10 of Europe’s bt statns for LGBTQ+ travellers this Pri season | Gay and lbian travel | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY TOURS AND GROUP TRAVEL
• 9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE
• LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023
• CáDIZ GAY TRAVEL
• TOP LGBT-FRIENDLY PLAC FOR GAY SENR TRAVEL AND RETIREMENT
• GAY ZARAGOZA, SPA | THE ESSENTIAL LGBT TRAVEL GUI!
• SPANISH TREASUR GAY TRAVEL SPA CULTURAL TOUR

GAY TOURS AND GROUP TRAVEL

The Catalan pal is home to the origal Axel Hotel, which opened s doors 2003 and proclaimed self the first gay hotel cha not only Barcelona but also Spa and even Europe. The annual Circu Ftival is held each Augt and is nsired the biggt ternatnal gay ftival attractg many gays om all over Europe and the world. Wh warm weather, betiful beach and an energetic gay nightlife scene that rivals major ci 100 tim s size – Torremolos is the perfect place to party or enjoy a beach vatn.

In the summer months, the gays go shg to this seasi town pecially durg their annual events like Torremolos Pri, Mad Bear Beach Weekend, Delice Dream and Wonr Beach Ftival.

There are three gay beach to pick om, the most popular beg El Gato/En Beach where you’ll fd betiful views of all the betiful men. Some go to relax on the warm sandy beach, to party the gayborhood of La Nogalera or for shoppg along the pestrian street of Calle San Miguel. Also loted at the gay beach is a great rtrant and bar lled Chirgay where you n enjoy an credible va sangria or lunch while takg the geo views of all the guys tanng on the beach.

9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE

However, Playa De la Bassa Rodona is the official gay beach and preferred by most speedo-wearg, six-pack-flntg, bronzed gay men. One of the bt thgs about Madrid Pri isn’t jt s immense size but also how the celebratn brgs everyone together, gay and straight and everyone else on the spectm. As if Madrid’s extravagant pri event isn’t reason enough to vis, there are also plenty of annual gay parti throughout the year cludg the WE Party Ftival, which hosts multiple parti over a week’s perd Madrid durg New Year's and gay pri.

Bis samplg the lol cuise, you n check out Valencia’s beach, historic old town as well as the gay nightlife offered by Spa’s third-largt cy. Even better is fdg a gay-iendly beach where you n tly be yourself whout fear of judgment or harassment due to your sexual orientatn. Some lean towards clothg-optnal, others have cisg areas and a handful of the top gay beach are mixed among the hetero-iendly on.

Barcelona’s largt and most popular gay beach is Platja la Mar Bella loted at the far left of the beach (facg the sea) clost to metro stop Poblenou (le 4). Here you’ll fd plenty of foreigners and lol cuti takg the sun or enjoyg one of the many beachsi bars and rtrants, Chirguo BeGay beg the most notable.

LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023

Also loted here is a great rtrant and bar (really the only rtrant and bar) lled Chirgay where you n enjoy an credible va sangria while takg the geo views of all the guys tanng on the beach.

CáDIZ GAY TRAVEL

Nowadays when the gays want a full body tan Benidorm, they n head to Ti Ximo ve at the far end of Levante beach and up the hill. Although most beach on the island of Mykonos attract a gay crowd, the most popular gay beach is by far Elia Beach loted on the southern si of the island.

Popular wh gay upl, Panormos is another beach on the northern si of the island and although ’s a b off the beaten path, there’s a b service om Mykonos Town. In the summer months, the gays go shg to this seasi town jt outsi of Málaga to layout and soak up the sun, pecially durg their annual events like Torremolos Pri, Mad Bear Beach Weekend, Delice Dream and Wonr Beach Ftival.

It’s near many of the gay hotels and rorts that are primed for happy hour drks and light b after a long day of soakg the sun and meetg cuti the sand. Nearby, you’ll also fd Northeast 18th Street Beach, another gay beach smaller than Sabastian Street Beach and more typilly vised by lols. In the heart of South Beach, you n’t miss Miami’s official gay beach loted at 12th Street and Ocean Drive surround by inic Art De hotels and rorts.

TOP LGBT-FRIENDLY PLAC FOR GAY SENR TRAVEL AND RETIREMENT

All the beach Miami Beach are generally gay-iendly, but this is where you’ll fd the ncentratn of gay men and straight iends wh a sprklg of lbians mixed . There are a number of great beach San Juan, but you’ll fd that Atlantic Beach is where the gays gather – mostly ont of Oceano, a gay-owned rtrant and beach hang out. Durg the daytime the gay-iendly areas you shouldn’t have any problems wh your partner, but like anywhere, jt e your bt judgment and be ut of who’s around you.

