Cologne’s claim to be Germany’s gay and lesbian capital is a valid one. Not only do surveys show that one in 10 locals are attracted to the same sex but their down to earth attitude, a bit cheeky, chatty and open minded means that women walking hand in hand or men kissing in the street does not warrant a second glance. All this plus Cologne also being Germany’s media city, means there is a great gay/lesbian infrastructure of bars, clubs, culture and shopping to explore.
Everywhere you look in Cologne the city is dominated by the Cathedral or “Dom”. Its presence over the city is almost magical and it is well worth a tour round to inspect the tombs believed to house the remains of the Three Kings. A short walk away is the original gay bar “Verquer” in Heumarkt, just 100 yds from the riverside walk along the banks of the Rhine. This Old Town area quickly became the centre of gay life and it remains so today - it's also the main area for the Cologne early July Pride and CSD parades. Nearby is the memorial to the gays murdered by the Nazi’s and also the AIDS Memorial.
More recently a second gay centre to the City has emerged being driven largely by the media and fashion crowd. This is a twenty minute walk or two tram stops ride to the east in the area known locally as the Bermuda Triangle, it's bounded by Mittelstrasse, Pfeilstrasse and Ehrenstrasse and close to Rudolfplaz. Here it is coffee bars, cafes and shopping by day and restaurants, clubbing and saunas by night with English being a truly universal language.
If all this sounds confusing, just book our First Morning Gay Guided Walking Tour of Cologne. A gay guide will take you round and show you all sights and places to go, answer all your questions and give you a complimentary Koln Pink Welcome Card. This provides free hop on hop off travel on all public transport which also saves time fiddling for Euro change. It also includes discounts on shopping, gay bars and entrance to clubs with free welcome drinks plus late check out from hotels.
Cologne is so easy to get to – either for a quick city break or part of a longer tour of Germany. Just a 55 minute flights from many regional airports, 5 hours by Eurostar via Brussels or drive yourself – it’s less than 250 miles from Calais.
The biggest sports and cultural festival in the world will take place in Cologne in early August some 12,000 participants from more than 70 countries will converge for the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 to celebrate the principles of participation, inclusion and personal best. Click here to visit our Gay Games Cologne 2010 website page.