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5 favorite gay bars in Berlin

Inside Schwuz (Gay Berlin)

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Looking for an updated list of Berlin’s best gay bars, parties and clubs? Check out this updated GAY GUIDE TO BERLIN with information on the best parties for each day of the week!
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As part of this month’s Germany expat Blogger Stammtisch, the topic is our top 5 favorites in our respective cities. I’ve decided to go with my top 5 gay bars in Berlin because, well, why not?

Berlin is an extremely gay city. Not just gay-friendly, it’s flat-out gay. While Berlin’s most popular hotels are often located in the Mitte district of Berlin, much of the nightlife options are scattered all over town. Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg are some of the more interesting areas, with others like Neukolln and Wedding growing in popularity. In Berlin, though, you don’t need a car because the public transport is very reliable. If you’ve arrived via road trip, just park the car and forget about so you can enjoy your time out in the city!

What makes these bars my favorites? Well, they’re simple, usually with uncomplicated bar-goers and generally laid-back. The atmosphere inside these bars are usually casual, friendly and a night out in any of them will likely be a good time.

1. Möbel Olfe

Yes, Möbel Olfe is a gay bar. Ask many locals or tourists and they might not even realize it. That’s because it’s just such a cool bar—popular just about every night of the week (except Mondays when it’s closed). Thursdays are the most popular night out here (and honestly, it’s too popular for my tastes). Wednesdays at Möbel Olfe are girls’ night. And a bonus: the ever-popular Roses gay bar is just a block or two down the street. Roses is a great place to end the night if you want kitschy and crazy! 

2. Schwuz

Schwuz is is probably my favorite gay place to hang out in Berlin. The crowd tends to be on the younger side (20s and 30s) and is usually a fun atmosphere. Wednesdays are a great night to visit because the crowd is very mixed and the music is a lot of fun. Every Friday is a themed night, with London/Brit-pop on the first Fridays and a Madonna night on the 5th Friday of each month.

3. Barbie Deinhoff

Oh Barbie Deinhoff’s. It’s a small little bar and they’ve often got DJs playing. It’s a small bar and not always crowded but the bartenders are friendly and the decor inside is nice. They even have a happy hour (one-for-one) every Tuesday and a pleasant patio looking out onto Schlesisches Strasse.

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Gay Berlin Guide

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Looking for an updated list of Berlin’s best gay bars, parties and clubs? Check out this updated GAY GUIDE TO BERLIN with information on the best parties for each day of the week!
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4. Zum Schmutzigen Hobby

I. Love. This. Bar. Zum Schmutzigen Hobby is always fun! It’s in Friedrichshain on Revaler Strasse where many of Berlin’s most famous nightclubs are (and just a brisk 15 minute walk to Berghain). It’s a very friendly, non-pretentious bar and late on weekends it’s actually more like a club than a bar. The atmosphere is friendly and social. You’re likely to make new friends up at the bar and during the summer you can even enjoy their outdoor patio.

5. Silver Future

This is one of those “neighborhood” bars that are so popular in Berlin. It’s got a very homey feeling even with the quirky (and often ridiculous) decor on the inside. Silver Future is very unpretentious, cosy and straight-friendly. The gay bar even plays host to the bi-weekly Queer Berlin Couchsurfers meetup, which is a great way to meet others in the community!

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For more Gay Berlin tips, check out my guide to Berlin — available for free below.

Hipster Berlin Travel Guide

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  1. Kristine Schwarz says:

    Vor ca. 1.Jahr bin ich mit meiner Freundin nach Berlin gezogen, wir haben ganz schnell Kontakte geknüpft und ich muss sagen die Leute hier sind super cool.
    Meiner Freundin und mir wurde die Diskothek „Die Busche“ (http://www.diebusche.de) empfohlen. Ich muss ehrlich sagen die Leute, die Musik und die Atmosphäre haben mich positiv überrascht. Lange war ich nicht mehr in einer so coolen Diskothek.
    Ständig irgendwelche Angebote und immer Super Musik, am besten Ihr geht selbst mal in den Club – ich kann es Euch nur empfehlen.

  2. Will Thoms says:

    Great read! I’ve actually been to Schwuz before and had a really great time there. Although at first we couldn’t find the place as we didn’t realise you had to walk through a café first, hehe!

  3. Week 2: Learning German is sometimes fun, but definitely stressfulTravels of Adam – Hipster travel around the world says:

    […] My weekend in Berlin started off with my favorite indie club night in town: London Calling at Schwuz. Good music, good friends, lots of fun in one of my favorite (gay) bars in Berlin. […]

  4. Gay Hipster view on Berlin | The Gay Dating Expert says:

    […] I spotted a gay couple holding hands in the train station. Spending the next few days discovering Berlin’s many gay bars and legendary nightlife, I pretty much knew that this was my city. My first week in Berlin ended […]

  5. JC says:

    Great! great recommendations. Went to Schwuz last night (Wednesday) and stayed until 3 AM. Really fun.

    Thanks

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