6 of the Top Gay-iendly Rorts Around the World

Contents:

• GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI
• 9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE
• EUROPE'S GAY-ONLY HOTELS
• 6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD
• 14 OF THE BT GAY-ONLY HOTELS & GUTHO THE WORLD
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• FD GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS EUROPE
• CLOTHG OPTNAL - GAY RORT - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM
• BLUE MOON RORT FOR GAY MEN

GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI

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.

9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE

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.

Photograph: Nick Maslen/AlamyOn my last vis to Birmgham the rabow flag seemed to be everywhere, and the historic Gay Village, wh s bars, shops and f, is hugely visible, centred largely on Hurst Street. Start wh bibimbap at the thoroughfare’s Korean rtrant Topokki before drks at Missg, Siwalk or lbian bar The Fox and dancg at the legendary Nightgale Club, the olst gay club the cy, datg back to summer’s hot LGBTQ+ event is Fierce’s Healg Garns of Bab (27 June - 17 July): part of Birmgham 2022 Ftival, ’s an artistic rponse to this summer’s Commonwealth Gam, celebratg “what the Brish Empire tried (and failed) to stamp out”. Mykonos’s rep as queer heaven dat back to the 1970s, when Jackie Onassis beme a regular visor (she first vised 1961), before blossomed as gay rort the 1980s, wh acmodatn sprgg up for the largely male 2022, you n hang out at tablished hotspots Jackie O, bar Porta or Kastro’s, and stay at the Super Paradise (doubl om £249), handy for the island’s ma LGBTQ+ beach.

EUROPE'S GAY-ONLY HOTELS

Photograph: Subodh Agnihotri/AlamyFor many gay men of a certa age, Fland is extribly associated wh leather-clad inic hero Tom of Fland, whose books pict a ggedly sexualised masculy durg a time pre-1971 when homosexualy was still illegal. Now you n take a tour of where thor Too Laaksonen lived his whole adult life, passg the Kansalaistori (People’s Square) ont of parliament, once a clanste meetg pot for gay karaoke fans should check out Mann’s Street, a boozy stutn; other fun spots are Street Pri the Kamppi district, and Kvääristö, a jot for queer women, transgenr, and non-bary people. You might even be able to jo the Helski Homovaas (Helski Gay Invasn), whose purpose is to “shake up the gay scene” by takg over random straight bars.

5ln people each year, cludg 300, 000 overseas self is one of the most LGBTQ-iendly untri the world: same-sex sexual activy was ma legal 1979, and was the third untry to legalise gay marriage, 2005. First stop has to be Chue, Madrid’s “gaybourhood” wh bars and venu dotted around Plaza Chue (also don’t miss the recently refurbished Merdo San Antón for tasty food stalls and a rooftop terrace).

From glisteng swimmg pools Sat Tropez, to dreamy island rorts Ibiza and Sicily, give yourself the gift of travel and geo LGBTQ+ acmodatn wh a stay at one of the fab gay hotels. The Axel Hotel cha has bee the poster child for geo gay acmodatn across the world, and wh the fabulo summer-spired ameni at Axel Madrid, this is THE place to be for summer 2022. Wh close proximy to Madrid’s happeng - and gay - Ch district, you n spend your days mglg wh the gay lols one of the area’s many bars, before retreatg for the afternoon on the hotel’s inic rooftop.

6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD

The boppg island hosts many gay ftivals over the summer, but if you’re lookg to take thgs a ltle slower and enjoy a slice of luxury while Mykonos, check to the geo Rochari Hotel. This relaxg, gay-male-only rort is loted jt 100 meters om the popular Playa Del Inglés Beach, and offers a munal terrace and swimmg pool - flatable unirn clud, enough said!

Wh a long-standg reputatn as one of the world's most liberal ci, Amsterdam is a welg place for LGBT travellers, wh a host of gay-iendly tablishments jt wag to be explored. Wanr along picturque nals and admire the cy's distctive archecture before checkg out the btlg gay bars the Amstel and Kerkstraat areas, and along Regulliersdwarsstraat. Denmark was the first untry the world to legally regnise same-sex partnerships, so s edgy pal Copenhagen naturally ranks high on any list of gay-iendly statns.

14 OF THE BT GAY-ONLY HOTELS & GUTHO THE WORLD

Copenhagen is also home to the olst openly gay bar Europe, and has even named the space next to Cy Hall Tower 'Rabow Square' to honour the ongog battle for equal rights.

The sun-drenched Greek island of Mykonos has long been a popular statn for LGBT travellers, so much so that the tourism dtry now largely revolv around a gay dience. There's plenty of gay-iendly acmodatn, bars and eatg plac around the island, as well as the famo Super Paradise Beach, a popular hang-out for gay and straight visors alike. The Gay Village area around Canal Street is home to a great assortment of LGBT-iendly bars, rtrants and fés, and the annual Manchter Pri is one of the biggt celebratns of s kd the UK.

