European Men and Destinations

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Grosse Freiheit 114 | Boxhagener Straße 114 | no number | http://www.gay-friedrichshain.de/grosse-freiheit-114/de/ Look, a bar whose theme is not sex-related! Well, unless you have a nautical fetish. It's as cute as a dimly-lit bar can get, and has a ton of patrons who are simply out for a fun time. Go on shirtless nights for some top-notch eye candy.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Schoppenstube | Schönhauser Allee 44 | 30/442 8204 | http://www.schoppenstube.de/ An East German gay bar with a history and a fiercely loyal following. It can get a bit dance-y on the weekends, so if you're looking to avoid the club scene, head there during the week. Inside is cozy in the winter and the outdoor seating is a blessing in summer.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Bull | Kleiststraße 35 | 30/960 85760 | http://www.bull-berlin.de/ Bull is open 24 hours a day, so jet lag be damned! And it maintains a playful atmosphere until the wee hours, when it pretty much turns into an indoor cruising space – their darkrooms are especially action-packed, and get dirty in every sense of the word. While it's not a fetish bar it does welcome it, so lay some ground rules before joining the fray.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Hafen | Motzstraße 19 | 30/211 4118 | http://www.hafen-berlin.de/ With fun theme nights, a friendly staff and a healthy mix of drag queens and straight-up gays, this may be the bar you've been looking for – or at least one you can go to when you actually just want a drink in a gay bar. Fine young things love it, which is another draw – especially when they get shirtless and frisky.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Reizbar | Motzstraße 30 | 30/236 37981 | http://www.reizbar-berlin.com/ They've got some serious theme nights, but it's not a requirement to get in – and the bar area that you hang out in before heading to the back room darkroom is fine for hanging out in a sexed-up atmosphere. And it's on the gayest street in Berlin, so even hanging out outside is fun!

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars New Action | Kleiststraße 35 | no number | http://www.newactionberlin.de/ New Action is an after-hours bar, but don't think you can just stroll on in after a night on the town – they have a super-strict dress code (check website for details) and if you get bounced, head to Bull, next door. But once you're inside, expect tons of seriously hot action.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Stahlrohr 2.0 | Paul-Robeson-Straße 50 | 17/080 3769 | http://www.stahlrohr-bar.de/Slider/start.htm This S&M-themed sex party bar's bark is worse than its bite – surprisingly friendly. They have a wall of lockers that come in handy for they naked and underwear theme nights. Go on Tuesdays, when they lower the age for entry to a precious, precious 18.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars The Sharon Stonewall Bar | Kleinen Präsidentenstraße 3 | 30 24085502 | http://www.sharonstonewall-gaybar.com/ Small and pink and fabulous, it's like a clubhouse where hip dudes and drag queens hang out and frequently get shirtless and madly flirtatious. A lot of fun, and friendlier than you'd think, although it can get a little bitchy.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Bärenhöhle| Schönhauser Allee 90 | 030 44736553 | http://www.baerenhoehle-berlin.de/ This is one of the friendliest gay bars in Berlin, and it's bearlicious as well. They play all kinds of jukebox-style music and in the summer, the wall of storefron windows open up to join the outside tables with the inside scene. A great local pub!

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Tom's Bar | Motzstraße 19 | 030 2134570 | http://www.tomsbar.de/ Tom's is a lot like Greifbar, with its bar and cruising areas, but it's a bit harder, a bit darker, and they show porn films on big screens. But the big difference is that it is right on Motzstraße, which means you can pop in, check out the scene, and move on easily – or come back for more once you're done somewhere else!

