Dear friend,
you’ve been to Berlin before? you’ve never been? you are planning a trip?
begin or expand your berlin world with this page.
***but please only share this page with radical queers you love and trust***
QUEER FESTIVALS
EASTER CONFERENCE gets full very fast! get on their email list.
QTIPoC Kink Festival; B.O.U.N.D. Fest. JUNE
FOLSOM – SEPTEMBER all bdsm parties are on on fetlife
pornfilmfestival OCTOBER – last weekend for 4 days before the weekend!
Transformations – TPOC organized film festival! NOVEMBER next year. white people can apply with films but qtpoc work prioritized
COVEN BERLIN (a few big shows a year)
STRETCH – for trans bi and gay men
VENUES
LOCAL TIPS!
– don’t take photos at many of these places
– there’s A LOT of heavy cigarette smoke after 11 pm*
– watch your drinks! very very rarely it happens but people have been spiked.
– watch your phones/ bags! many thievings going on.
-watch you don’t walk in bike lanes which are right next to the sidewalk
HYDRA CAFE (sex worker led!)
SUDBLOCK ( Great for lunch/dinner/ eve drinks and BRUNCH SUNDAY 11 AM- 3 PM) NON SMOKING DURING DAY (bad WIFI)
SILVER FUTURE* (WIFI) (they are willing to host events if you talk to them in advance) no food but sometimes the samosa guy comes around and also there are snacks in a bag that drops from the ceiling. there’s also non alcoholic drink menu you can ask for and huge HERB TEA selection that you can view in their European style tea box.
Möbel Olfe* (non smokers don’t go here unless you have HIGH tolerance for smoke) WOMEN AND TRANS NIGHT: TUESDAY – rest of nights more cis fag
BARBIE DEINHOFF * very smoky too
SCHWUZ* BIG RADICAL DANCE CLUB with a WOMEN AND TRANS MEN NIGHT: HOT TOPIC -has area for sex and not horribly smokey
Quälgeist is shut until further notice
If you are on fetlife check out: Honey & Spices, Femme Fatalities and Dungeons Deluxe. Also Jasmine BDSM for monthly education which there is always translators for. Very educational.
Sex Deluxe party you need to find out about through word of mouth. There are 4 parties a year and they are awesome!
BERGHAIN*
BIG ALL NIGHT DANCE CLUB QUEERish
this place has a darkroom! fun! it’s even fun trying to find it in the dance church maze. they don’t always let you in so dress cute. this club is open 24/7 berliners go sunday afternoon/ night and tourists on friday and saturday. snacks and ice cream for sale. you can get condoms and gloves from bar staff for free. i would bring my own lube packets though although there are huge lube pump canisters in dark room. You can even go at 10 am if you are really a deep dancer Saturday morning or Sunday morning.
GEGEN – great wild night at KitKatClub can fuck on the balcony mostly cisfags tho
LABORATORY – sex club for men
RESTAURANTS
Azzam cheapest and best restaurant in Berlin on Sonnenalle.
Barettino (has wifi) super delicious brunches! good juices!
Brammibal Donuts on the canal (VEGAN) also good vegan grilled cheese
Cocolo Ramen on the canal go earlier though as it’s packed! not much vegetarian but one thing i think
Ankerklause – fish and chips and big breakfasts – it’s like a boat and you can sit on the canal
Maky – cheap delicious vietnamese/ asian fusion lunch under 5 euros and WIFI
bravo BRAVKO -best cake in town? and wifi
QUEER ART
need to book a diy venue for art or your band/ project: altes
QUEER BODY
YOU NEED A TATTOO?
YOU NEED A HAIRCUT?
BUTCH CUTS book an appointment on the fb page. now they also have a femme hair cutter i believe too!
at the same location they have rad non binary somatics healer named Clay
cranio by Mathilde on Saturdays
FREE HEALTH CARE YOU DON’T SHOW ID & THERES MEDICINE THERE please refer to this map for exact location
ALSO- if you are sick almost all pharmacists speak English and can help you often with medication and diagnosis like a doctor would. look out for signs that say APOTHEKE
need to fix something w acupuncture? http://www.berlin-akupunktur.com/
need euro style thrift store clothes? Try HUMANA
huge weird carni costume library – make a donation and bring things back! at exit
QUEER SEXUALITY
Secret Berlin Queer cruising facebook group post here for action. oh wait you need to be added to the group get someone in the group ie me to add you 🙂
OK CUPID, Tinder and grinder and Planet Romeo are pumping in Berlin check it out
Other Nature: Pick up some lube here or their biggest seller their compact anal douche!
also only open on Fridays: Sexclusvit – small and cute and queer friendly.
Manon – escort – manon.praline at gmx.net
Luk Transboy – escort
Finn Peaks – ftm escort
Sadie Lune – kinky femme sexworker
Ann Antidote – bondage teacher
Rent a Dungeon!
THINK YOU GOT HIV/ STI get free checks here* or here
*try to use condoms/gloves there are a lot diseases here (also for oral) with the increase in prep use – hiv organizations saying no condoms needed! eeek!!
you really really like kink? click here for a map of everything kink in berlin
QUEER HEALTH
GYM you can work out twice at Mcfit for free just come in with a passport and an address. also same goes for John Reed. Queers going to John Reed at Koti 9 am – 6 pm usually. Morning shift bigger 9-11. There’s about 15 of us.
