Berlin Gay Travel Guide

As explained above, Schöneberg (sometimes spelled Schoeneberg) is the traditional beating heart of the gay scene in Berlin. It was the first gay neighborhood in the city and still retains its fabulous charm today. It has some of the oldest gay bars in Berlin like Prinzknecht, Heile Welt, and Hafen. The main gay hotels of Berlin are based here, like Axel Hotel Berlin, TWO Hotel Berlin by Axel, and the Gay Hostel. We use Wittenbergplatz and Nollendorfplatz as our point of reference for getting around Schoeneberg as most of the gay hangouts are located between these two major squares.

Kreuzberg is the other main gay district of Berlin that in our opinion now rivals Schöneberg. Just after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, interest in Kreuzberg started to grow, quickly attracting all the cool, hip kids. Today, the area has a large LGBTQ community living here along with tons of gay hangouts like Möbel Olfe, BarbieBar, and even a gay museum: the Schwules Museum. Kreuzberg is located south-east of Checkpoint Charlie, north of Tempelhofer Feld and towards the Eastern edge of what used to be “West Berlin”. The main metro station for gay Kreuzberg is Kottbusser Tor. Our favourite thing about Kreuzberg is The East Side Gallery – what used to be the remains of the Berlin Wall now converted into one of the world's most famous open-air galleries of art murals.

The popularity of Kreuzberg amongst the LGBTQ community got so big that the cool hipster kids moved further south into Neukölln with more “hipster” and local dive bars opening like Cafe Melitta Sundström and SilverFuture, as well as underground, alternative gay clubs like Cocktail d'Amore. One of our favourite (and oldest) gay clubs of Berlin is right here in Neukölln: SchwuZ. This is a club famous for its diverse nights, with dance floors for the pop queens (ahem – that would be us!) and another for the techno/indie crowd. Neukölln also has a large Middle Eastern community – so expect some of the best shawarmas, lots of hummus joint, baklava pastry shops and a famous Turkish Market towards the canal.

Prenzlauer Berg used to form the heart of what used to be Soviet Berlin. It is located towards the northeast of the city centre and Kreuzberg, and west of Mitte. It was famous in the 1960s for being the hub of East Germany's gay scene, where the intellectuals, artists and students once lived. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1991, the area became a vibrant squatting scene, but subsequently experienced quite a rapid gentrification, today becoming one of the city's nightlife hotspots. We found the gay scene of Prenzlauer Berg to be generally a younger crowd in their 20s-40s, with trendy gay bars like Flax and popular gay brunch spots like Schall & Rauch.

The is the more gritty, raw side of Berlin with a very punky, alternative and underground vibe. It used to be part of East Berlin before the Wall came down in 1991, located East from Kreuzberg and south of Prenzlauer Berg. It's undergoing massive gentrification become trendier and more hip by the minute, but despite this, this is where you'll find some of the best clubs of Berlin, particularly the king of them all: the Berghain! Also in Friedrichshain is the famous naughty club Lab, the Same Bitcհҽs and Polygon gay parties and the super hip Bar Zum Schmutzigen Hobby.

This unpronounceable gay bar is one of our favorites in Schöneberg. It's always been busy when we've come here, especially on Wednesdays when they have their 2-for-1 drinks promotion. On warm days, the atmosphere pours onto the terrace outside creating a fun street party vibe along the super gay Fuggerstrasse street. When we came here, the crowd was mainly locals, all men, of all ages. And in true Berlin fashion, obligatory darkroom located downstairs! Prinzknecht is open daily until 2am (3am on weekends). It is located at Fuggerstrasse 33, just around the corner from the main Axel Hotel.

Heile Welt is our favourite gay bar in Schöneberg for a normal sit down drink with friends – minus the sleazy fun! It's stylish, classy, feeling more like a lounge than a bar. There is always a mixed friendly crowd (both male and female), with zero judgment. Cocktails are yummy, especially their Pisco Sours – not has one like it since our travels in Lima. The most striking thing about Heile Welt is their pretty out-there wall decoration -literally made out of Chewbacca fluff!You'll see what we mean when you visit… Heile Welt is open daily until 1am (3am on weekends). It is located at Motzstrasse 19, which is minutes walking distance from Nollendorfplatz metro station.

Hafen felt to us like a cosy friendly neighbourhood dive bar, where everyone knows everyone. Every evening we came to this small unassuming bar it's always been busy, even on weekdays. We actually stumbled on Hafen by accident when looking for a gay bar open late on a Thursday – it closes at 4am on most nights. The crowd here is mixed – male and female, mainly locals, and super chilled. They have themed nights worth checking out like their Monday quiz nights and the occasional karaoke evenings. Hafen is open daily until around 4am. It is located at Motzstrasse 19, just a few doors down from Heile Welt.

