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OutUK's Adrian Gillan hunts down horny Herrs in Hamburg, Germany’s second
city, in the run up to June's Pride celebrations.
Birthplace of Brahms and launch pad of The Beatles, Hamburg is Germany’s understated city of wealth. It's greener and cleaner than either Berlin or Munich, although much of its history was firebombed by us during the war. GAY DISTRICTSHamburg boasts not just one gay scene but two - make that three. So you’ll have to decide which one’s yours on any given night.The biggest and most central is in the old St Georg district just to the east of the main station where rail connections come in from the airport. Most gay venues here are along, just off or in between two main streets called Lange Reihe and Steindamm. |  A beer and a mouthful of German sausage is well worth the cost of the flight to Hamburg. |
| The Lange Reihe is a long, narrow road full of small cafés and boutiques. There is no shortage of inexpensive gay-run eateries. Rustic and basic Café Uhrlaub offers simple fodder in slightly cramp surroundings. | |
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Rather more stylish and atmospheric is the lovely deco-chic Café Gnosa with its amazing selection of
cakes and a fine array of fit and friendly waiters - very laid back and the perfect
place to while away and dream. Bistro des Artistes is a trendier eatery just around the corner although its menu is a little limited and it feels a bit like a retro 80s wine bar. | 
The Cafe Gnosa is a great place to relax and meet the locals |
CLUBS & BARSBut if it’s gay bars you want, try the real thing. Tusculum is a very popular watering hole near the station where thirsty queers hoard its bar ‘in the round’ - an interesting mix of drunken bores, young cutsies and glamorous dykes. By contrast, La Strada a few streets away is a friendly community men’s hub of a pub that does not shy away from cheese. However, even its kitsch factor pales beside nearby Rendezvous where a merry older crowd often stagger around grunting cheerily doing the conga.And now: for something cruisier? Check out the Thomaskellar, a few doors down, in a cosy basement not short of boys. Or indeed, you can easily find fast love at a price at Romeo – one of several ‘hustler bars’ of the sort we don’t find here in the UK. | |
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But if you like your men free - apart from the door charge and the drinks - there
are lots of fetish bars in town. Strictly Men is a leather club, although not so hard as it sounds. Black is a labyrinth likewise for leather but with some SM thrown in. And there’s always Tom’s Saloon, a basement cruise bar on Pulverteich just off Steindamm where almost any code goes away a load or two lighter. Tom of Finland was a regular and the bar has been named after him. It's also home of the annual Hamburg Leatherparty which takes place this August. |
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If you are yourself young or in search of youth, you need only stagger upstairs
from Tom’s into PIT – a popular, if small, gay club where chicken and bunnies abound.
The music doesn’t quite know what it is and thereby pleases no one in particular
but the young’ns still make the most of it.
SAUNASAnd there are some nice surprises to be had over the road at the spacious, clean and attractive Dragon Sauna - one of the best designed I’ve encountered on all my global trots. Unusually laid-out sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi and cabins - complete with dishy guys - make this a must-have German gem.Boy toy shops surround you on Steindamm, peddling the usual videos and mags, plus the continental penchant for porn cinemas and private cabins for hire. If that’s you’re thing, check out any of Dolly Buster, Mystery Hall, New Man or Sparta. They’re all much of a muchness. | |
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We can recommend Hotel Königshof on Pulverteich to lay your queery head – clean,
spacious, stylish and modern with generous breakfasts. And so central - in the
heart of the main gay quarter! You can reserve a room using our online Bookings service by clicking the Bookings logo below. |
Hamburg's gushing out all over.
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GO WESTThere is a smaller and more mixed gay district over to the west at St Pauli, about 15 minutes away by rail. Piccadilly is a unique and comfy pub that looks like it’s in someone’s front room and is packed with coffee pots from around the world. Wunderbar is this area’s bar-cum-club where the cutsies hang out, but in such numbers of a weekend eve there’s no room to fall over, let alone dance. Men’s Heaven is St Pauli’s new sauna and you’ll find the same sex shops as were over on Steindamm - exactly the same.Also worth mentioning - if only for the change of scenery - is the small ‘village’ up towards the City Park, beyond the lakes. Olli’s Downtown Bar & Bistro is a pleasant dining bar and bistro and Feelgood has a young and friendly LGB crowd - all things to all queers with its bar, restaurant, community resource and club. And seeing as you’re there, check out the Blind Garden in the City Park early evening or weekend afternoons. Turn left out of Borgweg metro staying on that side of the road and cross straight over at the cross-roads, entering the park on the corner where the small wooden sign says Blindgarten. This sunken garden is just behind the pavilion facing you and you'll find action in the bushes all around. | |
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THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK
ST GEORG: THE EAST VILLAGE
ST PAULI: THE WEST VILLAGE
CITY PARK: THE NORTH VILLAGE
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