Welcome to Berlin, a city that’s given me many sleepless nights while I got lost in techno rhythms, a city that’s made me explore my sexuality, and one that’s challenged my way of thinking.
Berlin is vast, unfiltered, and each neighborhood has its own distinct identity. Here, we’ve curated your ultimate personal guide to navigating the kinky, queer, and hedonistic capital of Europe.
There’s a lot to see but my first tip: Do not take pictures in queer spaces and always carry cash with you.
WHERE TO STAY
Berlin is a large city; each neighborhood has its own identity, and there’s something for everyone.
Let’s start with the historically gay neighborhood, Schöneberg. There, the streets are filled with men dressed in leather and families. It’s very quiet (except during Folsom and Easter), and there are a lot of kinky shops, cute cafés, and gay-oriented hotels, like the Axel Hotel.
Then there are the more artistic and queer areas such as Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain, and Neukölln. These neighborhoods are full of life, inspiring people, nice restaurants, and the best coffee shops. You’ll find way more bars and clubs there.
WHERE TO WORK OUT
Berlin is full of great, spacious gyms. I prefer to go to John Reed—there are a few locations with different levels of facilities. Day passes start at 15 Euros. There’s also Holmes Place for a more elevated gym session, which has both a swimming pool and saunaBoth of these chains are highly popular with the LGBTQIA+ community. Keep your eyes open—the saunas can get very lively and social.
WHERE TO CRUISE
There are plenty of cruising spots around Berlin. You can go to Tiergarten (between Café am Neuen See and Straße des 17. Juni), where you can lie in the grass naked or explore the bushes. Volkspark Friedrichshain, Hasenheide Park (Neukölln), and Park am Gleisdreieck (Kreuzberg) are a few other popular parks for cruising in Berlin.
There are also a popular cruising spots in Schöneberg. You can rent a cabin at The Jaxx, or if you’re feeling more adventurous, there's a 24/7 sex club named Bull. There are also BDSM cruising bars such as Prinzknecht (all kinks welcome) and New Action (leather).
If you’re looking for saunas, try Boiler in Mehringdamm, which has hot tubs, steam rooms, and a cute dungeon.
WHERE TO GO OUT
Let’s start with the bars. Möbel Olfe has something for everyone: Tuesdays are for FLINTA+, Thursdays are for gay men, and the other evenings are for everyone. Roses is another historic queer bar with the wildest interior. I would also recommend Ficken 3000 for dirty sweat and heavy beats, complete with porn projections in this small, iconic cruising bar.
If you want a true sex club experience, go to Lab.oratory (it’s men only, except for a few special occasions). Make sure to choose your night carefully because there are different themes for each event, which can vary from week to week. I love Gummi, which is the event for latex fetishists. Then, of course, there is Berghain (from Saturday night through Sunday). The queers usually show up on Sunday afternoon, so the Berghain experience changes completely from Sunday early morning to Sunday night.
Otherwise, take a look at the events hosted by queer collectives. My favorites are Tracey, Miss Dreamz, Overload, and Rotten.
For FLINTA+, there is a FLINTA night three times a year at Lab.oratory called SLIT. There’s also a collective that I really love and support called Dyketopia.
Power Dance is another solid party option and one of the biggest queer parties (predominantly for gay men) in Berlin.
