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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 & 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.

For news and events for the local bear community, see the website Stuttgarter Bären.

QueerFilmNacht has listings of gay films playing at cinemas and festivals around Germany. For original-language (English) screenings see the nation-wide listings on the Cinemaxx theaters website.

The city of Stuttgart website is also very handy for getting around the city, with English-language pages too.

For a city map with locations and website links to local businesses, entertainment venues, and museums, see our gay Stuttgart listings pages. For some photos from local clubs see our gallery pages.

 

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. Consult the gay press for special party nights and local scene updates.

AER Club (Büchsenstrasse 10), big dance club, usually straight, occasional gay party nights.

Beefcake (usually) at Freund & Kupferstecher (Fritz-Elsas-Straße 60), first Friday homo/ hetero-friendly dance parties, house and disco, inspired by 70s, 80s and 90s Chicago, Detroit, New York and Ibiza.

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 for men, karaoke, special holiday events, bears and leather nights; schnitzel, meatballs, stews and other bar food.

Café Graf Eberhard (Nesenbachstraße 52), open 365 days a year, 11 breakfasts, daily-changing Mediterranean to Swabian lunch and dinner, home-baked cakes and pastries; terrace bar, wine by the glass.

Climax Institutes (Calwer Strasse 25), gay-friendly club, fine-tuned exceptional acoustics system; underground and house dancing, Fridays and Saturdays until 8am.

Club Manufaktur (Hammerschlag 8, Schorndorf), mixed community center bar/club, cafe, movie nights, shows, live music, terrace.

Corso Cinema International (Hauptstraße 6, Stuttgart-Vaihingen), cinema screens original language films, in English with German subtitles.

Eagle (Mozartstraße 51), men's leather and festish bar, naked and underwear nights, studmarket, theme parties, beer busts.

Goldener Heinrich (Leonhardstraße 3), neighborhood pub, mostly men, mixed ages, food, special parties.

K29 - Der Zieglerkeller (Blumenstrasse 29), casual basement cruise bar, covered backyard deck, mostly gay men, fetish and gang-bang nights, men-only play area. See Gayzone events page.

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

Lehmann Club (Seidenstrasse 20), teens and twenties weekend electronic music dance club, gay/bi/straight all-gender mix, special theme nights, dark room. Lovepop monthly second Saturday gay dance party.

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

Monroe's Cafe (Schulstrasse 3), mixed, mostly men cafe and pub, TV events, conversation, karaoke, terrace seating, open noon to 5am daily except Sunday; special holiday parties.

Mrs. N (Katharinenstrasse 21/A), women's karaoke wine, beer, coffee and cocktails bar; all welcome. May be CLOSED - no recent updates.

Nil Café am See (Am Schlossgarten 6), lakeside daytime cafe, terrace; evening venue for gay-friendly dance parties, Sunday Salsa nights.

Proton (Königstrasse 49), mostly straight but gay-friendly dance club on two floors; Fame Party and women's nights, r&b, hip hop.

Rubens (Geissstrasse 13), restaurant steaks, burgers, snacks, veggie options, breakfast until 4pm; bar and lounge with terrace.

Sarah (Johannesstraße 13), women's community/cultural center, library, events; 7-9pm Friday cafe, plus first Sunday brunch, 11am-3pm.

The monthly Fame Party, mostly young and male, takes place at various venues, including: Kala (Theodor-Heuss-Straße 12),  Marquardts (Königstraße 22), PURE (Friedrichstrasse 13), Proton (Königstraße 49), Mash Boschareal (Forststraße 7), Kowalksi (Kriegsbergstr. 28), the Paris Boschareal (Forststraße 7); and Penthouse (Heilbronner Straße 385).

CLOSED: GOK-Menaria (Gutenbergstrasse 106), Sunday sex club sex for men, fetish, leather and naked events; Jakobstube (Jakobstrasse 6), Old Town community bar/bookstore CDs/ DVDs, older men/women; Pfiff (Bebelstrasse 85), Schwäbisches restaurant/ bistro, drag cabaret, singers.

 

Saunas & Sex

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

Gay Zone (Blumenstrasse 29), fetish/sex club, men-only nights, monthly meetings, naked orgy gangbangs; Schlager music oldies nights, weekly Friday celler lounge, summer covered courtyard bar.

Pour Lui (Schmidener Strasse 51, Bad Cannstatt), clean, modern sauna facilities, cabins, massage services, open daily 11am to 2am.

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

 

Shopping & Services

Blue Box (Steinstraße 15), adult cinema, erotic shop, theme nights cruising, dark room, sling area, private cabins.

CinemaxX Stuttgart (Robert-Bosch-Platz 1), general-public mainstream film screenings at modern cineplex.

Erlkoenig (Nesenbachstraße 52), domestic and foreign new and antiquarian books; magazines, feature films and hardcore DVDs, music CDs, cards, comics, calendars, rainbow items; online sales.

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

CLOSED: Duplexx Stuttgart (Gerberstrasse 11), adult cinema chain, adult shop and cruise/sex club; Berlin, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Munich Duplexx shops remain open.

 

Accommodations

Gaestehaus Ziegler (Blumenstrasse 29), small, inexpensive, 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, budget-price accommodations, not far from City Center.

SkyRooms (Steinstrasse 15), has rooms by the hour afternoons and evenings until midnight (10pm Sundays), including a fully-equipped fetish room. The former SkyBoys male escort service no longer operates here.

For a dozen more accommodations options, along with these listed above, see our maps & listings/hotels & guesthouses pages.

Restaurants - for a selection of local cafes and restaurants click here.