berlin was destroyed by the Allies at the end of the war and then there was the Cold War isolation of the city into East and West zones. | |
| West Berlin was given massive cash subsidies to develop into a showpiece of Western freedom and democracy and it attracted a large alternative subculture. This was partly because living on a Cold War battleground inside the Eastern bloc wasn't particularly attractive whatever your politics or lifestyle, and it was the only place in West Germany where you didn't have to do national service. | 
Berliner Fernsehturm (TV Tower) Photo: OutUK |
| Meanwhile the East German government tried to make their part of Berlin a prestige showpiece for its oppressive regime. With the reunification of Germany and millions of Deutschmarks pouring in to reconstruct the East, Berlin is currently the most exciting European capital for gay men. | |
| Berlin still has two centres based around the old West and Eastern sectors and the gay scene reflects this. However with gays an accepted part of Berlin life, there are many gay and gay friendly bars and shops spread all over. Only in this city (or perhaps San Francisco) would you find a stylish and very large Waterstone's style gay book and video store with explicit window displays on a main shopping street - Brunos opposite Nollendorfplatz U-Bahn station. | 
The Berlin Wall Photo: OutUK |
| Every summer the Pride Weeks in June are celebrated with a gay and lesbian city festival, which includes the popular CSD on the Spree parade and many other events. Many of the streets of Berlin play host to demonstrations for equal rights and gay pride celebrations. | |
THE SCHWULES MUSEUM (THE GAY MUSEUM)The Schwules Museum has been showing curated art as well as treasures from its own collection in temporary special exhibitions since 1985. It not only presents gay, lesbian, trans, bisexual and queer life stories but reflects the diverse art, culture and history of the LGBTIQ+ communities and, with its location in Schöneberg's Regenbogenkiez, is the ideal starting point to explore the LGBTIQ+ scene in Berlin. | |
The Schwules Museum - Photo: Zblace CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons | From the Gay Museum you can walk a little more than ten minutes to the Nollendorfkiez. Motzstraße, which branches off from Nollendorfplatz, which is where the Lesbian-Gay City Festival is celebrated every year. Stroll along Kleiststraße and take a detour to Eisenacher Straße and Fuggerstraße. Throughout the area you will also find many gay bars, pubs, shops and other offers for the LGBTIQ+ community. |
BARS AND CAFESIn the Eastern part of the city many bars are situated around the Schönhauser Allee in the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg areas. Regeneration has meant much of East Berlin now has plenty of designer shops and trendy bars.Connection Fuggerstrasse 33, has a mirrored dance floor and three floors of cruising corridors. This popular leather bar features a darkroom called the Twilight Zone. It's best to go here quite late on as it doesn't get busy until after 1am. Woof Berlin has a popular, casual, near-nondescript space with a darkroom that attracts older bears and their younger proteges, some of whom are there to earn a living. Roses has a deserved fame as a gay bar where top figures from Berlin's music scene and culture have been; and New Action caters to the leather, dom/sub crowd and its play areas are small and crowded. Just nearby you will find BULL Berlin, a bit of a last-resort choice of Schöneberg gay male sex-seekers including the fetish-minded, but it has a certain grubby charm. Silverfuture is known for cocktails & whisky, plus dance music & drag shows. Kings, queens, criminal queers and their friends from Berlin and all over the world hang out there. Prinzknecht is a popular meeting place of the Berlin scene not only for its summer terrace. Their very attractive circular bar attracts some of the hottest guys in the city. Each week they hold an event called "The Wednesday of the Prince's Servant", when you have two drinks for the price of one and see twice as many delicious men! | 
Berlin Nights - Photos: OutUK |
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The gay bars in Berlin really do cater for all tastes:
Scheune has an older clientele and a small fun cruising space;
and The New Oldtimer is a cozy feel-good bar located directly on Wittenbergplatz.
Club Triebwerk have closed their basement darkroom complex but there's a small area upstairs for play - Saturday's a naked party night. Betty F*** is a compact gay bar offering cocktails & brews, regular events & DJ nights; K6 has a menu of traditional German food and a low-key bar; Capture Bar is a gay hangout with late hours and a neighborhood vibe featuring live entertainment and dancing; and Curly Café is a friendly queer bar and cafe, super cozy, with barista coffee, cake, small tapas and delicious Berliner Berg craft beer. | |
Tabasco Bar in the Fuggerstraße - Photo: Babewyn CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
Tabasco bills itself as the bar - Where boys meet men and men meet boys. It's one of the oldest gay bars in Berlin, with dark and seedy
atmosphere where you'll find plenty of young guys willing to keep you company for a contribution.
Alternatively, why not cruise the night in Grosse Freiheit 114 with its backrooms and cabins. It's located in the heart of the gay Friedrichshain district. |
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Pussycat is a popular gem of a bar in Berlin with a pleasant community atmosphere and friendly staff; and
BLOND Cocktail Bar claim to have the best cocktails in Berlin. It's a buzzing gay bar for coffee & cakes by day, followed by cocktails to an 1980s
trash-pop soundtrack in the evening. They also stage drag shows, fun karaoke sessions and bingo.
