| Chocolate and cheese, mountains and lakes, money and men: OutUK’s Adrian Gillan is far from neutral over the dazzling gay Swiss hub that is Zurich, often voted the world’s best city to live in. | |
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The city of Zurich, a global center for banking and finance, lies at the north end of Lake Zurich in northern Switzerland.
Expensive: but worth it! Zurich gobbles money up as quickly as it makes it, with prices at least a third higher than even London. Perched on the Zurichsee at the mouth of the Limmat, it's unquestionably one of the most beutiful gay capitals of the world. |
The stunning view from the Quai Bridge on the Limmat river at night.
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As is often the way, the gay quarter is located in the old part of town, between
the grand main station and the sparkling waterfront. Amid narrow sloping streets
and market squares and echoing faintly to the gentle toll of church bells, nothing
is much more than a five minute stroll from anything else. BARS & CAFESStart your evening amongst the gay bears at the Predigerhof Bistro Bar for a bit of a snack and more of the drink. They have marble-topped tables and wood beams inside with a summer garden. It's one of the most stylish bars in town and is more mixed by day and queer by night. Cafe Odeon down by the Limmat Quai is a cosy ‘n chic wood, steel and leather affair that attracts a young, arty crowd, often fresh out from the opera down the road.Barfüsser back in the old heart is so chic it almost hurts, with a comfy array of stools and sofas, beers and candlelit cocktails. Barfüsser used to be the oldest gay bar in Switzerland - maybe even Europe - before becoming a leather club and then being reinvented as a red-decked busy Japanese restaurant for sushi & sashimi, with cocktail menu, lounge & outdoor seats. Situated in the heart of the beautiful Niederdorf, right on Hirschenplatz, there’s no better spot to watch the lively hustle and bustle while enjoying a coffee, an aperitif, and some sushi. The KWEER which is just yards away revives the long-standing legacy of the historic "Barfüsser" as a hotspot and meeting place for gay people, their friends and families, students and neighbors. This great little coffee shop opens 8am in the weekday mornings. It has friendly pleasant service and decent prices for the city centre area and they stage a number of regular LGBTQ+ events throughout the week. | |
| Just a few streets away is the real gay cocktail palace in town. Cranberry is less warm and ambient than the other bars, yet rather more fruity and fresh and 100% gay 24/7. But beware - even a small Sea Breeze will set you back seven or eight pounds. The Campari Room in the upper floor is generally open on Friday and Saturday from 8 pm until the bar closes. |
Zurich offers a wonderful array of places to drink and eat.
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But if you want something a bit more friendly and regular on the gay bar front,
walk five minutes north to the Petra's Tip Top Bar on Seilergraben - a newly revamped,
yet small and cosy room-with-bar where the hearty, bearded manager does his very
best to ensure everyone knows at least something about everyone else in the house
as he does his rounds. They also do a good small-hour, post-club breakfast.
Heldenbar, or hero bar, is now the longest running regular gay event in Zurich. The nights they run are on a non-profit basis so the drinks are relatively good value. There are always nice crowd of people around but sadly it's only open on Wednesdays. The music is not really outstanding but it's packed with guys most of the time. MZ Shop is an adult entertainment store with it's own bar called Männerzone. It's a contact bar where men who like men, hunks and bears meet. Here you will find an uncomplicated atmosphere with a garage look. Their shop has fetish and gay articles from the areas of Leather, Rubber and Army as well as the daily needs of gay men, like lubes, dildos and condoms. | |
CLUBBINGHeaven Club offers dragshows and pop nights which keep everyone dancing at this nightclub known for its eclectic music taste. It's also in the middle of Zurich's Niederdorf gay district. The clubbers are as varied as the musical program, with some well-known DJs, talented newcomers, drag queens, crispy boys and shrill guests making this a colorful cosmos for all. As soon as the sun sets behind the Üetliberg, Heaven Club comes alive. |  
Zurich is a very liberal city and it's annual Street Parade, a celebration of love, freedom,
generosity and tolerance has grown to be an event of mammoth proportions with 750,000 people taking part.
Since 1994, thousands of LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, inter-queer), with relatives and friends,
have been demonstrating every year in Zurich for equality and against discrimination. What began over twenty years
ago as Christopher Street Day (CSD) Zurich has been called the Zurich Pride Festival since 2009. It takes place in June each year.
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Boyahkasha! is a party label that has been storming Zurich clubs with its followers since 2004 to turn them into a Mecca
for the gay party crowd and their friends. Their market-fresh sound, euphoric atmosphere and a good mix of guests are probably the
main reasons why events are still popular after so many years. Lots of scene guys, freaky young transsexuals, over-30s young at heart
and sexy bearded boys are all too happy to cavort at events.
A lot of the Boyahkasha! events take place at the Plaza Club on the Badenerstrasse. The club itself on other nights plays a varied selected of live music & DJ nights in a former theater, now nightspot with period furniture & bold murals. They serve great cocktails and have regular karaoke. The Boyahkasha! label also stage events at Heaven in the Spitalgasse and Hive Club in the Geroldstrasse. The rest of the time The Hive Club offers an eclectic choice of music in a trendy industrial-style space with a sophisticated feel. You can dance to electro, techno, tech house and deep house. ALL STEAMED UPThere are at least half a dozen gay saunas in Zurich, but the best known and most central are the Paragonya Wellness Club (again, near the Marion) and the Apollo, although the former has a bit of a reputation for attracting rent boys during the day if that’s your want.Gay Sauna Renos Relax is a gay and mixed sauna in the heart of Zurich. The sauna is open to all genders every Tuesday and Friday, and gay the rest of the week. They offer a Video Booth, Playground, Swings, Crusing Area as well as two Sauna, Cold Bath, Anal Shower, Water World and Spa. Sauna Mylord may not be the biggest, but is an intimate and comfortable sauna right in the heart of Zurich. Here you will find gays, bisexuals and married men who value discretion. Everyone is welcome here, whether student or pensioner, whether bear or hairless. You can treat yourself to a massage by one of their in house masseurs or join their popular nude yoga for men! Mondays at 12.30 p.m. The lovely Arboretum park, a ten minute amble from the gay district around the bay is a well-known place for evening cruising. Macho Cityshop (yet again, back by Marion) sells the usual pile of pink pap and queer trash. Zurich is a great place for lovers, not just clubbers. The cobbled streets of the Old Town leading to towering churches and the swans adorning the Lake Zurich shores, make Zurich an idyllic place for romance. | |
| Browse the world-class Kunsthaus gallery, especially its fine collection of impressionist and early twentieth century paintings... sit and gaze down on the town from the lofty Lindenhof terrace... or just drift aimlessly around the bay promenade of that mighty lake. |
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Photography courtesy ST/swiss-image.ch
Revised October 2024 |
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