The Best Gay Bars in Berlin
Berlin has an enormous number of gay bars, and as you probably know, the city’s gay scene is world-famous. During my time in Berlin, I visited as many of them as I could!
Gay bars in the German capital range from upbeat drag bars to sexy cruising bars, so you’ll be spoiled for choice.
Here’s everything you need to know about the gay bars in Berlin, including when to go, what to expect, and the kind of guys you’ll find at each one.
At the end of this guide, I’ll mention a few useful tips for your night out. Let’s get started!
Betty F***
Betty F*** is a lounge-like gay bar in central Berlin with bar seating and a cozy red wraparound couch. It has almost a speakeasy type of vibe, as you need to ring the front doorbell for them to let you in.
The staff at Betty F*** is super friendly and I’d highly recommend this gay bar for a weekday evening. They play 90s R&B house music with a glorious disco ball above the bar.
Prinzknecht
Prinzknecht is undoubtedly the best gay bar in Berlin on Wednesday evenings. It’s by far one of the best gay nightlife venues in the city and attracts quite a handsome crowd.
The bar has a ton of space, including a central wraparound bar, dozens of tables, and rear ventilated smoking area. Anyone who dislikes indoor smoking will appreciate Prinzknecht’s separate smoking section, which isn’t so common in Berlin gay bars.
Another fantastic thing about this bar is the table service. You don’t really have to wait in line for drinks if you just catch a waiter!
Ficken 3000
Ficken 3000 is a primarily queer bar venue earlier in the evening. Expect a dim, friendly, and casual vibe with some naughty stuff playing on the tv screens. Friend groups huddle in perimeter seating, smoking and giggling.
The crowd changes drastically after midnight as everyone pours in. A line will quickly form outside, especially after 1 AM. Even later in the night, you’ll find guys exploring the bar’s tiny cruising area.
I had such a great time here and was quite surprised at how the vibe switched from a casual club to an upbeat dance party.
Ficken is cash only, has a 5 Euro cover fee (at least on the weekends), and has a coat check inside.
Tom's Bar
Tom’s Bar is an excellent gay bar for meeting new people and even some casual cruising. It’s known as one of Berlin’s most popular cruising bars.
After midnight passes, you’ll notice people start meandering back toward the darkroom. You can expect this on any given night o the week, too. On weekends and during events, Tom’s will open their full lower-level cruising area.
Woof Berlin
Woof Berlin is Berlin’s staple gay bear bar! It’s popular bears and bearded guys, but you can often find other tribes here. Their colorfully lit sign out front will probably be one of the first things you notice walking around the neighborhood.
Cruising nights at Woof are the most common event. They typically start when the bar opens at 9 PM. Expect more of a crowd on weekends, though.
Woof Berlin is also one of Berlin’s highly rated gay bars when it comes to the politeness and friendliness of the staff.
Roses
Roses tends to be more of a queer bar. Like Ficken 3000, Roses becomes much more of a standard gay bar later in the night and on weekends. My friends Mathieu and Marcus spent an evening here and had a great time.
This gay bar is notoriously strict when it comes to taking photos inside, which is already a no-no in Berlin. It’s quite possible they’ll kick you out if you take any pictures. (More on this in the tips section of this guide).
Heile Welt
Another friendly and welcoming gay bar, Heile Welt is a cozy and intimate hangout. It’s on the smaller side, but there’s a decent amount of room to socialize.
Heile Welt has a quieter cocktail lounge ambiance during the week. On weekends, the bar is a little more crowded and is a lesser-known, casual place to dance!
Rauschgold
Love drag shows? Rauschgold will be the perfect gay bar for you. They have drag performances, karaoke shows, and other fun entertainment all through the week. Fridays and Saturdays are extra popular nights.
Drinks are affordable too. You can get just about any beer for less than 4 Euros and cocktails are generally around 8 Euros.
Rauschgold is also a short walk from Berlin’s biggest gay sauna, in case you’re looking for some more “entertainment” after the show!
Greifbar
Greifbar is one of the only gay bars in East Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district. They’re a popular cruising-oriented gay bar that opens later in the evening at 10 PM.
The overall vibe is usually quite relaxed and the bar’s interior is dimly lit with a bit of a sexy, industrial feel.
Expect a mixed crowd that skews to the younger side. Most people tend to arrive just before Midnight no matter what day of the week it is.
Greifbar is most visited Fridays through Sundays, while Mondays tend to be the least popular day of the week.
New Action
New Action is a gay cruising and fetish bar with a modern, yet still sexy vibe. It’s clustered with the other popular gay bars in Nollendorfplatz.
