Lone wolves seeking men on their European travels aren’t at a loss for options.

The silver lining from years of discrimination driving gay/bi/queer men looking for companionship underground is that we now have saunas, cruising bars, fetish clubs, darkrooms, and the more clandestine options of parks, woods, and abandoned industrial sites as our hunting grounds. Interestingly, the rise of cruising apps has done little to affect this, showing that it’s the thrill of the hunt and heading out into the wilderness that still appeals to many.

When traveling, there’s no reason one can’t go sightseeing in the day and then get to know the locals by night, for the fully rounded experience. This is your definitive guide to the three best cities in Europe to get some action.

Berlin

Berlin’s reputation as the capital of kink is well earned. Being kinky, however, is not a prerequisite for cruising there—although it certainly helps—and there are saunas, cruising grounds, and bars galore. In Berlin, it honestly feels like every gay bar has a darkroom, some of them bigger than the actual bar itself! It also helps that German men are famously forward.

Saunas

The primary sauna in Berlin is Der Boiler, located in Kreuzberg, and it's one of the best and most visited in Europe. It has all the right facilities, with highlights being a huge dark maze area and a large hot tub overlooking a steam room, where there’s sure to be action. The crowd is mixed, and there’s even a nice bar with a laid-back vibe to take a breather at.

Cruising Bars and Fetish Clubs

The list of cruising bars in Berlin is longer than a well-cooked bratwurst, but the most well-known are Scheune, Tom’s Bar, Prinzknecht, and Bull. Each has varying degrees of kinkiness. The popular Boyberry bar chain from Spain has just opened a new bar too, generally drawing a younger crowd.

The most legendary venue in the whole city—worth a trip on its own—is Lab.oratory, a fetish paradise where anything goes. Found in the basements below the “temple of techno” itself, Berghain, Lab is filth incarnate and perhaps the kinkiest venue in the world. Even if you think you’ve seen it all, a night in the Lab is sure to prove you wrong. Whatever you’re into, you’ll find it down there. Go with an open mind, and be sure to check the theme nights to avoid any unwanted surprises.

For a more alternative, mixed vibe, another iconic venue for kinky sex is Kit Kat Club. The crowd is mixed, so all genders and sexualities are welcome. Opened in March 1994 by Austrian pornographic filmmaker Simon Thaur and his partner Kirsten Krüger, it is known for its fetish parties. The music is the techno you’d expect in Berlin, but don’t be surprised to see action on the dancefloor as well as in the darkrooms on all three floors—it even has a pool!

For all fetish venues—actually, for any venue in Berlin—be sure to dress (or be ready to undress) the part because Berlin’s bouncers are infamous for turning people away on a whim. Don’t be discouraged or insulted should this happen to you—just shrug it off and go somewhere else.

Popular Cruising Areas

The most famous outdoor cruising area in Berlin is found within the Tiergarten park right in the center. However, the old zone around the “fairy fountain” is now closed at night, which makes it no longer ideal. The new official spot is the woods behind the Spanish Memorial within the same park. Another popular option, especially with a younger crowd, is Hasenheide Park at the western end by the hill, which is also a nudist area.

Madrid

Madrid is the most LGBTQ+ friendly place on Earth and, as residents there, we'll die on that hill. Naturally, their attitude toward casual sex and cruising is just as open-minded, so when the mood hits, you won’t be at a loss to find a place that caters to your needs on a trip to Madrid.

Saunas

There are an impressive number of saunas in Madrid, each with their own distinctive feel. Sauna Paraiso is the most popular with a younger clientele, is the biggest (you can easily get “lost”), and has post-party vibes at the weekend. Sauna Beach is similar but kinkier and edgier; it has the most cabins in Europe (which somehow still seem to always be full), a specific area for fetish, and even has its own dancefloor with club music. Sauna Octopus is the nicest sauna in town in terms of the attitudes of the men there. It’s especially popular with bears and a more mature crowd, and has wonderful facilities and plenty of space to cruise.

