Gay Budget Travel Berlin

Berlin is possibly the gayest city in Europe. It has a Gay Museum, Archive and Library, in the Schwules Museum, which has excellent resources relating to gay cultural history, and during the summer a section of Berlin’s huge central park is swathed with nude sunbathers, so many of whom are gay that the park is known in local circles as "Queens' Meadow". In 2001 it voted in a gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who, when he came out in the run-up to the mayoral elections, delivered the phrase that has now entered common gay parlance in Germany: "Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so." - "I’m gay, and it's ok that way".

Where it's at.

Berlin's gay scene spills out from legions of gay and lesbian bars. Anyone who’s witnessed the full outrageous spectacle of the city’s CSD Pride parade will know it’s a city where pretty much anything goes. But because Berlin is such a tolerant town, the scene is not limited to exclusively gay bars or venues. In reality, gay life is just another feature of the richness, color and vibrancy of this amazing city.

The action extends to a few areas. Nollendorfplatz, to the west of the city, is perhaps the city’s most overtly male ‘gay area’. It has a series of important gay landmarks, including Bruno – perhaps the biggest gay-interest store in Europe.

Schöneberg, in the south-west of the city, is another prominent gay area which contains the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of streets Motzstr., Fuggerstr., and Eisenacherstr., the CSD Pride offices and Mann O Meter, Berlin’s LGBT information centre, whilst the Kreuzberg (to the south-east) scene is perhaps described as more alternative and gay-friendly.

When to go.

If you want to keep abreast of the latest developments, listings and all other information, Berlin has two main magazines, Siegessaule and ‘Sergeij’, which are published monthly and can be found in newsagents across the city. The CSD Pride parade happens annually in ????????