Stuttgart

The local dialect of Stuttgart Schwäbisch has a favorite word, Gell, meaning both 'yes' and 'don't you think?' and the traditional cuisine features a tiny noodle concoction of egg, flour and milk called ´spätzle.'  Sometimes called the "new heart of Europe," Stuttgart has many dynamic cultural and economic institutions.

This is a city of business. You would guess correctly by the presence of the architecturally stunning Mercedes-Benz Museum and Porsche Museum that this is a center of Germany’s world-renowned car industry. But in this compact city where it’s said that “work is a pleasure,” the locals also enjoy their time off. It’s a relaxed, laid-back place, where people are warm and welcoming.

One festival follows another here throughout  warm weather months - beginning with an April Spring Fair, but really kicking off with the Lantern Festival in July followed by the Bohnenviertelfest, the Sommerfest, the Seenachtfest, a Beer Festival, a Wine Festival, and the Cannstatter Volksfest. Carnival rides, fireworks, beer and wine tents, and copious amounts of  food are typical for each of these. The Esslingen Medieval Market follows in November, and the old-style Christmas Market here is the oldest, and considered to be the most beautiful in Germany. Nearby towns and villages have their own festivals too - the rather strange Rottweil Fasnet, held in the in the Black Forest just before Lent, being the most famous, with their grotesque masks, hypnotic chants and 'jumping fools.'

Americans are no strangers here. After the war the United States established its European military headquarters in Stuttgart, and US Army bases built all around the city remained throughout the Cold War era. Dance clubs reflect this influence with hip hop and r&b music nights, alongside those of electo and techno, and English is widely spoken.

The gay scene here isn’t as wild as Berlin or Cologne, but it does have a lot of energy. Stuttgart’s Christopher Street Day takes place every July and includes a wide array of events.

 

Getting here

Stuttgart Airport has mostly flights from around Europe. The S-Bahn (S2 or S3) can get you quickly to the Central Railway Station (Hauptbahnhof), and there are buses too. See the "getting here" tab on the airport website. InterCity and EuroCity trains connect you to cities in Germany and the rest of Europe. Deutsche Bahn links Stuttgart to Paris, with four trains daily, as well as Zurich, Vienna and the other German cities.

Getting around

The downtown area is walkable, but if you’re traveling farther afield you have a network of U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains at your disposal. For ticket information, timetables and maps check the English-language site of VVS Verkehrs & Tarifverbund.

 

Currency and Money

Germany is part of the Euro Zone, so the euro is the accepted currency. There are plenty of ATMs in the downtown area.

 

Media and resources

For all the info you'll need to get around gay Stuttgart and surrounding cities see Schwulst magazine and website, and the Romeo Liebt Julian website.

The Weissenburg G/L Center (Weissenburgstrasse 28a) has gay and lesbian information, services, a cafe, and B&B accomodations. The city of Stuttgart website is also very handy for getting around the city, with English-language pages too.

 

Going Out

With a few exceptions, the gay clubs, cafes and one of two saunas, are located in the central "Mitte" district, or just to the west. Our maps & listings pages have locations, and websites for most of them. Consult the gay press for special party nights and local scene updates.

AER Club (Büchsenstrasse 10), big dance club, usually straight, periodic gay party nights such as Fame and Therapy.

Bernstein Bar & Restaurant (Pfarrstrasse 7), bar and restaurant, international and local food, all-you-can-eat Tuesday spaghetti and Sunday schnitzel buffet dinners; men and women mix. 

Boots (Bopserstrasse 9), leather and western bar, Bears Clubhouse first Fridays.

Café Magnus (Rotebühlplatz 4), gay and lesbian cocktails and karaoke bar, open late nightly until 6am.

Climax Institutes (Calwer Strasse 25), gay-friendly club, underground and house dancing until 8am weekends.

Eagle Bar (Mozartstrasse 51), men's bar, leather and fetish Saturdays and Sundays, S&M sessions, naked parties, Studmarket and F&F nights, happy hours and beer busts.

Finkennest (Weberstrasse 11d), restaurant and bar, Mediterranean, Turkish and Arab nights, water pipes, jazz music nights, massage, rent boys.

Gay Röhre (Willy-Brandt-Strasse 2/1), big Saturday night dance club on two floors, mixed crowd.

GOK-MP (Gutenbergstrasse 106), Friday/Saturday private club sex, fetish nights, leather and naked nights, dark room, golden shower, f&f.

Jakobstube (Jakobstrasse 6), community bar, open from noon, cheap drinks, store with videos, discussion evenings. 

Kings Club (Calwer Strasse 21), karaoke Thursdays, mixed and electronic music dance weekends, diverse crowd, drag shows, salsa and other special party nights.

Lehmann Club (Seidenstrasse 20), teens and twenties dance club, gay/bi/straight all-gender mix, fetish nights, women's night, live music, porn videos, whole floor dark room.

Mono Club (Wilhelmsplatz 10), electro/drum & bass/breakbeat dance club, hip hop nights, mix of all-sorts.

Monroe's Cafe (Schulstrasse 3), cafe, pub, dance club, conversation, karaoke, terrace, open noon to 5am daily except Sunday.

Nil Café am See (Am Schlossgarten 6), lakeside daytime cafe, terrace, night venue for gay dance parties.

Pfiff (Bebelstrasse 85), Schwäbisches restaurant and bistro, nights of cabaret, drag shows, singers, until 1am, food until 10pm.

Proton (Königstrasse 49), two floors, mostly straight dance club, women's nights, r&b, hip hop.

Rubens (Geissstrasse 13), restaurant, bar and lounge, terrace, breakfast until 4pm.

T-O12 Club (Theodor-Heuss-Strasse 12), electro and hip hop dance club on two floors, unusual building, mixed crowd Friday/Saturday to 5am, smoking floor, all-ages until 10pm (then 18+).

 

Saunas & Sex

Baerenbaden (Alleenstrasse 20), last Friday from 9pm bears club/sauna, massage, hot tub.

Crazy Cruising (Rotebühlplatz 1), adult cinema, cabins, dark room, glory holes.

Pour Lui (Schmidener Strasse 51, Bad Cannstatt), clean, modern sauna facilities, cabins, massage services, open to 2am (3am on Saturday).

Skyboys House of Boys (Steinstrasse 15), male escorts, on site-service, comfortable downtown location, trannies, fetish, s&m options, candle-light dinners with "dream boy" overnights.

Viva Sauna (Charlottenstrasse 38), open daily to midnight, Friday/Saturday to 2am, full sauna facilities, bar, internet, sling and playroom.

 

Stores

Blue Box (Steinstrasse 15), adult cinema, erotic shop, theme nights.

Buchladen Erlkoenig (Nesenbachstrasse 52),  gay bookstore, fiction, photo, comics, DVDs, calendars, magazines.

CinemaxX Stuttgart (Robert-Bosch-Platz 1), adult cinema, shop, gay film nights, Fridays 9pm.

Duplexx Stuttgart (Gerberstrasse 11), nationwide adult cinema chain, adult shop with DVDs, magazines, toys etc, cruise/sex club 9pm-1am.

Kino Arsenal (Am Stadtgraben 33, Tübingen; Arsenalkinos.de), suburban art house cinema, festival venue, bar.

 

Accommodations

Gaestehaus Ziegler (Blumenstrasse 29), small, modern and comfortable guest house in heart of downtown near shops and restaurants, singles and doubles, bath, breakfast.

Hotel Astoria am Urachplatz (Rotenbergstrasse 16), mixed, comfortable, inexpensive accommodations, not far from central district.