gay Berlin

Fifteen years since the Wall fell, and Berlin can still feel like two cities – not just east and west, but also winter and summer. Plus, if your mental image of the German capital derives from war films or spy stories, prepare to be pleasantly surprised by one of the greenest cities in Europe. This thoroughly modern metropolis has always been a bit of a bolthole for the bohemian and unconventional, but today it is a major cultural centre combining top-flight museums, galleries and concert halls with thriving alternative art and music scenes. The nightlife carries on through morning, the gay scene is simply shameless and there’s every kind of eating to be had.
Berlin still has two centres based around the old West and Eastern sectors and the gay scene reflects this. However with gays an accepted part of Berlin life, there are many gay and gay friendly bars and shops spread all over. Only in this city (or perhaps San Francisco) would you find a stylish Waterstone's style gay book and video store with explicit window displays round the corner from Berlin's version of Harrod's KaDeWe - Bruno's Nürnberger Strasse 53.
The most known gay and lesbian district is Schöneberg where the community sets the flag . Not only coffee shops, bars and other institutions but also the snack-bars are decorated with rainbow flags. Here the community is established for a long time in the streets like Fuggerstraße, Eisenacherstraße or Motzstraße.

Berlin can be a sightseeing nightmare – the vast sprawl that is the city has no definite centre and pockets of attractions are dotted all over. That said, the state museums are grouped in clusters – on the Museumsinsel, at the Kulturforum, in and around Schloss Charlottenberg and in the southwestern suburb of Dahlem. There are also a large number of attractions either at Potsdamer Platz or within walking distance of this, including the Kulturforum to the southwest. To the north lie the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and the Reichstag, sporting Lord Foster’s new glass dome. The Brandenburg Gate is situated on Berlin’s main east–west axis. To the west lies the Siegessäule (Victory Column), which provides a view over the surrounding Tiergarten and the Western city centre, to the southwest of the column.

West Berlin has a gay village just south of the Nollendorfplatz. Tom's is one of the city's oldest bars and though it's leather and extremely cruisy with darkrooms, there's no strict dress code. Next door is Hafen's which guide books recommend you visit, but is no more than a local bar and has a reputation for attracting pickpockets. If you're looking for rent, and there's plenty available in Berlin, Blue Boy Bar and Pinocchio are popular pick-up joints. If you don't want to pay then Ficken 3000 (literally Fucking 3000), Urbanstrasse 70 in the Neukölln district, tells it like it is in its labyrinthine cellars. Or you might just watch the world pass by in ex!, Motzstrasse 70, with a latte or beer if you need a bit of a break from Berlin's full-on scene. In the Eastern part of the city many bars are situated around the Schönhauser Allee in the Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg areas.

You can find just about anything you want on the Berlin club scene and you really need to pick up one of the free gay papers to find out what nights are on when you visit. Siegessäule is widely available from gay venues and stores. Connection Fuggerstrasse 33, has a mirrored dance floor and three floors of cruising corridors, GMF Ziegelstrasse 22 is a Sunday night where the drag queens strut their stuff. Guys into colours will be upset that lab.oratory has been pulled down, but watch for news of relocation. HOUSE OF BOYS With prostitution legal in Berlin, it's very easy to find company if you want to pay. The two biggest male House of Boys are Classic Club Windscheidstrasse 16 and CC96 Lietzenburgerstrasse 96. Expect a strip show and a minimum charge of around £8 for drinks. For more info go to Berlin tourist Information