Hamburg

St. Georg is the undisputed center of queer Hamburg, and Lange Reihe is its main axis. Rainbow flags line the street, along with cafés, small owner-run boutiques and bars. During the day the neighborhood is pleasantly relaxed. In the evening the bars and the sidewalks in front of them fill up, and the crowd is mixed, from young people to regulars who have been coming for decades. The main train station and the Binnenalster lake are each just a few minutes' walk away, which makes St. Georg a practical base for exploring the whole city.

In St. Georg you'll find Tom's Saloon, the city's oldest gay bar, open since 1974 and named after Tom of Finland. There are also cruise bars like Contact Mens Bar, which many describe as the scene's cozy living room, and the easygoing PickUp Bar near the main station. For a bigger night out, many people head to St. Pauli, where queer parties take place regularly between the Reeperbahn and Klubhaus St. Pauli. The two areas complement each other well: one has a neighborhood feel, the other is loud and goes on until morning. A classic evening often starts with a drink on Lange Reihe and ends hours later in St. Pauli.

Hamburg is at its best between May and September, when life moves outdoors along the Alster and the harbor. A highlight of its own is Hamburg Pride Week in late July, followed by the big Pride march in early August. The Elbphilharmonie is lit up in rainbow colors, and almost a hundred groups parade through the city center. Late spring and September are quieter, the city is less crowded and the weather is often still mild.

Flights from London take about an hour and a half, and from New York about nine hours. From Hamburg Airport, the S1 suburban train gets you to the center in around 25 minutes. Hamburg's main station sits right on the edge of St. Georg and is well connected by long-distance trains. Within the city, the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and HVV buses get you around easily, and much of the Lange Reihe area is best explored on foot anyway. UK and US citizens need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period under the Schengen rules, though passports are now registered in the EU Entry/Exit System (EES); check the current entry requirements before you travel.

Germany is one of the countries with extensive rights for queer people. Same-sex marriage has been possible since 2017, and discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited by law. Overall, Hamburg is considered a safe and open destination. Holding hands in St. Georg and on the Reeperbahn is no big deal. As in any big city, keep the usual eye on your valuables at night around the main station and in the entertainment district.