If you're lookg for somethg a b more low-key, check out the cy's many gay-iendly fés, which are perfect for a spot of people-watchg, Sndavian-style.

THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS

Sunny Madrid is home to Europe's largt LGBT muny and biggt gay pri celebratn, the Madrid Orgullo, which ns for a week each July and draws around 2 ln visors.

There's a thrivg gay scene the Schöneberg district, wh plenty of gay-iendly bars and other tablishments lg the streets around Motzstrasse, Fuggerstrasse and Nollendorfenplatz, not to mentn attractns such as the Schwul Mm – one of the world's most important mms dited to LGBT life and culture. Pl, there are dozens of gay-iendly fés, bistros, bars and even LGBT-specific shops – enough to keep even the most enthiastic visor by for weeks. It also has an electric gay scene centred on Príncipe Real and Bairro Alto, where you'll fd an eclectic mix of bars, clubs and outdoor drkg areas.

You will appreciate the qualy of the settg and the unique servic that we offer our gay guthoe: everyday menu for lunch and der, profsnal massag, sna, jacuzzi, a huge pool and a cktails bar! 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. While plenty of rorts wele diverse travelers, some really roll out the rabow rpets—whether they’re part of a gay-iendly brand; home to an out-and-proud LGBTQ+ staff; or part of a fabulo statn.

FD GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS EUROPE

The brand is a Gold Global Partner of the Internatnal Gay & Lbian Travel Associatn (IGLTA), and has been honored for more than a as one of the HRC’s annually ranked Bt Plac to Work for LGBTQ+ Equaly. Here gay upl n spend time their villa’s private pool, cisg through the property’s mangrove forts, bikg to the beach, or meltg to an open-air upl’ massage. Along wh Grand Palladium’s tramark ntemporary sign and range of on-se rtrants and entertament, gay and lbian guts n enjoy ameni like the Zentropia Spa & Wellns and s fully equipped gym, several pools and Jacuzzis, sports facili, and direct beach accs.

CLOTHG OPTNAL - GAY RORT - LGBTQIA+ TRAVEL FOM

Israel is easily the most gay-iendly middle eastern untry, and Isrotel Lagoona is the perfect hotel for an Israeli vatn for anyone the LGBTQ+ muny.

South Ai is probably the most gay-iendly untry Ai, and Royal Malewane is a member of IGLTA, assurg your South Ain LGBTQ+ experience is as fortable as n be. Travel + Leisure spoke wh travel agents who specialize helpg LGBT travelers plan luxe adventur around the world to pick some of the top gay-iendly rorts on Earth. Whether you want easy accs to amazg gay bars or undisturbed beach, you n unt on all of six the properti to be welg, sign-forward, and LGBT-iendly.

BLUE MOON RORT FOR GAY MEN

They add Mid-Century r and Charlotte Perriand furnishgs, attractg “high octane gay upl and fashn’s ele” to enjoy the rort and s powr-whe beach, acrdg to Clifford. Although urban statns tend to be most popular wh gay travelers bee of their rich cultural offergs, vibrant nightlife districts, and chic shoppg and dg, a number of the world's most gay-popular ci also enjoy picturque settgs on the water. From megaci wh skyscrapers on the ocean to relatively smaller statns on tranquil bays and lak, here's a ndown of the world's 20 bt gay urban beach statns (populatn 150, 000 or greater).

Wh outstandg mms, distctive archecture (cludg several treasur by Antoni Gdi) a lively gay nightlife scene centered mostly around the sophistited Eixample district, and an abundance of stylish rtrants and hotels, Barcelona is a terrific statn for urban, yet there's a sweepg and betiful gay beach, Barceloa, jt mut om the cy center.

It's jt a short drive south along the ast to vis some of the Southern Hemisphere's most betiful beach, cludg swank Camp Bay, which li the shadows of the Twelve Apostle mountas, and Clifton, which has a scene-y gay beach. And as 's set on the eastern shore of Zealand Island, on Ørund (a stra that divis the North and Baltic seas), Copenhagen is close to a number of priste, wdswept stretch of sand, cludg such gay hangouts as Bellevue and Ishøj beach.

For many years known primarily as Florida's "sprg break" pal, Fort Lrdale began an amb transformatn to a more sophistited rort statn startg around the early 1990s, which cid wh efforts to urt gay and lbian travelers.

Sce that time, more than a dozen gay men's rorts have opened wh a few blocks of the cy's betiful oceanont beach, as have several luxury high-rise hotels. 5 ln rints—prisg the Kowloon Pensula, New Terrori, and Hong Kong Island—is neverthels que forward wh regard to gay and lbian issu when you nsir the regn as a whole. This dramatilly suated cy on the island of Oahu has several gay bars, a great dg scene, and proximy to many notable attractns, om Queen's Surf gay beach to Pearl Harbor.