Lesbian escapades: a weekend in Berlin, the city that never sleeps

When people think of cool, trendy Berlin, they usually have Neukölln in mind. However, Neukölln is only one of the twelve city districts. Lately, more and more hip events have located themselves in Wedding, in the north of the city. In addition to large green spaces like the Volkspark Rehberge or the Plötzensee, the traditional working-class district has a lot to offer lesbians – and more than anything, its relaxed vibe. To really get the most out of it, I recommend reserving a full day for Wedding. Start with a vegan breakfast at the queer Café Curly. Tasty pancakes feature on the menu in the morning. If you prefer to come in the evening, you can also enjoy small concerts, with beer on tap. Even the queer knitting club meets here on occasion!

Curly
Adolfstraße 17, 13347 Berlin-Wedding
U Nauener Platz
Curly's Website

Freshly fortified, we head to SAVVY Contemporary to enjoy some contemporary art. For twelve years, SAVVY Contemporary has been exhibiting cutting-edge art that engages with current discourses and has thus set new standards for the urban cultural scene. Besides art, I can also recommend the in-house record label, SAVVY Records!

SAVVY Contemporary
Reinickendorfer Straße 17, 13347 Berlin-Wedding
S+U Wedding
SAVVY Contemporary's Website

After the cerebral hard work (or any other time) a trip to Plötzensee is worthwhile. Here, you can hang out on the shore of the lakeor visit the Lido in summer. There are always parties taking place, sometimes explicitly queer ones. Drifting on the ‘Plötze’ in a rowing boat is less lively, but just as pleasant. You can't miss the boat rental place, because the lake is quite visible. During the season, the rental shop is open until 7 pm. One hour's paddling costs 8 euros.

Strandbad Plötzensee
Nordufer 26, 13351 Berlin-Wedding
Tramway Virchow-Klinikum
Strandbad Plötzensee's Website

A day in the fresh air makes you hungry, and burgers are the perfect antidote. The Rebel Room caters for empty stomachs, with various vegan options. Meat-eaters also get their money's worth. The curly fries with vegan mayo come highly recommended. Afterwards, head to nearby Leopoldplatz. The area is home to a queer-feminist institution, namely Café Cralle. Since 1977, the feminist pub collective has been serving beer and other drinks. It’s an ideal place to stop for an aperitif or pre-drinks before heading out for a long Berlin night. During the week, Café Cralle also hosts lesbian film nights and on every last Thursday of the month a FLINT* regulars' table meets up.

Rebel Room
Seestraße 93, 13347 Berlin-Wedding
U Seestraße
Rebel Room's Website

Café Cralle
Hochstädter Straße 10A, 13347 Berlin-Wedding
U Leopoldplatz
Café Cralle's Website

If you're not tired yet and you’re still in party mode, you'll have to leave cosy Wedding. As far as parties are concerned, there is still some catching up to do there. But those who like to party will find countless possibilities in the city, depending on their tastesand inclinations. The party series ‘Gegen’ in the notorious KitKatClub, or ‘Buttons’ in Club Ost, or the club ://about blank in Friedrichshain, as well as ever-popular SchwuZ in Neukölln are all noteworthy.

Gegen
Party series at KitKatClub
Köpenicker Straße 76/Brückenstraße 1, 10179 Berlin-Mitte
U Heinrich-Heine-Straße
„Gegen“'s Website

Buttons
Party series at Club Ost
Alt-Stralau 1-2, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain
S Treptower Park
„Buttons“' Facebook page

://about blank
Markgrafendamm 24c, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain
S Ostkreuz
://about blank' Website

SchwuZ
Rollbergstraße 26, 12053 Berlin-Neukölln
U Rathaus Neukölln
SchwuZ' Website

After a long night of partying, Sunday starts off quietly with a culinary hangover cure. Head to the ‘Thai Park’ in otherwise staid Wilmersdorf. Fehrbelliner Platz is home to the largest Thai street food market in the city (and perhaps the country). Up to 100 stalls offer every imaginable Asian cuisine delicacy. Digestion is aided by a nap on the lawn, where sunbathing is commonplace. Be sure to check the dates on the website first!

Thai Park in Preußenpark
OnBrandenburgischen Straße, 10707 Berlin-Wilmersdorf
U Konstanzer Straße
Thaipark's Website

Afterwards, we recommend a short cruise through the city centre on an e-scooter. A tour like this on a Vespa is fun, romantic, and the blast of fresh air is invigorating. Take a spin around the Siegessäule for that ultimate Instagram photo. It may be a cliché, but it's still fabulous!

Information on the numerous hire firms
An overview of various firms is provided by berlin.de

From the Siegessäule column, the route heads across the city to Oya in Kreuzberg. This is a relatively new, queer-feminist pub collective on Mariannenstraße and practically a must, especially for queer PoC travellers. Apart from the excellent beer, Oya also offers political workshops for queer PoCs. Moreover, the café is located in the historically significant Schokofabrik. Here, 40 years ago, courageous women squatted the building to create a safe space tailored to their needs. Among other things, the building also houses a hamam - ideal for cold days in Berlin!

Oya
Mariannenstraße 6, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
U Görlitzer Bahnhof
Oya's Facebook Page

Schokofabrik
Mariannenstraßen 6, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
U Görlitzer Bahnhof
Schokofabrik's Website

From Oya, the evening can go two ways. Firstly, you can venture a little further south, to the Moviemento cinema. The annual porn film festival takes place there in autumn. The cinema also offers a diverse, alternative, and impressive programme. If you're in the mood for amorous adventures instead, you can walk from the Oya, straight to Görlitzer Park and end the weekend with a FLINT* sex party at Club Culture Houze.

Moviemento
Kottbusser Damm 22, 10967 Berlin-Kreuzberg
U Schönleinstraße
Moviemento's Website
Pornfilmfestival' Website

Club Culture Houze
Görlitzer Straße 71, 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg
U Görlitzer Bahnhof
Club Culture Houze's Website

DJ İpek presents her queer-lesbian Kreuzberg in a video. Singer Wilhelmine introduces you to lesbian and other places that have been important to her since childhood.

And this is how you get there: The Queer City Pass gives you a ticket for public transport - and on top of that a great discount with lots of partner companies!

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The Place2be.Berlin city map shows you interesting queer locations all over Berlin.

You can find a complete overview of all events for every single da on the event pages of SIEGESSÄULE, Berlin's famous queer city magazine.