Ich liebe dich, Munich!

Mar. 07 2013

by misterb&b

On the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest, more than eight thousand gay men meet for breakfast at the Bräurosl, a giant tent on the Wiesn, not far from the city center. Many of them have put on the traditional outfit, the famous Lederhose, a stylish Bavarian skin panty. Others even dare to wear the Dirndl, the folkloric dress worn by Sissi in the mountain pastures, or the leather uniform, with their butts in the air... The beer flows very quickly. The orchestra launches its first notes, "tra la la hou hou"... Let the party begin!

The Gay Sunday of the Oktoberfest has become a highlight of Munich's gay life, just like the Christopher Street Day, the famous LGBT festival and its gay pride, the Schwule Strassenfest, an open-air fiesta on the Hans-Sachs-Strasse and the Stark-Bier-Fest, a leather and fetish event In fact, the gay life in Munich has nothing to envy to those in Berlin or Cologne.

Germany's third largest city, the beautiful capital of Bavaria is a friendly and tolerant bubble in a rather conservative and Catholic region. The gay district, Glockenbachviertel, stretches south of the old town between the Sendlinger Tor and Gärtnerplatz. There are more than a hundred bars, saunas, restaurants and clubs, and the choice is vast... Some examples? The Café im Sub (Müllerstrasse, 43) in the LGBT center of Munich is a relaxed place where you can get information about the local gay life. The Bau (Müllerstrasse, 41), on the other hand, welcomes bears, fetishists and their friends on two floors. The oldest leather bar in town, the Ochsengarten (Müllerstrasse, 47) is also worth a visit.

Color Girls during the Munich gay pride © Andreas Winterer / Flickr

Another historical LGBT place frequented by the director Rainer Fassbinder, the Deutsche Eiche (Reichenbach strasse, 13) is a hotel, a restaurant, an LGBT info point and a sauna, all in the basement. More classic, the Nil bar (Hans-Sachs-Strasse, 2) attracts both Munich gays and tourists, the Prosecco (Theklastrasse, 1) gathers variety fans. For clubbers, the NY Club (Sonnenstrasse, 25) and Discovery (Neuhauser strasse, 47) rock their beats to sweaty crowds.

Also check out mobile gay parties like Billionaire, Candy Club or U27. If you're looking for sex in the dark, go to Camp (Reisingerstrasse, 15). And if you're looking for the warmth of a sauna, try the Deutsche Eiche, the most popular in town, or the M54 (Müllerstrasse, 54).

Finally, Munich is above all a beautiful city with a varied cultural offer, from the various Pinakothek to the Deutsches Museum, from the banks of the Isar and its surfers to the Frauenkirche. And don't forget that the magnificent castles of Ludwig II of Bavaria are not far away...

Useful links:www.leo-live.de and www.gaytouristoffice.com

Gay pride in Munich © Usien / Flickr

FRANKFURT, GAYER THAN YOU THINK
Frankfurt is a financial and business metropolis with a vibrant gay scene right in the city center, between Konstablerwache, Bleichstrasse and the Eschenheimer Turm. Any self-respecting party starts at Pulse and the Piper Red Lounge (Bleichstrasse, 38), a café, restaurant and club not to be missed. Clubbers go to the CK (Alte Gasse, 5), the chatty ones meet at Lucky's LM27 bar-lounge (Schäfergasse, 27), which organizes karaoke on Tuesdays, or at Zum Schwejk (Schäfergasse, 20) for a beer. For a thrill, head to the Metropol, a huge sauna open until 4am (Große Friedberger Strasse, 7).

also worth seeing is the Oscar Wilde bookstore (Alte Gasse, 51), the equivalent of Words in the mouth in Paris.

Information : www.frankfurt.gay-web.de - www.frankfurt-tourismus.de (in English) - www.inqueery.de/gab (in German).

Gay pride in Frankfurt © Corinna Klingler / Flickr

STUTTGART, THE BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE
Known as the city of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, green, hip and prosperous Stuttgart is home to a small but vibrant gay scene, concentrated in the Mitte district, right in the heart of the old city. Start at the LGBT center's café-bistro, the Weissenburg GL Center (Weissenburgerstrasse, 38), to get a lot of info on gay life. Do you like clubs?

Try the BOA (Tübingerstrasse, 12-13) and the Kings Club (Calwerstrasse, 21). Want a sauna? Try the Viva Sauna (Charlottenstrasse, 38). A bar? Monroe's (Schulstrasse, 3) or Magnus (Rotebühlplatz, 4). But above all, don't miss the main gay event, Christopher Street Day (CSD). Information: www.schwulst.de (in German).

Gay pride in Frankfurt © jiwubw00 / Flickr