LGBTQ+ Germany, from Ludwig to Marlene Dietrich, and Beyond!
Next Tour: October 9-19, 2024
$200 Pride discount good through July 9!
“Every day was such a feast for the senses and we learned so much from the incomparable Andrew Lear, that we are already looking forward to our next journey with Oscar Wilde Tours.” — Ken A.
Berlin and Munich are Germany’s two great cultural capitals. Although they are very different, they are two of Europe’s greatest cities of art and history, with fabulous museums, palaces, and parks. And of course, they have an amazing and palpable history, with Nazis, Soviets, the Berlin wall, its fall, and so on. But they also have an incredible LGBTQ+ history!
It is in Germany that the gay rights movement started, that scientific study of sexuality started, there were the first sex reassignment surgeries, and that there was the first city with a wild LGBTQ+ night life. Then of course there was the horrifying backlash, the oppression and mass murder of the Nazi years. But even then, there were incredible ant-Nazi gay heroes—including the founder of the most famous resistance group, Munich University’s White Rose. And since the war there has been plenty of LGBTQ+ history—and nightlife—too, starting in the 1970s, when Freddie Mercury’s favorite hangout was in Munich, and leading to today, when Berlin and Munich are both among the openest, most LGBTQ+ friendly of the world’s major cities.
And this is the tour that will show you it all, the history (including its horrifying sides), the culture, and as always with Oscar Wilde Tours, the LGBTQ+ sides of the story that are generally ignored—does anyone else remember that Hans Scholl was gay, for instance? See it all while staying in excellent hotels, eating in charming restaurants, hearing from Professor Lear and his top-notch guides, and getting to know a group of like-minded LGBTQ+ people!
To learn more, contact us at info@oscarwildetours.com or (646)560-3205.
Group Size: Maximum 16
Limited availability – please see reserve tab
Please note that this tour involves walking tours of cities and museums.
Frequently Asked Questions
click on the question to reveal the answer
Who Is our guide?
Professor Andrew Lear combines a love of travel with a passion for gay history, and he brings both of those attributes to Oscar Wilde Tours.
Professor Lear holds a B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. from UCLA. He has published a widely praised book on male-male love in ancient Greek art, as well as a number of important scholarly articles in this area… READ MORE
What's Included?
Our tour starts and ends at our German hotel. It includes hotel accommodation;all breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners; admission to all sights on the tour, and transportation to them (by taxi, minibus, and train).
What meals are included?
Breakfast is included every day in our tours. On this tour we also include 3 lunches and 3 dinners.
What is the level of the hotels?
Our hotels are chosen for excellent 4* quality, historic charm, and central location.
Is this a good tour for single travelers?
Singles are very welcome! Our groups generally consist of a mix of couples and singles, and there is generally a nice group ethos, so no-one will ever feel left out. Single rooms are available, with a supplement; we are also happy to try to find you a room-mate if you would prefer.
Will we have any free time to explore on our own?
In each city, we include a free afternoon, so you can explore, shop, or visit museums not included in the tour.
Is this tour designed for first-time visitors?
We try to design our tours both for repeat and first-time visitors. We include a number of lesser-known sights, but also major sights—which we see from the perspective of their often ignored LGBTQ+ history.
Who is this tour a good fit for?
Our tours focus on LGBTQ+ history and art and are designed for groups of LGBTQ= people. They are however open to the LGBTQ+ friendly as well.
Is this a good tour for people with difficulty walking?
All of the main sights in the tour are visited on foot, on walking or museum tours. There may be uneven ground, for instance in historical sites, and steps in some museums or historic houses. The amount of walking is not, however, excessive: we rarely exceed 2 miles a day.
Experience these highlights!
- Learn about the first LGBTQ+ rights organization and the first sex change operations at Berlin’s Gay Museum
- Visit Berlin’s fabulous Museum Island, see ancient Babylon’s Gates of Ishtar, plus the only ancient Greek vase with a gay orgy scene!
- Take a walking tour through the heart of Weimar Berlin’s LGBTQ+ world, where Christopher Isherwood wrote his Berlin Stories, inspiring the musical and movie Cabaret
- Visit Berlin’s moving museum of the Nazi terror (where the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin Wall is in the garden) and learn about the gay Jewish anti-Nazi hero about whom Professor Lear is making a movie!
- Tour Freddy Mercury’s favorite bathhouse
- And have dinner at its traditional Bavarian restaurant
- Visit Mad Ludwig’s amazing palaces—one of which inspired Disney’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle
- Learn about the persecution of LGBTQ+ people on a visit to a Nazi concentration camp
- See the places where the brave members of the White Rose staged their anti-Nazi protests and were arrested, and where they were tried
Hotels on This Tour
Dorotheenstrasse 65
10117 Berlin
Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin
The Maritim ProArte is a comfortable, modern design hotel in an ideal location, in the heart of Berlin’s shopping district and a few minutes walk from the famous Brandenburg Gate, the Museum Island—the whole center of Berlin.
D-80331 Munich
Hotel Torbrau
Right across from one of the city’s medieval gates and a 5 minute walk from the Marienplatz, the Torbräu has lovely views over the church spires of Munich. The hotel been open since the 1490s and (fully renovated) today it is a charming mix of modern and antique.
Travel Insurance Recommendation
We encourage you in the strongest terms to buy travel insurance.
We highly suggest you please contact our travel agent partner Tom Vise tomv2012@comcast.net to get a great rate and also help with travel arrangements, including travel flights and pre and post tour hotel rooms.
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