Gay cologne
Gay Cologne: The Accomplish LGBTQ+ Travel Guide. When it comes to gay journey hotspots in Europe, I am a little embarrassed to say that is has taken me up until now to experience, what is often dubbed ‘the gayest town in Germany’, the very beautiful and welcoming Cologne.
Like many other gay approachable cities in Germany, I have only ever heard incredibly positive things about Cologne and the fact that it is also host to one of the largest celebration celebrations in Europe further piqued my interest to visit!
I spent 4 nights during October experiencing as much of the city as possible, from its culinary delights (including one of the best meals I have had in a while), to its main attractions and of course it’s vibrant and super friendly queer nightlife and wider LGBTQ+ scene.
Allow me to share my gay guide to Cologne in partnership with Visit Cologne to help you plan your next trip to this city.
Is Cologne Lgbtq+ Friendly?
To the residents of Cologne this might seem an unusual question to ask. In limited, the answer is a resounding yes!
Like other popular cities in Germany, you can rest assured that Cologne will welcome you with open arms as an LGBTQ+ trav
Gay Cologne City Guide
Köln or Cologne
Cologne, Germany’s fourth largest city with one million inhabitants, has both the river Rhine and a truly majestic Cathedral as its core attractions.
This proud, confident and fun-loving city has a thriving cultural scene, and is a major hub for media, business and tourism, attracting regular hordes of tourists to the many festivals and events this most liberal of German cities hosts every year.
All this makes Cologne a great gay city destination, with much to experience and discover - the city’s extensive gay scene and beyond.
Gay Scene
Cologne in the West of the country is second only to Berlin in the East in the rankings of German homosexual city hotspots and takes the title of Germany’s gay gyrate party capital.
The city has a large and well-established gay scene with many bars, clubs and saunas, concentrated in the town centre. It is also justly famous for its annual homosexual pride, and Christopher Street Date (CSD) parade, which is one the biggest and most high-profile in all of Europe.
Getting to Cologne
By air
Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) is just 15 minutes by train (S Bahn lines S13 and S19 costing €2.80) from the city centre, and i
Cologne Gay Travel Guide 2025
Upcoming Events in Cologne
About Cologne and its gay life
Although situated in Western Germany, Cologne is sometimes called the ›most southern city of Germany‹. That is partly because the people in Cologne maintain to be more easy-going and approachable than in other German cities. And they love to echo the Southern European lifestyle – as soon as two rays of sunshine hit the city you will see some tables outside in front of many cafes and bars.
Cologne had been extensively destroyed during Society War II. And the paradigm of the first after-war and ›Wirtschaftswunder‹ decades to replace everything antique by something new unfortunately did the rest to prevent Cologne from becoming one of the most interesting and beautiful cities in Germany. For the sight-seeing traveller it hasn't much to offer besides the Cathedral, an UNESCO World Heritage site, a wide range of tall quality art galleries and museums, and a scant other attractions.
But Cologne more than compensates for this with its more friendly and easy-going atmosphere. As one consequence Cologne became the same-sex attracted capital of the western part of Germany. Its big rival in the East, Berlin
Cologne is colourful — and for many years it’s been an immovable standpoint for the issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ people. That’s because Cologne actively practices tolerance, a cosmopolitan perspective and peaceful coexistence. Whether it’s Pink Carnival or Christopher Street Day, the Schaafenstraßenfest street unbiased or the informative contact points — Cologne’s heart is in the right place. And the city offers you an abundance of events, gay and lesbian cafés, bars, clubs and other gathering places such as Cologne’s Bermuda Triangle and the events around CSD, such as the ColognePride parade.
Cologne’s Christopher Street Parade is the biggest in Europe. The rainbow-hued two-week programme of more than 100 events celebrates, commemorates, represents and presents the issues of the LGBTQIA+ people on all channels — to promote human rights, tolerance and the serene coexistence of people of every orientation.
Cologne’s Bermuda Triangle houses seven bars within 150 metres — it’s your rainbow-hued party mile with countless stopoff points.
Carnival event of the StattGarde Colo