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Greifbar | Wichertstraße 10 | 030 4440828 | http://www.greifbar.com/ The Greifbar has a decent regular bar area, and then multiple cruising spaces that include a sex sling and plenty of action. Not as seedy and/or sexually adventurous as many Berlin cruising bars and clubs, which may be a welcome change after a few days on the dark side.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Bars Tabasco Bar | Fuggerstraße 3 | 30 2142636 | http://www.tabascobar.de/ Their tag line is “Men meet boys, boys meet men,” and that's pretty much what happens at this escort bar. Come ready to do business, and you won't come away disappointed. They have an outdoor terrace for the rare warm day.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels The Hoist Basements | http://www.thehoistbasements.com/home.aspx Their address is only known to those who book, but it's in the Berlin-Schöneberg gayborhood. It's a stay-and-play hotel, where each “room” has legit hotel amentities as well as things like sex slings, cages, and dungeon spaces as well. They boast “direct street access, no direct neighbours and no communal stairways.” This is some serious shit.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels My Gayhostel | Nollendorfplatz 5 B | (0)30-23623612 | http://www.my-gayhostel.de/?partnerid=1171 Only the single rooms are private, and this hostel can get a bit crazy – but it literally could not be cheaper. If you also want to do a lot of sightseeing, the staff has great advice and directions and can even hook you up with a Hostelpass. Free wifi, coffee and tea.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Zu Hause | Kleiststraße 35 | 30 23625222 | http://www.hotelzuhauseberlin.de/index-en.php This is a non-smoking hotel, which is more rare than you'd think in Berlin. The rooms have a minimalist Parisian feel, with architectural details taking center stage in each room, and the large windows are a blessing on gloomy days. Free wifi, and free beverages throughout the day.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Gay Hostel Berlin | Motzstraße 28 | 30 21005709 | http://www.gay-hostel.de/welcome.html This is a true hostel, where single rooms are the exception to the rule, the bathrooms are shared, and the common areas are one big pickup scene. But it's wonderfully gay, so you never know who you'll find milling around using the free wifi for guests.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Guesthouse 21 | Martin-Luther-Straße 21 | (0)173-3884786 | http://www.guesthouse21.de/start_uk.htm We're not sure how this gusesthouse would have been decorated if IKEA did not exist, but no matter – the bright, immaculate rooms have both form and function, as well as ridiculously good rates. They also have self-serve breakfast all day, so you can pick up something quick if you're feeling peckish.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels ArtHotel Connection | Fuggerstraße 33 | 30 210218800 | http://www.arthotel-connection.de/hotel.html They call themselves the “Grande Dame of Berlin’s gay hotels” and live up to this – the murals, the chandeliers, the mood lighting and rich colors border on camp but instead makes it hip and elegent in eual measure. Free wifi in all 16 rooms, and it's near a bunch of playgrounds in the Berlin-Schöneberg gayborhood.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Schall & Rauch | Gleimstraße 23 | 30 443397 | http://schall-und-rauch.de/hotel-pension/ It's a restaurant, it's a bar, it's a guesthouse! A cool urban feel with exposed brick in the rooms, which are spacious and airy. Rates depend on full, half and no meal services, which makes it a good deal if you just need a place to crash.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Bananas Berlin | Geisbergstraße 41 | 30 21961768 | http://www.bananas-berlin.com/index_en.htm This gay guesthouse has only 10 rooms, and the bathrooms are shared – which is a hinderance or a plus, depending on your budget and/or preferred guesthouse scene. It's simple with homey details and the rates cannot be beat.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Axel Hotel | Lietzenburger Straße 13 | 30 21002893 | http://www.axelhotels.com/berlin/ This is a chain that's also found in Barcelona and Buenos Aires, so if you're familiar with the brand, you know what you're getting at this self-proclaimed “heterofriendly” hotel. There's a rooftop hot tub and bar, and the dark walls with lighter accents wil get you ready for a night of clubbing. Very sexy, and very gay.

Gay and Gay Friendly Berlin Hotels Tom's Hotel | Motzstraße 19 | 30 21966604 | http://www.toms-hotel.de/welcome.html You'll probably find yourself on Motzstraße often enough that Tom's Hotel is a natural choice. The rooms are simple and crisp, with sleek details and decent amenities, including free wifi. They have single and double rooms at decent rates. This is a solid choice.

Gay and Gay Friendly Barcelona Gay and Gay Friendly Barcelona Hotels 1 Axel Hotel | Aribau, 33 | 93 323 93 93 | http://www.axelhotels.com/barcelona/ This sleek, notoriously heterofriendly hotel is ground zero for gay life in Barcelona. If you like not being far from the scene, then this is your place half the time, you won't have to go any farther than the rooftop bar for fun. 2 Hotel Comte | Diputació 142-148 | 93.323.12.58 | http://www.hoteldelcomte.com/en/home Hotel Comte is only a two-star, but it's modern, clean, friendly, and right in the gayborhood, so it's a top choice for budget travelers. They also have smoking rooms, which is a blessing for some of u…

Gay and Gay Friendly Barcelona Restaurants Restaurante Barceloneta | Carrer de l'Escar, 22 | 932 212 111 | http://www.restaurantbarceloneta.com/en/ The have meat on the menu, but come on – you're on the sea in Barceloneta, the beach 'hood of the city – you're going to order the seafood, right? And so you should. While it's not the cheapest place ever, it is most likely the freshest, and with their outdoor seating and friendly service, you'll quickly realize that you've found your favorite place.

Gay and Gay Friendly Barcelona Restaurants Apat! | Carrer Aribau, 137 | 93 439 64 14 | http://www.apat.es/ With reasonable prix-fixe menus and an interesting a la carte selection, this is where you want to go when you want a grown-up meal of tapas – one where the chef has some imagination, and you're not elbowing tourists out of the way. Our top pick for BCN.