Cruising Bars and Fetish Clubs

The majority of cruising bars are found in the gayborhood just off Gran Via, Chueca. Boyberry is perhaps the most famous due to its laid-back gay bar mood upstairs and massive labyrinth of darkrooms and cabins downstairs that run the full length of the bar. It’s also free to enter—you just need to buy a drink—and the crowd tends to be younger. Deeper into Chueca, there’s The Cage, Hot, and Shower & Bar, to name just a few.

The best two bars for those with a taste for the rough, however, are in Lavapiés. The Ring is an easily missed venue behind an unassuming blue metal door on a side street near the metro, but inside is a large fetish club. Its moniker comes from the giant wrestling ring in its center—with a smaller ring tucked away down a side tunnel. Not a lot of actual wrestling goes on there, of course. Attack, just a ten-minute walk away, is a more extreme fetish club, where the deeper you go into the darkroom area, the more intense the acts become.

To combine clubbing with cruising, head to Strong, which has both the biggest darkroom in Europe and a decent dancefloor. Friday and Saturday nights have an open club style, with more specialist nights running during the week. Into the Tank is the biggest event to look out for. On Sundays, there’s also Skin, a mixed queer night focusing on hard techno with kink areas for those with more specific interests, with an S&M focus.

Popular Cruising Areas

The Madrid heat puts the men in heat during the summer, and Casa de Campo is the top place they go to let off steam. The huge park is just outside the center. The best way to reach it is to take the metro to Lago and head down to behind the lake where the clothing-optional area is. Other, less popular areas include Parque del Oeste and parts of Retiro, although there is no official part of those parks.

London

Whoever said the British are prudish about sex has never been to London! The huge city is full of cruising opportunities to add to your itinerary between trips to Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. What’s especially interesting about London is its outdoor cruising areas have the kind of loyal following usually only reserved for iconic gay bars.

Saunas

Sadly, the iconic Chariots Sauna in Vauxhall closed its doors a few years ago, but London still has a plethora of others scattered around the city.

Pleasuredrome in Waterloo is a particularly good one with two floors of fun that are busy every day of the week. Sweatbox Soho is right in the center and another popular choice. It is both a 24-hour gym and sauna, guaranteeing you’ll get sweaty one way or the other. Inside, though, it looks more like a club, and as well as the gym, it has two floors of giant steam rooms, saunas, and cabins—some with two-way mirrors. They host club nights with DJs, foam parties, and on Sundays, do naked workouts.

Three other big gay saunas in London are Covent Garden Health Spa, The Locker Room, and Sailors—all with loyal followings and welcoming to visitors.

Cruising Bars and Fetish Clubs

London is huge, and its cruising bars are located all around the city. MA1: The Bunker is one of the biggest and found under the trendy Shoreditch area. The 3,000-square-foot basement has many rooms including a bunker, video room, maze, private booths, dancefloor, and bar. Themes vary from more specific kink nights to club nights.

Other cruising bars include Vault 139 in Warren Street (which has Naked Nights on Mondays and Thursdays), Central Station in King’s Cross, and The Lord Clyde in South London, which runs theme nights varying from Leather to spanking nights.

Hard On is the big festival club night held monthly at Union Club in Vauxhall. This raunchy event has an EDM/techno dance floor, darkrooms, fetish areas, live sex shows, and a strict dress code of rubber, leather, or uniforms.

Popular Cruising Areas

Hampstead Heath has to be one of the best outdoor cruising areas in the world, let alone Europe. The huge park is just outside with many entrance points reachable via the Underground. Arriving from Highgate Village will put you next to the men-only pond, a popular hangout spot for gays in the summer. It has a clothing-optional sunbathing area—lovingly nicknamed the “snake pit”—but the actual cruising area is a short walk away into the heath and found behind a pub called Jack Straw’s Castle. It’s worth the trip, as in the summer evenings, there seem to be more men there than trees!

Other options include Hyde Park, London Liverpool Station, and Clapham Common. (Hampstead Heath, though still popular, has lost some of its dominance over the years compared to the Heath.)

Happy hunting as you head out into the wild on your trip to one of the trifecta of cruising cities, May the odds of a memorable encounter be ever in your favor!

Featured image credit: Boyberry