Bar · Köln
ExCorner
A bar at Schaafenstraße 57–59 in Cologne.
◷ Mon–Thu 19:00–03:00; Fri–Sat 19:00–05:00; Sun 19:00–01:00. All closing times are the next day.View details →Cologne LGBTQ+ City Guide
18 spots
Explore 18 LGBTQ+ places in Cologne, including hours, locations and practical visitor tips.
City at a glance
Place guideCologne currently has 18 listed places: 0 daytime and 15 nightlife choices. Near Me shows only 15 places with supported location evidence.
- Day · Night
- 0 · 15
- Place types
- 4
- Official channels
- 15 places
- Near Me radar
- 15 places
BarGay saunaSupport / community health hubGay-popular / mixed
Cologne
Cologne makes a sociable bar evening easy to picture: Schaafenstraße packs queer bars into a short stretch, while the cathedral and Rhine give the daytime its setting. Choose it for a pub-centred city break where sampling different bars can be the main plan, without making every night a club marathon.
Bar · Köln
Die Mumu
Die Mumu is a bar at Schaafenstraße 51 in Cologne.
◷ Monday 18:00–01:30; Tuesday 18:00–05:00; Wednesday–Thursday 18:00–01:30; Friday 18:00–06:00; Saturday 15:00–06:00; Sunday 15:00–01:30. All closing times are next day.View details →Gay sauna · Köln
Phoenix Sauna Köln
Phoenix Sauna Köln is an LGBTQ+ sauna in Cologne. Check the venue’s official channels before visiting for current opening hours and entry information.
◷ Mon–Thu 12:00–06:00; continuously from Fri 12:00 to Mon 06:00View details →Support / community health hub · Köln
rubicon e.V.
An LGBTQIA+ counselling and community organization with rooms at Rubensstraße 8–10 and 32, Cologne.
◷ Counselling is by appointment. Booking-phone hours: Mon/Wed/Thu 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–18:00; these are not walk-in hours.View details →Support / community health hub · Köln
anyway | BAR / Hauptsitz
anyway’s queer youth bar at Kamekestraße 14 in central Cologne.
◷ Wednesday–Friday 18:00–00:00; second and fourth Tuesday of the month 18:00–00:00; first and third Sunday 13:00–18:00. Check the programme for each session’s intended audience.View details →Support / community health hub · Köln
Checkpoint Köln
Checkpoint Köln provides anonymous HIV/STI counselling and testing at Pipinstraße 7.
◷ Monday–Wednesday 18:30–21:30; Thursday 16:30–19:30. Appointments and limited walk-ins; telephone enquiries Monday–Thursday 14:00–16:00.View details →Bar · Cologne
Baustelle 4U
A gay bar for men in Cologne’s old town, with coffee and cake on the terrace and community gatherings in the evening.
View details →Bar · Cologne
Schampanja
A Cologne gay pub dating to 1985, serving Kölsch alongside music, art and cultural programmes.
View details →Gay-popular / mixed · Cologne
Casino-Eck
Casino-Eck is a pub at Kasinostraße 1A in Cologne.
◷ Tuesday–Thursday 16:00–01:00; Friday–Saturday 16:00–03:00, closing the next day. Sunday–Monday closed.View details →Bar · Cologne
Exile
A gay bar on Schaafenstraße known for drag-hosted Bitchy Bingo. Check the programme for the date you plan to visit.
View details →Bar · Cologne
Iron Cocktail Lounge
Iron Cocktail Lounge is at Schaafenstraße 45 near Rudolfplatz in Cologne, with karaoke and late-night dancing.
◷ Official hours: Monday 17:00–02:00; Tuesday and Thursday 18:00–02:00; Wednesday 19:00–03:00; Friday–Saturday 20:00–06:00, all closing the next morning. Sunday closed.View details →Bar · Cologne
Amadeus
A café-bar beside the tower of Klein St. Martin in Cologne’s Old Town.
View details →All places (18)
Tours, tickets & transport
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Country guide · Germany ＋
Country / Region Guide · Germany
Germany is a federal republic of 16 Länder; local rules, transport and community infrastructure vary by state and city. Modern Germany was shaped by division after 1945 and reunification in 1990, so regional identities remain important.
General history & country context5
Germany is a federal republic of 16 Länder; local rules, transport and community infrastructure vary by state and city. Modern Germany was shaped by division after 1945 and reunification in 1990, so regional identities remain important.
- Germany is a federal republic of 16 Länder; local rules, transport and community infrastructure vary by state and city.
- Modern Germany was shaped by division after 1945 and reunification in 1990, so regional identities remain important.
- Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and many mid-sized cities have distinct queer scenes rather than one national nightlife pattern.
