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

Contents:

• THE BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS THE MEDERRANEAN
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• GAY SPA - OUR 6 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE LGBT SPA
• 5 MEDERRANEAN DTATNS GAY TRAVELERS SHOULD HAVE ON THEIR MAP

THE BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS THE MEDERRANEAN

The term – a phemism that dat back to the 1950s – was once ed to dite gay social events on daily cise le programs, whout explicly llg out members of the muny on board. As travel on the high seas ntu to bounce back om the COVID-19 panmic, gay and lbian travelers should nsir settg sail on a fun-filled cise vatn as their next trip.When planng a cise, vatners should first nsir what their ial sailg looks like. Meanwhile, other pani like VACAYA and Olivia look to provi a more diverse selectn of activi, rangg om "T-danc" (LGBTQ parti that, historilly, clud tea service) to wrg class to immersive on-shore experienc.Cisers should also thk about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-iendly mastream le, such as Celebry Cis or Virg Voyag, or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter wh a third-party vatn pany."Each and every LGBTQIAPK person has a different level of fortabily their 'outns,' " says Patrick Gunn, -founr and chief marketg officer of LGBTQ vatn pany VACAYA.

This le gets the stamp of approval om prev LGBTQ cisers, who praise the ships' genr-ntral bathrooms, onboard shows wh rint drag queens and diverse staff.Virg Voyag offers gay-specific sailgs through travel pani like Atlantis Events, but s more mastream erari still offer a welg, clive atmosphere that attracts LGBTQ cisers year-round. In Augt 2023, nsir a seven-night sailg aboard Rilient Lady (Virg's newt cise ship butg May 2023) through Athens, Santori and Mykonos, Greece, wh special mil guts and LGBTQ edians.Atlantis EventsThe world's largt gay and lbian travel brand, Atlantis Events was found 1991 and wel more than 20,000 travelers annually on LGBTQ vatns.

For s all-gay cis, Atlantis charters megaships om popular l like Royal Caribbean Internatnal and Norwegian Cise Le, so cisers will have a fully immersive experience.On board, travelers n enjoy all the perks the megaships have to offer (thk: pools, hot tubs, sports urts and plenty of dg choic), pl special events like drag performanc, motivatnal speakers, LGBTQ movi on mand each b and high-energy circu parti across the ship."As an LGBTQ ciser, you're lookg for a ship wh lots of entertament, cludg dance parti and events," says Mars Martez, founr of Men Who Bnch, a Black gay liftyle blog.

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

"One of the bt cise [l] for gay cisg is Atlantis, sce you'll be able to meet hundreds of attractive men and party all day and night on the ship." Atlantis hosts primarily gay men; women make up about 5% to 10% of bookgs, acrdg to the Atlantis webse. Pl, cisers n feel good about their trip knowg that Brand g partners wh LGBTQ anizatns like the Elton John AIDS Foundatn.In 2023, Brand g sails through unique waterways around the world, cludg the Amazon, the See, the Rhe, the Danube and more.Celebry Cis(Courty of Celebry Cis)Celebry Cis sets the scene for an excellent vatn for gay travelers, om s extravagant annual Pri parti to s daily LGBTQ programmg throughout the year. Addnally, Celebry was the first cise le to legally marry a uple at sea 2018, and ntu to perform same-sex marriag on s ships.Past cisers enjoyed their voyag wh Celebry, notg that the le was welg, the food was lic and there were plenty of areas to hang out as a group wh fellow LGBTQ passengers or other panns throughout the ship.Although all erari are gay-iendly, nsir bookg a Pri Party at Sea sailg (which tak place each June) for an extra special experience.

Private travel pani like VACAYA also charter Celebry ships for all-gay voyag throughout the year.Olivia(Getty Imag)Specifilly marketed toward lbians and LGBTQ women, Olivia has hosted more than 350,000 travelers by land and sea over almost five s. The popular cise le equently partners wh Atlantis Events to offer all-gay voyag throughout the year, but even the standard sailgs earn praise.Highlights clu the ships' entertament optns (cludg a Cele Dn tribute show) and attentive staff, acrdg to past cisers.

GAY SPA - OUR 6 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE LGBT SPA

Outsi of the sailg experience, Royal Caribbean has also publicly mted to support the LGBTQ muny throughout the year, and was the first cise le to earn the tle "Gay Traveler Approved" om GayTravel 2016.In 2023, nsir a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-iendly statns.

News.]The Cise Wh La Demence(Courty of The Cise wh La Demence)Acrdg to past cisers, if you're lookg for one of the bt party scen on the open seas, nsir an all-gay cise wh La Demence. Prev cisers had high praise for the erari – which exclively vis gay-iendly lotns – as well as the uy cktails, themed nights (stum strongly enuraged), glamouro entertament, and unique events like drag bgo and high heel ns.La Demence sails every summer to statns like Rome; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and more.

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).

5 MEDERRANEAN DTATNS GAY TRAVELERS SHOULD HAVE ON THEIR MAP

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.