Möbel Olfe was our introduction to Kreuzberg, the first place we came to when checking out the gay scene of this more hipster side of Berlin. And it was steaming here! Nothing sleazy, but a very packed (and handsome!) crowd of mostly men, in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The only downside is it gets a bit too packed here on weekend evenings, which makes going to the bar to get drinks a pain in the backside as everyone accidentally tramples on you. Also, smoking is allowed inside, so expect to leave this place smelling of an ashtray! Handy note: Tuesdays is their female-only night. Möbel Olfe is open daily until around 3am. It is located at Reichenberger Strasse 177, near the Kottbusser Tor metro station.

Roses is a super quirky and kitsch gay bar in Kreuzberg: as you enter, you're welcomed with a loud pink glitter decor that then transforms into the most unique collection figurines and pictures of the Virgin Mary that we've ever seen! The crowd here is a mix of male and female from the entire LGBTQ spectrum, mainly locals and some curious tourists. Despite being a small bar, it felt very reminiscent of the alternative hipster vibe of Kreuzberg. It's also super popular, always attracting a large crowd on every night of the week. Roses is open daily until around 6am the next day. It is located at Oranienstrasse 187, near the Kottbusser Tor metro station.

For Kings and Queens and Criminal Queers…the tagline was enough to pique our interest! Just when you thought you couldn't get more hipster, along comes this flamboyant queer gem with its fun, loud and super campy kitsch decor – countless pictures plastered across the wall! The crowd here is very alternative – a wonderful mix of everyone in our LGBTQ family. The later it got, we noticed the female-to-male ratio increasing considerably. SilverFuture is open daily (except Sundays) until 2am (3am on weekends). It is located at Weserstrasse 206, near the Hermannplatz metro station.

Flax is where the Berliner twinks head to. This is one of the most popular gay bars in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood. We'll be honest, we felt a bit old hanging out here – the crowd was mainly young lads in their late teens and twenties. Their busiest nights are themed karaoke nights on the 1st and 3rd Friday of every month. Also, check out their other themed nights like “We Love Music”, Table Tennis, and Beer Pong. Flax is open daily (except Mondays) until 2/3 am (5 am on weekends). It is located at Chodowieckistraße 41, several blocks from the Greifswalder Strasse metro station.

Another really cool (and totally unpronounceable!) gay bar in Berlin. Bar Zum is located in a former fire station in the Friedrichshain neighbourhood, where some of the city's best gay clubs are. It's super cosy here – think armchairs and sofas, like hanging out in your friend's apartment. We loved Thursday evenings because that's when they have their 90s party, allowing us to show off a few of our Ace of Base and Spice Girls moves… Bar Zum has become very trendy and popular in recent years, often attracting the odd celeb – like Rupert Everett and Tara Reid. Bar Zum is open daily until around 4am (6am on weekends). It is located at Revaler Strasse 99, near the Warschauer Strasse metro station.

The Berghain is definitely the most unique club we've ever been to, the ultimate rave of your life! It's located in a huge former power plant in the middle of an industrial estate in Friedrichshain, where up to 1,500 come to rave all weekend long. Inside it felt completely euphoric to us – everyone high on something, in black (or wearing nothing at all!), partying away to the pumping techno beats. It's typical Berlin – dark, mysterious, underground, smokey, gritty and of course, plenty of darkrooms! Photography is strictly forbidden here. It's always full. Queues to get in can take hours! However, the Berghain's infamous reputation is due to the severe and secretive entry policy of its door staff. Put it this way, if they don't like you, you're not getting in, whoever you are or however long you queued. Even Britney and Macklemore have been famously turned away! Our tip, come on Sunday late morning when queues are shorter. Wear dark grungy colours and come solo or in twos, never in a large group. Also, do not smile when the door staff are scanning you and do not act drunk…Good luck! The Berghain is only open at weekends, starting on Friday midnight and going on throughout the weekend until midday on Monday! It is located at Am Wriezener Bahnhof, close to the Berlin Ostbahnhof railway station.

While it's not an official ‘gay' club, the KitKatClub is a hedonistic, natural, colourful, lively, musical & kinky space that is very popular with the queer community. There is a strict dress code here, with guests encouraged to go all out with naughty latex, high style or glamor outfits – no boring black outfits or underwear! But once you get inside it's all worth it, with three dance floors, a pool and fluorescent paintings illuminated by neon lights. They have a packed schedule of events every night of the week, although Saturday nights are of course the biggest. Most nights things start around 10pm but also occasionally a little earlier. KitKatClub is located at Köpenicker Straße 76, opposite the U Heinrich-Heine-Straße metro station.

