Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [111]
Potsdamer Platz Arkaden (Map; 255 9270; Alte Potsdamer Strasse) This pleasant indoor mall brims with mainstream chains and also has two supermarkets, a food court and possibly the best ice-cream parlour in town, the upstairs Caffe & Gelato.
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Farmers Markets
Winterfeldtmarkt (Map; Winterfeldtplatz, Schöneberg; 8am-2pm Wed, 8am-4pm Sat) Spending Saturdays at this upscale farmers and crafts market is a ritual for many Berliners. Do as they do and cap off a spree with coffee or breakfast in a nearby cafe.
Turkish Market (Map; Maybachufer, Kreuzberg; noon-6.30pm Tue & Fri) Olives, feta spreads, loaves of fresh bread and mountains of fruit and vegetables, all at bargain prices, are what you’ll find at this colourful canalside market.
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GAY & LESBIAN BERLIN
Berlin’s legendary liberalism has spawned one of the world’s biggest, most fabulous and diverse LGBT playgrounds. Anything goes in ‘Homopolis’ (and we do mean anything), from the highbrow to the hands-on, the bourgeois to the bizarre, the mainstream to the flamboyant.
The rainbow flag has proudly flown in Motzstrasse and Fuggerstrasse in Schöneberg since the 1920s. Prenzlauer Berg has the hippest gay scene in eastern Berlin, with hubs along Greifenhagener Strasse, Gleimstrasse and Schönhauser Allee. Kreuzberg has more of an alt-flavoured feel (Oranien-strasse, Mehringdamm), while Friedrichshain’s small but up-and-coming scene is student-driven.
Berlin’s gayscape runs the entire spectrum from mellow cafes, campy bars and cinemas, to saunas, cruising areas, clubs with dark rooms and all-out sex venues. In fact, sex and sexuality are entirely everyday matters to the unshockable city folks and there are very few, if any, itches that can’t be quite openly and legally scratched. As elsewhere, gay men have more options for having fun, but grrrls – from lipstick lesbians to hippie chicks to bad-ass dykes – won’t have to feel left out.
Except for the hard-core places, gay spots get their share of opposite-sex and straight patrons, drawn by gay friends, the fabulousness of the venues, abundant eye candy and, for women in gay bars, a non-threatening atmosphere.
Information
Mann-O-Meter (Map; 216 8008; Bülowstrasse 106) One-stop information centre that also operates a hotline to report attacks on gays ( 216 3336)
Out in Berlin (www.out-in-berlin.de) This English/German booklet and website is an indispensable guide to the queer scene in town.
Siegessäule (www.siegessaeule.de) The bible for all things gay and lesbian in Berlin.
Festivals
In mid-June, huge crowds turn out for the Schwul-Lesbisches Strassenfest (Gay-Lesbian Street Fair) in Schöneberg, which basically serves as a warm-up for Christopher Street Day later that month.
Sights
A great place to learn about Berlin’s queer history is the nonprofit Schwules Museum (Gay Museum; Map; 693 1172; Mehringdamm 61; adult/concession €5/3; 2-6pm Wed-Mon), which is museum, archive and community centre all in one.
In June 2008, the Denkmal für Homosexuelle NS Opfer (Memorial for Homosexual Nazi Victims; Map) was unveiled on the edge of the Tiergarten park along Ebertstrasse. The off-kilter concrete box echoes the design of the Holocaust Memorial across the street until you look through a window at the looped video showing two men kissing tenderly.
Drinking
Heile Welt (Map; 2191 7507; Motzstrasse 5, Schöneberg) This laid-back lair gets high marks for its flirt factor and sensuous fur-covered walls; it’s a great warm-up spot for the long night ahead.
Roses (Map; 615 6570; Oranienstrasse 187, Kreuzberg) The ultimate in kitsch, Roses is a glittery fixture on the local lesbigay booze circuit with bartenders that pour with a generous elbow.
Zum Schmutzigen Hobby (Map; Rykestrasse 45, Prenzlauer Berg) Local