Though Tel Aviv is gay-iendly all around, the beach jt ont of the Hilton Hotel is nsired Israel’s unofficial “gay beach” and is appropriately named Hilton Beach. It’s the perfect place to meet lols and learn about the gay scene, but be prepared to cise and be cised this fun and lively atmosphere. Hilton Beach is divid up to three areas wh lol surfers to the south, the ma gay beach the middle and the dog beach to the north.

GAY ZARAGOZA, SPA | THE ESSENTIAL LGBT TRAVEL GUI!

The most popular gay area is jt north of the Hilton Hotel, right off Inpennce Park and oppose the eagle state on the top of the cliff. This gay beach R Janeiro is easily spotted by the numero rabow flags markg the area (between Posto 8 & 9) and the geo speedo-wearg men loungg about. One of those is Playa Playas, a gay beach which you n reach by crossg over some rocks (at low ti) at the north end of the ma beach, Playa Espadilla.

It’s a qutn that’s top of md for many gay travelers as they nsir where to go and evaluate the world’s saft and most dangero plac. Sourc clu Human Rights Watch, the Gallup World Poll and ILGA (the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Associatn), jt to name a few. The Fergsons started trackg the saft and most dangero plac for gay travelers 2019 and have been updatg the story annually sce then.

“They were one of the first untri to legalize same-sex marriage, they have nstutnal anti-discrimatn protectns and the majory of Canadians report that is a safe place to live for gay and lbian people. Acrdg to the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Inx, Bnei is the most dangero untry for gay travelers 2023, followed by Sdia Arabia and Nigeria. “Neverthels, there are other stat where gay, trans and non-bary people are targets, both legislatively and their day-to-day liv, ” he says.

SPANISH TREASUR GAY TRAVEL SPA CULTURAL TOUR

Some of the notable chang sce Fergson started dog this report 2019: 15 new untri have eher legalized gay marriage or allowed same-sex upl to register as civil unns. And the past 12 months alone, Swzerland, Slovenia and Cuba have legalized gay marriage, while Sgapore, Sat Kts & Nevis, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda crimalized same-sex relatnships.

“For stance, Bolivia gay marriage isn’t ‘legal’ but a handful of upl have been able to register their marriage by petng the urts, ” says Fergson. Another challenge: While some of the world is tchg up to equal rights for gay and lbian upl, transgenr and non-bary people still have the furtht way to go.

Detours is a laid-back, no-strgs-attached approach to gay group travel that feels more like explorg the world wh old iends than anythg else. Portugal was one of the first European untri to approve gay marriage 2010, and the Portugue nstutn bans discrimatn of LGBTQ people.

Lisbon also has a very popular and well attend Gay Pri Ftival and para and the ternatnal Queer Lisboa Gay and Lbian Film Ftival every year, too.

Belgium was the send European untry to legalize gay marriage and the send to crimalize same-genr relatnships all the way back 1795. Ireland may seem like a rather nservative untry, but beme the first European natn to legalize gay marriage by a popular vote 2015.

A poll done 2019 said the 87 percent of Luxembourgers believed gay, lbian, and transgenr people should have the same rights as heterosexuals.

It’s one of only five untri to make queer rights equal at a nstutnal level and holds first place on ILGA-Europe’s Rabow Europe Inx, which ranks untri on LGBTQ+ my last vis, a gay gui showed me round the wdg medieval streets of Valletta and Rabat, potg out sential bars and rtrants om Michel-starred Noni to the Monaliza Lounge drag bar, as well as the nightclub Michelangelo lively Paceville. This spir filters down to Dubl’s many LGBTQ-iendly tablishments: two personal favour are iendly bnch spot Social Fabric Café Stoneybatter, one of the cy’s most tertg neighbourhoods, and Street 66 bar, a eful cktail spot before a night at inic LGBTQ+ stutn The southsi is gay-owned Gutter Bookshop (named after the famo Osr Wil quote), and the weekly “big gay dis” Sunday Social at Farrier & Draper; or cross the river for the Outhoe LGBTQ+ muny rource fe on Capel Street and PantiBar, owned by drag queen, activist and performer Panti Bliss.

Enjoy bnch at Osr bar and fe, before a beer at one of Europe’s olst gay bars, Centralhjor, which hosts drag and Sunday jazz ssns venu clu Bøssehet Christiania, home to theatre, performanc, exhibns and parti – a well-suated boutique hotel is SP34 (doubl om £133) the Lat Quarter. The cy’s olst gay bar The Waterloo dat back half a century, while another classic spot is the Unrground bar, equally fun for drag or karaoke. Nearby Delmoni’s (known lolly as “Del’s”), has been Merchant Cy’s “gay triangle” sce stay nearby, try the good-value Bnswick hotel (doubl om £50), on a street wh venu marked by rabow flags.