If you are coming to Berlin and want to understand the heartbeat of this city’s queer history and culture, you have to book a tour with Justin. From the moment we met up, Justin’s energy was infectious. He doesn’t just recite facts; he tells a story that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the golden age of Schöneberg, while also giving you the modern-day "tea" on the best spots to visit while you're here. Authentic vibes! He is deeply connected to the local community, so the tour feels like a walk with a well-connected friend rather than a scripted tourist trap. He has this incredible way of weaving together Berlin’s complex queer history with fun anecdotes and a real passion for the city’s spirit. Definitely worth your time! Thank you Justin!
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Expert Licensed Guide
Excludes
- Metro tickets - 24 hour ticket - 10 EUR
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Your guide will meet you outside the entrance of Impala Coffeeshop.
Return
- This tour will end at Alexanderplatz.
Itinerary
Explore the world's first gay ghetto, Schoneberg, a neighborhood that featured legendary lesbian bars, you'll see Christopher Isherwood's former flat and learn how his Weimar-era adventures inspired the musical Cabaret. Passing by nightclubs he frequented, we'll see a rent-boy dive that remains gay-run to this day. Outside the infamous El Dorado Cabaret, we'll learn of notable regulars like Ernst Rohm, the openly gay head of the Sturmabteilung (aka, the Nazi Brown Shirts). While discovering sites connected to the post-WWII rebirth of Schoneberg as the gay-heart of the city, we pay particular homage to the city's most iconic nightclub of the 70s, Chez Romy Haag.
On the historic boulevard Unter den Linden, you will meet early gay Berliners such as the Prussian King Frederick the great and explorer Alexander von Humboldt and find out how they disguised their sexuality.
Travel to Alexanderplatz, the heart of Cold War East Berlin and hear about the suffering endured by gays and lesbians behind the Iron Curtain
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Excellent tour with the funny, smart and entertaining Dan. We learned a lot and enjoyed it all. We appreciate the detailed stories that Dan presented about queer life in Berlin.
We booked this tour to learn more about queer history in Berlin and Justin was an amazing font of knowledge! It felt super comfortable and exactly like we were on a stroll with a friend... We learnt so much and are very pleased we chose this tour!
it was a really beautiful experience, as a history nerd I learned so much about the history of queer berlin and its various chapters. our tour guide justin was also so knowledgeable!!! I would recommend it to anyone interested in these subjects
Our guide was so knowable and really was deeply studied in queer history and lived in Berlin as a queer person so it was full of life stories too. It was really great because it is was not just the queer neighborhoods but also some of biggest sites in Berlin which we wanted to see and the old former East Berlin, it covered so much Berlin history and what makes the city great today.
We had an incredible experience on Justin’s LGBTQ+ history walking tour in Berlin. He was extremely knowledgeable and shared such a rich, engaging overview of the city’s queer history. Justin was professional yet approachable, with a great sense of humor that kept the tour lively and interesting. We also appreciated that he followed up afterward with answers to our questions and extra resources to explore further. His passion and expertise really came through, and this tour was truly a highlight of our trip. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Berlin!
The guide is very educated and showed vast knowledge. I am happy to learn so much more about our own history! Would join again even with my parents.
The tour was great. Very interesting. Very informative about Berlin during the 20’s and 30’s and saw so many things. Dan, the tour guide, really knew so much and made a great presentation
Very knowledgeable and fun guide, learnt so much about the culture of Berlin through the lens of queer history. Go on this tour, you won't regret it!
A witty and personal tour of LGBTQ Berlin, interweaving the lives and frequented locales of figures like Christopher Isherwood, Marlene Dietrich, Magnus Hirschfeld, Jean Ross, David Bowie, Romy Haag and many others. In this personal tour, Amidst architectural gems, Dan shares his own anecdotes as a Berliner of over 20 years, infusing the tour with the sights, sounds, and cinematic references of the 1930’s-90’s. Highly recommended! I loved this tour and so enjoyed meeting everyone who joined as well.
i learned so much of Berlin that i didn‘t know before! Dan is a charming tourguide because he has a lot of knowledge of the history of gay berlin and also adds personal touches by telling personal stories. he gives interesting details without sounding like a teacher (the storys about bowie and marlene dietrich were my favorite part!) i also enjoyed that he added a soundtrack to the highlights of the tour by playing songs on his phone while taking us to the various places. the 3 hours flew by way too fast. i would highly recommend this tour.
I learned an incredible amount about Berlin's queer history: lots of surprising details and anecdotes. Our guide Dan was entertaining and humorous. His stories are accompanied by pictures and music. Highly recommended!
My sister and I had so much fun taking Dan’s musical tour yesterday. We got to see many parts of the city in a short period of time. Dan came to Berlin before the wall came down and his personal experience is just as interesting as the many fascinating stories he told us about the LGBTQ history of Berlin—his tour goes back centuries and includes several of the most famous people in the history of Germany! This is a thought provoking and entertaining way to learn about the cultural and political landscapes of Weimar and Imperial Germany, as well as Berlin during the Cold War and the holocaust. By far in the top three tours I have ever taken. Ask Dan for the soundtrack of the tour 🌈 🤩
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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