Queer Fitness Class with Tom Wednesday and Friday
Queer Fitness Class with Martin Wednesday @ 18 o’clock!
trans*inter* swimming every first tuesday in the month organized by this group: Seitenwechsel
AMAZING POOLS Columbiabad and Prinzenbad (also has a nudist area at the very back!) bring picnic with lots of grassy area with trees
Queer Yoga
Heile House: free/donation based health consultations, alternative medicine
MASSAGE – Richard – 30 euros/ 1 hour massage on thursday!
QUEER MEDITATION – SUNDAYS 10 AM
SAUNA
Krystal Sauna! best birthday sauna! free! you get a photo by a palm tree or giant crystal and a free voucher for something small in the restaurant like a drink or ice cream. buy an ABC ticket. a few stops from downtown on the train.
“WOMENS DAY” MONDAY SAUNA Stadtbad Neukölln get there at noon if you can! it’s more empty during the day. you can get changed in the men’s room it’s empty of men. you can also go swimming but must wear a bathing suit. snacks are ok in resting area but be discreet.
FANCIER EXPENSIVE SAUNA BUT WORTH IT: VABALI
this one has heated water beds to take naps and relax on!
new tip – women only sauna
many saunas have aufguss which is amazing. sit on first level if you can near door for your first ones.
learn about the aufguss here from wiki:
(Aufguss, lit: “Onpouring”) During an Aufguss session the Saunameister uses a large towel to circulate the hot air through the sauna, intensifying sweating and the perception of heat. Once the Aufguss session has started it is not considered good manners to enter the sauna, as opening the door would cause loss of heat (Sauna guests are expected to enter the sauna just in time before the Aufguss. Leaving the session is allowed, but grudgingly tolerated). Aufguss sessions are usually announced by a schedule on the sauna door. An Aufguss session in progress might be indicated by a sign hung on the sauna entrance. Cold showers or baths shortly after a sauna, as well as exposure to fresh air, garden or open-air (Frischluftraum) are considered a must.
also check out liquidroom its like being on mdma with the salt water dark floating pool!
trans friends tell me they can navigate these spaces w towels
BOILER ROOM – for men (trans and cis)
ORGANIZATIONS
TRIQ (TRANS ENGLISH MEETING LAST FRI OF THE MONTH (NON SMOKING) (WIFI)
HYDRA (peer led sex worker rights orga)
GREAT RECOVERY
Narcotics Anonymous Groups Check Saturday 12:30 and Sunday in tower 7:30
English Speaking AA Fantastic GAY AA Thursday at Lesbenberatung and new Xberg queer meeting Saturday at 9pm
http://www.schokofabrik.de/ press the english button for meeting space, woodworking learning, german learning, hammam and more! only for women.
ACCOMODATION – good for finding sublets for a week to a month! post or scroll in here:
BERLIN QUEER EXCHANGE (you could potentially post skills/ events you have to offer berlin here)
Air bnb is very cheap, but always better to pay queers – post in groups first. Air bnb is gentrifying Berlin.
Boat hotel – good reviews from queers – private room is nice
Regenbogenfabrik – good vibes – diy cinema and cafe and bike fixing place
INTERNET CAFES – prepare for very slow wifi at cafes!
free wifi at all groceries stores with the name REWE
NEST (back room is empty gorgeous and huge!) on Gorlitzer Park
Kapitan– queer run – Greek
Hannibal in Kreuzberg (by Gorlitzer Bahnhof) is HUGE and so many old amazing couches – good for large groups – great atmosphere you can stay ages if you have internet work DAYTIME
EIS = ice cream
BEST PHONE SOLUTION/ ELECTRONICS
just use WHATSAP or VIBER when you are here (easiest and cheapest)
KNOW A GERMAN! – ALDI 7 EUROS A MONTH SIM with SLOW! WIFI
need an adaptor for north american computers/ phones? 3 euros! at YES ELECTRONICS phone broken or other small electronics? they can maybe fix! a lot of us get our phones fixed here.
Mac computer broken? Wolfcare or AppleGuy Don’t bother going to mac store they take weeks to fix also the apple approved ones too.
DAY TRIPS and ACTIVITIES
*** rent a bike at Bike 44 for 4 euros/ hour or 25 for the whole week
YOU MUST BE WILLING TO WORK OR PAY IF YOU GO TO THESE PROJECTS! please do not go there and take, only go there if you are willing to contribute! Write a month in advance. Or at least two weeks. Betonest is more flexible.
PONDEROSA – performance artist/ dance village
QUECKE – feminist queer retreat centre – creek, forest, gardens, sauna, big spaces, accessible!!
BETONEST create your own DIY artist residency at a very low cost. A hotel, ten large industrial buildings and a lake await you.
the one and only QUEER TOUR OF BERLIN! by Finn Ballard
Modular – most mindblowing crafty store – overpriced so watch your purchasing
free German classes email my friend: rndt@alpadia.com (run every two months for a week crash course of afternoons only – you may get lucky!)
BERLIN PARKS : templehof, treptow and hasenhide are the nicest
but also try picnicing on insel
Most delightful German diner for breakfast or cake of a german diner meal – Kuchen Kaiser Oranienplatz 11-13 no wifi
If you live in Berlin
and need your house painted: Painting
QUEER PHOTOGRAPHERS
this is our queer world.
let’s fill it with love and respect and support each other to make sustainable lives.
please let me know if you or a friend needs to be added to this page!
hugs,
Coral