One of our favourite gay clubs in Berlin and certainly a more sober experience than the crazy Berghain! SchwuZ has become an institution for the gay scene of Berlin. It's one of the oldest gay clubs in the whole of Germany, starting as an alternative underground club for the LGBTQ community back in 1977. Today it's one of the hippest clubs in the cities, particularly on weekends when they have 3 dance rooms: one for 80s cheese (this is where you'll find us!), one for techno/indie another for modern pop. When we went on a Friday evening, the crowd was mixed LGBTQ, mainly in their 20s and 30s. Schwuz has parties on Thursday to Sunday evenings from around 11pm until around 5am the next day. It is located at Rollbergstrasse 26, near the Rathaus Neukölln metro station.

Buttons is a wild and colorful all-weekend rave open to everyone, or as the promoters proudly put it: “Gay / Lesbo / Queers / Transgender / Freaks / Genderqueer / Gender Variant / Social bottoms / Polyamory / Genderfuck / Lacanian / Puppets / Colours…and ends with “Humans”! Taking place on the third Friday of each month, Buttons attracts a diverse queer crowd from cute twinks in their leather harness to androgynous girls in bright colors to muscle boys in their super tight football kits. Buttons is open from Friday evening and the parties go on through the weekend until around midday on Monday. It is located at Markgrafendamm 24c, very close to the Berlin Ostkreuz metro.

Cocktail d'Amore is one of the best underground gay dance parties in Berlin for disco house fans. Here it's all about pure hedonism and love of liberty. Some serious humping is in the air as soon as you enter. Note, it is not a 100% cruising club per se. You come here to dance, for the house beats. It just so happens that quite a lot of guys who are also appreciative of those disco beats will be vigorously making out openly around you. This is Berlin! The Cocktail d'Amore parties happen once a month on Saturdays and go on all through Sunday until Monday midday. It usually happens at Griessmuehle, which is a converted former factory. Check their Facebook page for details of the next event.

At its core, Pronceptual describes itself as an art project aiming to de-contextualize ponrography to show that explicit content can be considered art. Sign us right up for that! Especially when their way of displaying said art form is with a large awesome queer party, pumping out techno/house music, along with body performances and art installations. Dress code? Well, the less you wear, the less cover charge you pay! Don't judge…this is Berlin! The Ponrceptual parties happen roughly once a month at “Alte Münze”, which is located at Molkenmarkt 2, north of Kreuzberg near Alexanderplatz in the Friedrichshain neighborhood. Check their Instagram for details of the next party and their Twitter for some of their best, erm, art!

Siucide Circus (yes, we spelt that incorrectly on purpose) is another excellent electro club in Berlin that regularly hosts gay nights like the iconic Chantals House of Shame. It's more an after-hours location, where the party boys come to continue the party in this dark, unassuming and smokey techno club. The music is a mix of techno, tribal house, hard house, acid techno, acid house…basically not the sort of place we'd be able to show off our Britney dance moves… The Same Bitcհҽs parties also usually take place at the Siucide Circus, which is located at Revaler Strasse 99, near the Warschauer metro.

For a proper sit-down meal, we recommend the gay friendly Austrian restaurant in Schöneberg called Sissi. It's quite a small space that quickly gets busy so definitely make sure you call ahead to reserve a table. Once inside you'll be charmed by the pink walls, wooden furniture, and yummy Austrian dishes like the “wiener schnitzel” or “cheese spätzle”. I particularly loved it because they make delicious pastries – fellow sweet tooth travelers you'll empathize. Their Sissi Cake cake is a must (honestly, once you get beyond the comical name, it's so tasty!) Sissi also put on a decent inexpensive luncheon with a menu that changes daily.

If you like wine and tapas-style dishes, you must visit Facciola, an Italian restaurant/wine bar in Kreuzberg. It's owned and run by Aurora Facciola, who really knows her stuff when it comes to Italian wine. Most of the wines available on the menu are from her home region of Piedmont, but other regions are also represented. There's a small food menu of rustic dishes that perfectly complement your tasting of the different wines, including some of the most incredible pasta we've ever had! Aurora and all the staff really make this place unforgettable, as they are so friendly towards every single patron.

Vegans and vegetarians in Berlin need not despair, as Alaska is a gay vegan restaurant in Neukölln serving delicious Spanish tapas. Yeah, we'll give you a second to wrap your head around a restaurant in Berlin named after an American state serving Spanish food! The tapas here are delectable. Even non-vegan/veggie diners will love it. Some of our favorites include the carrot crostini (which somehow tastes like smoked salmon!), as well as the patatas bravas with aioli. And you've got to leave room for some churros for dessert. Also, vegan cocktails! Yup – it's a thing…try it out here, trust us you'll love it!