Wilkommen nach München!  Munich, home of the Oktoberfest and a saugage for all tastebuds, is waiting to be explored.  Definitely the ideal city for a boys weekend away, you are sure there will never be a dull moment!

Munich, located close to the Alps in the heart of Europe, has a population of 1.2 million.  Home of the 1972 Olympic Games, the city has an extensive public transportation system, which makes getting around very easy.  The U-Bahn, or as it is more commonly known, "Der U", ensures that all of Munich's attractions are only a short train ride away.

 Those of you heading to Munich to shop, should concentrate on Marienplatz, the centre point of the city.  It is here that you will find side streets full of stores waiting to be explored.  Remember the German Currency, the Deutschmark (DM), is pegged to the Euro, so you will not loose out on currency conversions.  Unlike many European cities I’ve visitied Munich does not have 100’s of chain stores meaning there are pleanty of shops that you won’t find back in the Jervis Street Center in Dublin.

 Many of you might be interested to know that Germany is renowned for its acceptance of the sex culture, gay and straight.  Centered around Müllerstrasse, near the Sendlinger Tor, Munich's bustling Gay Scene is a rival for most throughout Europe, offering venues for everybody's taste.  Unlike in Ireland, Munich's Gay Scene is usually an all night affair, giving you plenty of time to get to know the locals.  

 I stumbled across "Soul-City", a trendy nightclub, located in the centre of Munich, on Maximilliansplatz (U-Bahn: Stachus).  The Club is divided into two, the back has a huge dancefloor which plays dance and house music, while the smaller dancefloor at the front of the club caters for those who like classic pop, dancers here are treated to everything from eminem to abba and Travis to Britney Spears. This room was an obvious crowd pleaser and was completely full – I had a bit of a struggle to find my space on the dance floor.  Like Munich itself, "Soul-City" is very pleasing on the eye, some of the nicest looking men in the world must live here.  The good news is most of them speak German, so those without a whisper of German should still be able to do some chatting up, infact it might earn you extra brownie points as they love practising their English at any opportunity. Many attempts to speak the lingo were giggled at but then if a German boy were to chat me up with pigeon Irish, I too would find it funny.

‘conas ata tu?’, ‘tá me go maith’. Anyways with the great venue, variety of music, cheap prices and friendly people make soul-city one of the nicest gay clubs I have ever been to.

 Those who prefer something a bit more hardcore might prefer “The Stud” (U-Bahn: Sendlingur Tor) A well renowned leather bar, the club is open Thursday through Sunday.  Known for its Darkrooms and its Stripshows. The Stud sounds a bit like ‘Lynchs’ Dublin’s first fetish bar but wilder, definitely not for the faint hearted!

 Munich also offers excellent Gay Hotel Accommodation.  The best known Gay Hotel in the city is the "Deutsche Eiche Hotel", located at eichenbackstrasse, 13 (U-Bahn: Marienplatz).  Located right in the heart of Munich's shopping district, this hotel is an ideal base for any gay visitor to Munich.  Of course the in-house sauna (open 1400-0700, 7 days) would be a great benefit to some visitors.  Room rates are reasonable and hotel guests enjoy free access all of the hotel's facilities.  Can you think of a better way to wind down after a hard nights dancing at "Soul-City".

 On arrival in Munich, you should get your hands on a copy of "Our Munich", the local Gay publication or for extra background info visit www.ourmunich.de before you leave, I found the Spartacus guide to Germany very useful but the newsagents there carry local guides.

 Schöne Reise!

By Gavin - Jan 2001

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