Heile Welt also has a nice atmosphere. It's heterofriendy and can be visited by women. There's plenty of space to move and hang around and it's a trendy after-work spot or somewhere to begin your clubbing night. There's a separate smoking room. Bar to the Dirty Hobby, is a small bar which plays grungy, trendy, music in a good atmosphere. Although not very stylish it is cozy with outdoor sitting that's great in the summer! Boyberry Berlin is similar in concept to bars found in Barcelona and Madrid. It's on the site of the legendary Tom's Bar which closed a couple of years ago. They intend it to be a bar aimed very much at twinks. If you come from another group such as older guys, fetish people or bears you should expect that your entry is likely to be refused. If you do get in you you'll find the bars packed with a young crowd. The cruising area is clean and has the right amount of lighting or darkness. THE CHRISTMAS SEASON IN BERLIN | |
Christmas Stalls and Market in Berlin Photo: Leonhard Lenz - CC0 via Wikimedia Commons | In the run up to Christmas the gay and lesbian community gets the Advent season in Berlin underway with the LGBTQIA Winterdays. The events send out a message for more openness and tolerance throughout the city. Christmas Avenue has long since established itself as a popular meeting place in the pre-Christmas season. |
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It's protected from wind and rain under the roof of the elevated railway and hosts a range of stalls that will entice you with
decorative items, handicrafts and fashionable accessories. You can look forward to colourful, sparkling Christmas lights, an exuberant atmosphere
and a selection of hot cocktails and culinary delicacies.
The aim is to create a special and safe place during the Christmas season where the entire community can feel at home and reach most of the bars and clubs of the gay scene easily and quickly. Every year, the gay and lesbian community rings in the season of charity with a very special ten-day stage programme in the run-up to Christmas. CLUBBINGBerlin's best known club lab.oratory is located at Am Wriezener Bahnhof. Pump up your weekend with a sex party open for everyone, and their bonus of two drinks for the price of one all night. Fuck 2-4-1, Yellow Facts, Naked Sex Party, Athletes night, Naked Mondays, Snearsox and even an Office Slut Meet are just some of their specials.The SchwulenZentrum, shortened to: SchwuZ was founded in 1977, regards itself as - a place of rebellion and emancipation for non-heteronormative lifestyles. They come together as men, women or neither of the two, white or black queers, queers of color, trans or inter people, lesbians and gays, bearded women, queens, butch and fem, people with and without disabilities, migrants, young and old, and so much more. They throw parties every Friday and Saturday, including pop, indie, R.n.B & hip hop, all-time favorites, oldies, German hits, house & techno! GMF Berlin is located right in the heart of Berlin, at the Alexanderplatz. Changing DJs entertain you on 2 floors with House/Electro and Pop/HipHop/RnB. On the roof garden of terrace you can enjoy the views over Berlin and refreshing drinks. Every Sunday at 11:00 they host a popular gay party which has established itself in the gay Club culture of Europe. For a seriously sexy night out there's Böse Buben in the Sachsendamm. They hold an interesting selection of nights including: After Work with spanking or a nightcap at the bar; BITCH!, a sex party for everyone with minimal dress; BöseBuben-Nacht which is a night specially for spankers; There's also RIMM-Club; SUCK-Club; FIST-Club; FEET-Club; LICK-Club; and even FIGHT-Club if you are into wrestling, boxing or MMA Fighting. Be sure you go on the right night and adhere to their dress code which is different each time. GETTING STEAMED UPBOILER Sauna Berlin claims to be one of the best male saunas in the world. They have some great facilities and an unusual amount of free private play spaces. They have fresh towels, bathing shoes, disposable razors and toothbrushes ready for you at reception. You will find shower gel and body lotion in the shower area. The BOILER has a total of three free hygiene showers.You can really work up a sweat in their large Finnish sauna at 90°. The smaller bio sauna offers a milder climate at around 60° for longer stays. After sweating, take a cold shower or treat yourself to a few minutes of fresh air on their outdoor terrace. You can also relax in their Hamam at around 47°. Here you will find loungers where you can enjoy the hot steam and at the heart of the BOILER there's a pool with air bubbles and a waterfall.
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| With prostitution legal in Berlin, it's very easy to find company if you want to pay. The two former House of Boys are no longer operating, but you might like to try Club Culture Houze which has opened as a sex club that organises sex parties for all orientations and genders. This infamous place is a hedonistic playground for all your desires and fantasies. | 
Berlin's Hafen, a popular pick up bar - Photo: Babewyn | |
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If you are looking for paid company then many of the bars mentioned attract rent boys. Hafen which many guide books recommend you visit, is
a local bar with a reputation for attracting a wide range of escorts but also unfortunately pickpockets, so beware. Pinocchio is
another popular pick-up joint if you have cash to spend, as are the previously mentioned Woof Berlin, Tabasco and Bull Berlin.
If you don't want to pay then Ficken 3000
(literally Fucking 3000), found at Urbanstrasse 70 in the Neukölln district, tells it like it is in its labyrinthine cellars.
The BOILER Sauna we mentioned see sex work as a relevant and equal component of the leisure industry for adults. Providing you and the guy you meet are discrete and don't get involved in any financial arrangement at their premises, you should be able to spend time together there without an issue. | ||
SIGHTSEEINGBerlin is a great city to be a tourist in. Public transport is cheap and efficient and most things work out to be good value for British tourists. You can still see preserved sections of the Berlin Wall, and a double line of cobbles marks the line of the wall where it's been torn down. Checkpoint Charlie still exerts a sinister fascination, and the neighbouring museum is fascinating even if often over-crowded. | 
Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie Photo: OutUK | |
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The Germans love architecture and the reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz and the
new British designed glass dome on top of the Reichstag are both fantastic. If you
like Amsterdam then you'll love Berlin but wrap up warm as an icy wind can blast
the city from across the Polish plains.
Revised November 2024 | ||
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