The capital of Germany is very much a metropolis for the local LGBT community and visitors alike. There’s an at home feel and a unique infrastructure with clubs, bars, shops, art and culture catering for everyone. Gay pride week is in June every year and it culminates with Christopher ST. Parade Day in Nollendofplatz one of the several ‘gay’ areas in Berlin.

The great museums and theatres on a warm sunny evening and strolls in urban areas in a relaxing atmosphere are of inspiration to young Berliners who then in turn inspire the city to have it’s trademarks of cultural diversity cosmopolitanism and tolerance.

Every LGBT centre is unique in it’s own way and being a multicoloured city Berlin opens up new life, spirit and experiences for visitors or those living in the historically  developed areas for the  ‘gay’ community around Schoneberg, Kreuzberg, Mehringdamm, MotzstraBen-Klez, OranienstraBe and GleimstraBe.

Berlin welcomes everyone to its heart, and, as diversity is still reigning in the German capital you can be sexy and flirt alongside the architecture from 18th century and present day, reminded that the fall of the wall just a few years ago and the history with it makes the city rich as it has been both divided and reunified.

In 1979  on the 10th anniversary of the LGBT uprising on the streets of  New York the call to” build, 1, 2, 3, many many Stonewalls,” saw Berlin introduce its own Pride attended by  a mere 400 or so. Today Berlin hosts a fortnight of parties, events and a parade for hundreds of thousands from the world over.

Easter is another big event in the LGBT calendar in Berlin as the city hosts the Leather and Fetish Rendezvous, which includes a film festival, bowling, the annual Leather contest and wild parties for those who last the pace.

On a more regular basis the main ‘gay’ districts each have bars, clubs, hotels, restaurants, saunas, shops etc to cater for every need.

Culture

Stars und Nachtfalter is a culture highlight tent extravaganza building to a rock climax. If its comedy you want then there is no lack of humour as an armada of German comedians at the Quatsch comedy club, this can often be filmed as it is in the building of pro7 tv studios.

There are three operas in Berlin the Komische plays classics eg kiss me kate, and the tales of  hofmann. The Deutsche has Sleeping Beauty and ballet while Straatsoper unter den Linden plays La Traviata, Tchikovsky and With/Out Tutu.

Bars, clubs and accommodation

SchwuZ (61 Mehringdamm) is a flamboyant nightclub with two dance floors while Sonntags Club (28 Greifenhagener Strasse) is a friendly, relaxed café-bar.

Schoenberg is very much the traditional centre of the Berlin gay scene. It’s in the West of the city near to the zoo train station and has been kicking ass since those halcyon days of the 20’s cabarets.

Motzstr and Eisenacher Str and along all side streets are generally full of Berliners and gay tourists entertaining themselves in the various shops, cafes bars and nightclubs.

Anderes Ufer is open mid afternoon, where there is a cool relaxed atmosphere of folk ordering coffee and reading newspapers [often in English] in the colourful surroundings.
Begine Café has long been a meeting place for women on the scene in a very friendly environment. Most simply meet and chat over a few beers and a light meal, often there are events ranging from talks, presentations, dance , parties and concerts.

Café Berio around Nollendorfplatz mainly caters for men but is generally a mixed area to hang out in the sunshine and evening sunset before moving on to a club.

Connection/Prinzknecht is an all in one complex boasting a kilometre long bar, a shop, cruising area and at weekend a club/ disco with several smaller bars and Berlins finest techno tunes.
Windows Café on the corner of Martin Lutherstr and Motzstr is a gay mixed relaxing area with a greenhouse appearance where men and women a like people watcha very much social crowd and enjoy upbeat music.

Motzstrasse 5 Berlin Schoneberg is an agency which offers private accommodation for gay and lesbians who wish to stay in one of their 400 hundred rooms they have across Berlin. Prices are generally kept low around the 20-45 euro mark.

Kreusberg became one of the most open districts of the world after the wall fell when punks squatted and pacifists relocated in thousands to avoid mandatory service in the military. Today it’s a thriving LGBT area , Mehringdam 61 host 3 venues on its site, and others are close by.

On Orianstrasse, at 183, you will find Bierhimmel a popular spot which is generally a meeting point and start of a German ‘gay’ pub crawl.

In a court yard behind Militta Sundstrom Café  is the gay museum and library. Staff  are friendly and help out customers speaking good English if you need things translated. The café its self is typically German light food, coffees and cakes, drinks, and books and gifts in different languages for all to read, buy. The café is very much a social hub and an older feel is there due too the smoky atmosphere.

A few doors down is Roses bar, a bar decked out in a high level of Kitsch, with glitter, sparkles, flashes and bric-a brac all around. The crowd is mixed and lively with classic house sounds one of the places to be before you go to a club.

Schoko café and bar on Mariannenstr 6 is the women’s bar in the area that has existed for a number of years now. It’s very retro and serves a number of drinks and snacks in a friendly environment.

Schwuz at Mehhhhhringdamm 61 is Berlins oldest gay club and settled here a while ago after having a number of locations. Music played here is mainstream, and away from the techno you generally find in the East of Germany, and you can chill ,or strut your stuff to house, oldies, and Latin sounds through to the small hours of the morning.

SO 36 on Orangestrasse 190 has different events every week, party nights, bingo nights, theme nights and singles nights to cater for all needs and wants.

Other places too visit in Berlin as part of the LGBT community can be found in the Prenzlauer Berg district:

• Café pension Amsterdam
• Eastside-Gayllery shop and pension
• Oxon Magenta restaurant and café
• Romeo Nightbar
• Sonntags-Club
• Perle Schmuckes Licht
• Nina’s Bar