cnrd_a

Saunas,bars, fun...which place would you go with for a weekend in Dec? Appreciate your inputs guys..
getting a great deal from NYC - peace!

MegatopLover

I've been to Stuttgart a few times on business, and I don't think there's much of anything there worth doing on the GGG scene, though I may be mistaken. A lot of Stuttgart was destroyed in the war, so it doesn't have some of the older neighborhoods that Munich has. I think Munich would be more fun all around, including the Christmas market.

That said, I wasn't looking for GGG fun, and it's been 16 years since I've been to Munich. (Yikes!)

keeton

Of the two, MUC is the larger city with more to do - both as a daytime tourist and nightlife. At least I found it so.

You can Google "gay Stuttgart" and "gay Munich" and find English language web sites to get you oriented.

Zacnlinc

Uhmmm.... Recently, my trip to MUC was such a BORE that I could not wait to get the hell out of Dodge..

Granted, I don't speak German and perhaps my travel days were off when I was here during the ESC Congress, but I was BORED outside of work there!! And that's not normal for me...

However, I enjoyed the City when I had a chance to explore the areas, but finding a "scene" after growing up in SFO was horrible in MUC... Shame on my GERMAN friends for failing me... To their defense though, they were on "holiday in the US"... Perhaps buying up electronics and the likes since the dollar is so LOW... LOL

aztimm

I went to MUC last Dec for mileage runs. Yea, 2 runs, 2 weekends in a row. The first was just an overnight, the second was 2 nights. I do speak some German (took 4 semesters in college) which helped to basically get me in trouble. I had been to Munich before...in college I did a semester abroad in The Netherlands and went all over, including Munich. But I really didn't remember anything from then, it was like going for the first time. My partner and I are now planning a 'real' visit, including Munich, for this coming Dec. If you're interested in meeting up, let me know your dates, in case we'll be there at the same time.

It is very easy to get from the airport to town (about 40 min I think) by the S-bahn. If you are a *A Gold, the LH Senator's lounge is top notch. The LH folks even let me in to use the shower after I arrived (some said they shouldn't have).

The Christmas Market is fun to go through, but you pretty much see the same Chinese-made stuff over and over again. If you are with some people, drinking some warm wine (or eating a Bavarian pretzel), it would be more fun. I'd check the theater offerings and see if there's anything of interest there. Otherwise, the Hoffbrauhaus is worth a stop, as is the other (the name escapes me). BMW World was also interesting to see, and the Olympic Park.

For my second run (the 2 nighter), I did a daytrip to Salzburg and really enjoyed that. The train was about E18 return, and the scenery going during the day is breathtaking. Salzburg is a cute little town that you can pretty much walk around. A day seemed almost perfect.

I stayed at a small Mom & Pop hotel close to the Hbf, but still walking distance to Marianplatz. I think it was E50/night, including breakfast. It was a very basic room, and tiny bathroom w/shower, but for the time I was there, it was more than adequate.

Shoot me a PM if you'd like more info.

aztimm

Almost forgot, regardless of where in Germany you go, I'd recommend picking up at least a little German. Yea, they do speak English, but it really helps smooth things over. If you have an iPod, I recommend the (free) podcast, "My Daily Phrase German." I've been brushing up for this trip. This podcast has nice short (<5 min) segments, each makes sense, then they build on each other. There are some pdf files available also if you want to see it too. Wiki books has a great guide for learning German also for print (also free).

ll22949

If I were going to do a weekend to anywhere in Germany I would visit Koln (Cologne). If I were restricted to your choices, I would stick with Munich. I love the old city. I did two trips there this year, one on biz and one on a mileage run. The Deutche Eich hotel is a great place to stay, right next to Marienplatz and has a sauna in the hotel.

cnrd_a

Thansk for all the responses folks - I have no restrictions on where I could travel in Europe - what's the best gay plaec in Europe? I knwo its kinda hard to answer, but here are my priorities:
1.Safe
2.Walking/Public X'tation
3.Plenty of clubs/saunas
lemme know your thoughts..thx

ebayj

cnrd_a - that's a pretty subjective question. It is sort of like asking someone's favorite color. Meaning, different things are attractive to different people. And Western Europe is really gay - there's an out gay presence in pretty much every mid-sized and up city. So with that in mind - given that it is planned for December, I would go to Barcelona. One of the most interesting cities in Europe, way gay, better weather than Northern Europe. My second choice would be Amsterdam, but you may have already been there done that. My favorite German city would be Berlin by miles - one of the most interesting cities - block for block - on the planet.

kevinsac

Of the two, MUC by far. Both for the touristy things by day....and the fun things by night.

Also, Berlin is great, both day and night. And HAM offers lots of night-time entertainment.

iCorpRoadie

I like both. there isn't much to do in STR as far as the gay scene but there are a few bars. One right off the Main Walking shopping area by Carstad (if i remember correctly).

I don't recall the places I went in MUC but there are a few places there too.

EastbayMike

Wow, no restrictions? I’m envious.

I’ve been to Munich a few times over the years and have always had fun. Deutche Eiche is a decent hotel, a good restaurant, and a fun sauna all in one building. It’s extremely easy to get to from the airport via the S-Bahn and is within walking distance of the major tourist sites and clubs. The nightlife is rather tame by European standards, and, like most European cities, the saunas tend to be dead after 7:00 pm, but I’ve never had trouble getting myself into “trouble” in Munich. And do check out the Christmas market. There are German-made things for sale, the food is good, and people watching there can be a lot of fun. It will be cold, bring long underwear and a good cap.

Other choices (in order of my very biased preference):

Amsterdam – Beautiful city; easy to get into town from airport; can walk everywhere; full of beautiful, friendly Dutch men; no language barrier; bars for every taste (pun intended); busy day sauna and night sauna; great museums so you don’t feel too guilty about going for only one thing.

Paris – Also a beautiful city and easy to get around via the metro. Not as walkable as Amsterdam. Men not as approachable or friendly. But great saunas and lots of busy late night clubs. (Man oh man I wish there were more bars like L’Impact in the USA!)

Madrid – Don’t bother with jet lag, the guys in this city party late into the night. Just stay on your local time and sleep all day. Easy to get around, including to and from the airport, busy saunas, and very active late night clubs. Spanish men live up to the hype.

Rome – Rome is loud and chaotic, can be difficult to get around, is full of tourists no matter when you go, but does have busy saunas and late clubs full of half naked Romans.


Have Fun!