They’re a strictly men-only gay bar and enforce a dress code on specific nights (usually weekends), so check their event calendar.
On dress code nights, it’s expected that you wear some sort of fetish-type clothing or accessories, but it’s open-ended.
Everything including sportswear, leather, boots, uniform, rubber, or army wear is allowed. If you’re new to wearing fetish gear, start out with a simple yet sexy harness. (For style ideas, see my gay harness guide.)
Also make sure not to wear any fragrances, as this is frowned upon in pretty much all fetish bars.
New Action is open Wednesday through Sunday starting at 10 PM and typically don’t have a closing time for any special events.
Bar Saint Jean
Bar Saint Jean doesn’t like to label itself as a strictly “gay bar,” and has a completely different and unique vibe from all the other gay establishments in Berlin. Realistically, yes, Bar Saint Jean is a bar for the LGBTQ+ community.
Created by a French man named Johann, the space is chic, minimalist, non-smoking, and French-inspired. People come here for specialty cocktails and popular events like Gym Tonic music nights and After-Werk social/networking events.
If you’re looking for a gay bar option that’s on the elegant side, spend an evening at Bar Saint Jean.
Dreizehn
Dreizehn is another gay bar popular on Wednesdays, a great option for anyone visiting during the week. It’s a tiny hangout and is frequented by an older crowd. You’ll be able to hear all the best classic gay hits playing from outside the bar!
Mutschmanns
Mutschmanns has been a huge part of Berlin’s gay scene for decades as a sexy, hedonistic gay cruising bar where guys come both to socialize and play.
Recently, Mutschmanns moved to a new location in Schöneberg near many of the other neighborhood’s gay bars. The bar is modern and has a huge dungeon-like cruising and play area. Don’t forget to bring a sexy jockstrap.
Wednesdays and Thursdays are especially popular at Mutschmanns when you can find a decent crowd of attractive locals looking for a good time. Thursday is particularly popular for the naked party.
BLOND Cocktailbar
BLOND Cocktailbar flaunts its status as a buzzing retro-themed gay bar. During the day, it’s a relaxed LGBTQ+ café hangout. In the evenings, the bar hosts all sorts of social events like karaoke parties, bingo nights, an 80’s music night, and their Saturday night fever event.
A colorful, welcoming, and upbeat gay space, the crowd at BLOND Cocktailbar is always mixed. All ages, tribes, and allies are welcome here. And during the warmer months, there will be plenty of seating out on the sidewalk.
Check the BLOND website for the latest schedule of events.
Club Triebwerk
Club Triebwerk is a smaller local cruising bar among the cluster of gay bars and clubs near Hermannplatz. The vibe is dim and sexy with red lighting all around.
While the club’s larger lower-level darkroom area is no longer open, you can take advantage of the recently reconfigured cruising area toward the back of the bar.
Club Triebwerk’s rear darkroom has dimmer lighting, a fantasy-fulfilling “gynecologist’s chair,” a sling and air conditioning for when things get extra steamy. It’s all separated by a large curtain for privacy.
Note that Club Triebwerk is closed on Mondays and Thursdays.
SilverFuture
SilverFuture is known as a super queer-friendly space as well as for fantastic local drag talent. They’ve been in business since 2007 and their slogan is “For Kings, Queens & Criminal Queers!”
The bar hosts lots of queer-oriented events, like a Gender Euphoria party and written message flirting nights for lesbian, non-binary, and trans folks. SilverFuture is open every day except Sundays
The New Oldtimer
The New Oldtimer offers more of a casual, social environment that attracts a vibrant older gay crowd. It’s a beer bar located across from the Berlin Axel Hotel popular for cheap drinks and 70s/80s music.
They also have an indoor-outdoor patio seating area where everyone likes to sit for an afternoon drink, especially when the weather is warm.
The New Oldtimer is open every day from 2 PM to 3 AM, and is busiest toward the end of the week, through the weekend.
Möbel Olfe
Möbel Olfe is a local favorite queer bar where you’ll typically find a mixed crowd of both men and women. The vibe here is relaxed, lounge-like, and just a tad underground/hipster feeling (in a good way).
It’s a great spot to grab a casual drink, meet a friend or even relax alone in a welcoming and non-smoking space. Möbel Olfe also regularly hosts a ladies’ night on Tuesday, which has become quite popular!
The bar’s name literally translates to “furniture store” which will make sense once you see their big art display of couches in the back.
SchwuZ Queer Club
SchwuZ is one of the best gay bars in Berlin for pop music and dancing. It’s a pretty big venue in comparison to most of the other gay bars around.