- German is the primary discovery language; add the city name and district to searches for current local results.
- National directories are useful for discovery, but opening hours, entry rules and branch identity should be rechecked on current local first-party channels.
Sources
LGBTQ+ law, CSD & community history6
Paragraph 175 criminalised sexual relations between men from 1871 and remained in German criminal law in varying forms until 1994; the Nazi regime broadened it in 1935 and used it for persecution. Magnus Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee in 1897, an early organised campaign for homosexual law reform.
- Paragraph 175 criminalised sexual relations between men from 1871 and remained in German criminal law in varying forms until 1994; the Nazi regime broadened it in 1935 and used it for persecution.
- Magnus Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee in 1897, an early organised campaign for homosexual law reform.
- Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Germany since 2017.
- The Self-Determination Act (SBGG) replaced the prior legal framework for changing a gender marker/name; the current federal law provides a civil-registry declaration procedure.
- In Germany, Pride is commonly called Christopher Street Day or CSD; dates and organisers are local, not one national event.
- CSD Deutschland and local CSD organisations are useful discovery references, while current local organisers should be used for exact schedules.
Sources
German culture, expressions & discovery terms
- LSBTIQ* / LGBTQIA+ / queer are common umbrella terms; spelling varies by organisation.
- schwul = gay (especially men) and lesbisch = lesbian; use neutral self-descriptions from the venue or organisation.
- queeres Zentrum / queerer Treffpunkt = queer centre / queer meeting place.
More local expressions 5
- Schwulenbar / Lesbenbar / queere Bar / queerer Club are useful nightlife search terms.
- Männer-Sauna, Cruising and Fetisch can help you find adult venues but do not by themselves prove current operation or public access.
- CSD / Christopher Street Day are the standard German Pride search terms.
- Aidshilfe and Checkpoint are key search terms for HIV/STI, PrEP and sexual-health services.
- Stammtisch means a recurring social meet-up; it may be event-only and must not be converted into a fixed venue without a confirmed host location.
Sources
Maps, search, messaging, booking, reviews, transport & community10
Main contact and messaging
- CautionWhatsApp · Signal · Telegram
WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram are widely used messenger examples in Germany; only publish a business/public channel, never a private staff contact.
Dating and LGBTQ+ community apps
- CautionGrindr · ROMEO · Hornet
Grindr and ROMEO have strong Germany-specific research-recruitment evidence; Hornet is retained as weaker/additional evidence rather than treated as a national default.
Maps and local search
- Google Maps · Apple Maps
Google Maps and Apple Maps are useful discovery/navigation layers; verify venue identity against first-party sources.
- OpenStreetMap ↗
OpenStreetMap is a useful open mapping layer and is directly linked by some German community services such as Checkpoint Köln.
Booking, reviews, transport and travel
- DB Navigator ↗
DB Navigator is the nationwide baseline for rail and many local public-transport connections and tickets.
- BVG · hvv · MVV · KVB
Use the local transport operator for city-specific disruptions and fares (for example BVG, hvv, MVV or KVB where relevant).
- Needs checkingOfficial venue ticket and reservation links
For tickets/reservations, follow the venue’s official ticket/booking link; no Germany-specific LGBTQ reservation service was established as a universal default in this audit.
Community and social discovery
- kompass.hiv ↗
kompass.hiv is a strong Germany-specific directory for Aidshilfe, Checkpoint, testing and counselling facilities.
- CSD Deutschland · local CSD organisers ↗
CSD Deutschland and each city’s official CSD/Pride organiser help discover current Pride events and community links.
- Official venue websites · Instagram
Official venue websites and Instagram accounts are preferred for current opening hours, entry rules, moves and event notices.
Availability is travel context, not a popularity ranking or a venue contact.
Sources
Digital & in-person safety7
- Safety information only
Recheck current opening hours, entry, membership, dress code, nudity and event rules before visiting.
- Safety information only
Do not share an exact home/hotel address or live location with a new contact at the start; meet first in a public place when appropriate.
- Safety information only
Treat profile photos, sexual-health data and identity documents as sensitive; be cautious with money transfers and external links.
- Safety information only
Respect consent and photo privacy, especially in saunas, cruising/fetish venues and queer performance spaces.
- Safety information only
Health/youth/counselling facilities may be public but are intentionally excluded from AFTERORA Near Me when sensitivity or privacy is material.
- Safety information only
In an emergency call 110 for police or 112 for fire/rescue; nora is the official emergency-call app of the German federal states.
- Safety information only
For HIV/STI/PrEP support, use a current Aidshilfe/Checkpoint source such as kompass.hiv and then confirm the local branch before going.
Sources
Hours, entry policies, and events can change. Recheck official channels and maps on the day you visit.