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

Contents:

• UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
• 40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
• THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• 10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD
• GAY UNED STAT TRAVEL GUI

UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

’Outsirs may thk of the old Conferate pal as a cy stuck s ways, but ltle do they know that Richmond, Virgia is anythg “g out” 2014, Richmond has emerged as the gay pal of the South. The Milwkee Gay Arts Center offers one-of-a-kd LGBTQ productns, and Walker’s Pot is settg self up to be the next big most renowned “gay statns, ” Santa Fe, New Mexi don’t have a go-to district like L.

S., but ’s also home to North Carola’s annual Pri Ftival and the state’s Gay & Lbian Film if that’s not enough for North Carola, head wt to Asheville and fd an LGBTQ bohemian paradise smacked the Smoki. Lolly known as the San Francis of the regn, the gay cultural landspe is vibrant, and the drag scene is easily among the bt the natn–jt watch “Kgs, Queens, and In-Betweens” cy is also a risg fashn mec, hog the third most fashn signers the untry, along wh retail giants like L Brands, Exprs, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fch.

” It mt be somethg the over 140 gay-owned bs, rangg om B&Bs to bars to art galleri to cuty ice cream shops, the small neighborg towns of Sgatuck and Douglas are home to the largt gay rort the Midwt–and thanks to lol protectn of genr inty and sexual orientatn, you’ll be hard-prsed to fd anti-LGBTQ attus here. The cy created the first gay and lbian muny center the untry, and ’s Albany that was home to one of the earlit transgenr groups datg back to the cy may not have the crazy, never-endg nightlife of NYC, and may not have the sheer numbers of NYC, but, for general “Queer Life, ” Albany ranks seventh the untry–not to shabby for a cy overshadowed by the Big LGBT muny and the Mormon church hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye. Rambunct drag bnch rtrants like Hamburger Mary’s, evengs dancg at The Abbey, and pesg quirky ems at gay shops like Block Party WeHo are all classic experienc for LGBT travelers.

40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS

It’s the brachild of CEO Matti Jost, who found misterb&b after he and his partner were nied entry to a vatn rental they had booked after the host learned the uple was n learn more about gay-iendly rooms and rentals for all 15 of the most booked statns by misterb&b travelers at scrollg to fd the top 15 most booked statns by LGBTQ+ travelers on misterb&b. 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. 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.

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. For a wild time off the beaten path, Piñata PV Gay Hotel offers stic charm and clothg optnal pool Cy ns a close send, particularly for the electric gay nightlife loted at the heart of the cy Zona Rosa, the area’s official gayborhood (which also has some of the bt shoppg).

Durg the day, you n take the sights via an all-gay tour of the pal cy and surroundg areas () — highlights clu Frida Kahlo’s “Blue Hoe, ” Chapultepec Castle, and nearby Teotihuan.

THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020

See the famed Oxford Street gay district wh a private tour om The Fabulo Wonr Mama (@thefabulowonrmama), a wealth of knowledge and humor who also posss some of the biggt peaks this si of the Grand Beach is perfect for workg on your tan or takg a surfg lson. Queer visors should head to Ibiza Town’s gay neighborhood, Calle la Virgen, wh s terraced rtrants and gay bars ial for fun tim, people watchg, and cisg for you’d rather not party like Paris Hilton but prefer to relax luxury and relative solu, leave behd Ibiza Town and head north to the Six Sens Rort. Mt-vis LGBTIQ+ neighborhood: The heart of gay Sydney is the Darlghurst neighborhood, which is nveniently loted near Sydney’s central bs district and is easily accsible by the cy’s mass trans system.

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

Though Amsterdam is not as large of a cy as some of s European neighbors, those hopg to experience all of the gay iendls has to offer won’t be disappoted bookg a hotel neighborhoods like Kerkstraat, Amstel, or Reguliersdwarsstraat. When you’re not loungg on the whe-sand beach or olg off the crystal clear turquoise waters for which Aba is so famo, be sure to grab a drk or two at Jimmy’s Place, one of Oranjtad’s most famo gay bars.

Ined, the Curao Tourist Board has published on s webse: “Wh exceptnal gay iendly hotels and attractns, [Curao] enurag gay and lbian travelers to vis the island and experience s ‘live and let live’ atmosphere for themselv. Elia Beach is pecially popular amongst Mykonos’s gay muny, as is Jackie O’Beach, a by beachsi bar plete wh a pool, hot tubs, daily drag show, and even a private church for weddgs.

14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE

Travelers terted seeg some breathtakg natural scenery will have their pick of erary optns, and wh nearly 100 gay-owned home stays throughout the North and South islands, their pick of plac to stay, too. 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 planng a cise, vatners should first nsir what their ial sailg looks like.

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. 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 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. 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 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.

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.

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

Private travel pani like VACAYA also charter Celebry ships for all-gay voyag throughout the (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.

10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD

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 2023, nsir a Royal Caribbean voyage that sails to gay-iendly statns.

GAY UNED STAT TRAVEL GUI

]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 Demence sails every summer to statns like Rome; Athens and Mykonos, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and more. In Amsterdam, the gay scene is mostly ncentrated around the many gay bars the Reguliersdwarsstraat, and we’ve had many fun parti at the Amstel Fifty Four on Wedndays, the drks night of stunt associatn A.