The crowd at SchwuZ tends to be younger and generally a mix of guys and girls. Get ready for some energetic music, edgy performances and a giant disco ball.
Grosse Freiheit 114
In East Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighborhood, Grosse Freiheit 114 has reinvented itself post-pandemic as both a queer bar and a cruising bar. They place a lot of value on diversity yet also want to provide a sex-positive space.
Grosse Freiheit 114 has a few different rooms within the bar. The back of the bar is labeled a “calmed guest interior” for those curious to have “sex-positive experiences.” The middle room has a DJ booth and space for dancing.
In the front area, expect a classic, modern gay bar vibe where anyone and everyone is welcome to enjoy cocktails.
Südblock
Südblock is both a gay bar/nightclub as well as a popular gay restaurant. It’s great for any occasion, whether you’re looking for an afternoon coffee, a midday snack spot, or an exciting evening performance.
Südblock’s restaurant has an outdoor sitting area with tons of benches in a Biergarten style. They’re also popular for Sunday brunch.
The crowd at Südblock is probably the most diverse of any of Berlin’s gay bars. It’s queer-friendly and frequented by people of all ages, races, and genders.
K6 Gay Bar
Berlin’s K6 Gay Bar is a leisurely hangout in Berlin, and they’ve been around for over 18 years. The bar is popular for its outdoor beer garden area, especially in the warmer months when everyone can enjoy good music outside.
When the weather turns cooler in Berlin, K6 will have a cute little enclosed tent area where you can still make the most of the outdoor vibes.
Bar Zum schmutzigen Hobby
Bar Zum schmutzigen Hobby, also known as “hobby bar,” is more of a local hangout. The vibe can really change here depending on the night as they play different types of music, host drag performances every now and then, and sometimes attract more of a queer crowd.
It’s a small space and is known to get relatively crowded on the weekend. Bar Zum schmutzigen Hobby is open Wednesday through Saturday.
Berlin Gay Bars to Skip
Most of Berlin’s gay Bars are pretty awesome, but I do think it’s mentioning a couple of places hat were less than impressive.
Tabasco
I literally opened the door to Tabasco and immediately turned around. It felt and smelled like walking into a damp old closet. This place doesn’t get the best reviews either. With five or so awesome gay bars around the corner, I’d pass on this place.
Besenkammer
While Besenkammer is technically a gay bar, many of the people hanging out here are not LGBT. It’s also quite isolated from other gay bars, so I would not recommend making a trip to come here, specifically.
Tips for Visiting Gay Bars in Berlin
Neighborhood Clusters of Gay Bars
Most Berlin gay bars in Berlin are clustered in a few different areas of the city.
The largest concentration of them is in the very north of the city’s Schöneberg neighborhood, the busiest and most vibrant of Berlin gay districts. Popular bars like Prinzknecht, Tom’s Bar, New Action, and Woof Berlin are here.
Around the Kortbusser Tor subway station, you’ll fund a smaller cluster of gay bars including Roses, Möbel Olfe, and Südblock.
A short ride south of here is another bunch of gay bars around Hermannplatz, including Club Triebwerk, Ficken 3000, and SilverFuture.
Taking Photos is Not Always Allowed
Generally, in any Berlin gay bar that has cruising, a darkroom, or explicit video playing on television screens, you shouldn’t take photos or videos inside the bar.
Many bar owners who see tourists with their cameras out in these types of bars will quickly approach you and inform you that photos are not allowed. In places where there are clearly posted no photo signs, security staff may be more aggressive toward you.
On the other hand, taking photos and videos in places like drag bars and other performance-based venues is typically fine. Just be mindful of the rules.
Smoking Inside Berlin Bars
Berlin is notorious for allowing indoor smoking. Every bar is different and so people may tend to smoke more in some as opposed to others.
If you’re planning to bar hop and explore a bunch of Berlin’s gay bars, be prepared to come home smelling like an ashtray.
The easiest way to deal with this is firstly to pack enough clothing so you never need to re-wear anything, at least as far as t-shirts or tank tops.
For jackets and other outerwear, you’ll want to bring some fabric spray to release any odors. Each night, you can spray your coat, and leave it in your bathroom and the smell typically dissipates by morning.
Alternatively, you could buy a small spray bottle and spray your clothes with water.
Learn about more gay nightlife, as well as cruising and other gay parties in wolfyy’s Berlin gay travel guide.
Need sexy accessories for a gay bar in Berlin? Check out wolfyy’s list of gay party gear or these sexy gay underwear and jockstrap brands.
Need ideas for new travel destinations? Browse wolfyy’s full collection of gay travel guides.
