Out the Sun: Florida’s Top 10 Gay Beach | VISIT FLORIDA

Contents:

• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• 10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD
• BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
• WHAT’S INCLUD A GAY ALL-INCLIVE RORT?
• GAY FRIENDLY BEACH VATN - BEACH VATNS FOM
• OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW
• GAY-IENDLY BEACH VATN? - BEACH VATNS FOM
• TOP 10 GAY-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN THAILAND
• DISVER THE 10 BT GAY BEACH NORTH AMERI (AND WHERE TO STAY)

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

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.

10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD

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.

Near the cy's uber-gay Boystown, also known as Lakeview, the GLBT set nverged for many years at Belmont Rocks, an area that no longer exists.

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.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

Fort Lrdale is also close enough to Miami and Palm Beach for quick viss to eher place, makg an ial base for a sunny and relaxg gay vatn. 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.

One of the world's leadg gay and lbian statns, Los Angel is much more than a sgle metropolis - rather, 's an entire llectn of both sprawlg and many s scenic neighborhoods and adjacent ci.

WHAT’S INCLUD A GAY ALL-INCLIVE RORT?

Here and funky Venice Beach, to the south, you'll fd que a few rtrants, hotels, and bars wh a mixed gay/straight followg, along wh one of the Wt's classic gay dive bars, Roosterfish.

The cy is pecially popular as a gay statn durg Midsumma Ftival, a three-week LGBT arts and cultural ftival held om mid-January through early Febary. The regn has been eclipsed by nearby Fort Lrdale recent year's as the state's top gay statn, but you'll still fd plenty of gays and lbians livg and playg the parts - and visg durg the several big gay circu parti held South Beach each year, om Wter Party to Whe Party to Miami Gay Pri. In Miami Beach, you'll fd a pair of betiful and popular gay beach, cludg 12th Street Beach South Beach, and Hlover Beach farther north.

The largt cy on the famoly swank and sophistited French Riviera, Nice (populatn 350, 000) is not que a gay playground on the same plane as such Euro-queer hot spots as Ibiza and Mykonos, but this stylish cy wh an outstandg variety of tony rtrants and shops do have a growg gay prence (this is also te, by the way, of nearby Cann, which is smaller but also is beg creasgly popular wh gay travelers). You'll fd gay bars, snas, and f mostly or Old Town, and along the curvg wateront gg the Mederranean, rabow flags note a gay prence at Co Beach as well as at Castel Plage. S., and Canada, the romantic Mexin Riviera rort of Puerto Vallarta mak for an approachable, relatively affordable, and fectly fun and lively gay getaway om late fall through early sprg ( quiets down here nsirably durg the hot summer months).

GAY FRIENDLY BEACH VATN - BEACH VATNS FOM

The gay scene here has grown steadily over the past uple of s, wh the most popular GLBT beach and several welg hotels, rtrants, and bars centered upon the charmg and historic Zona Romanti district. R Janeiro jtly renowned for s sugary beach, and a party-driven, ftive gay scene that's ncentrated chiefly around trendy Ipanema and the more touristy Copabana areas, both of which ont the ocean and are ial for glazg, joggg, or playg the sun and sea. Ipanema, wh s lonial-style buildgs and tree-led streets, is pecially charmg; you'll fd a number of LGBT-popular f and bars around here, as well as a stunng gay beach jt off Rua Farme Amoedo.

One of the regn's most betiful beach, Fort Doto County Park, has a b of a gay followg, and there's also a great gay beach at Treasure Island, lled Sunset Beach. Petersburg Gay Pri, the largt the state, the area is home to a diverse mix of gay-iendly lodgg choic, om grand hotels to elegant bed-and-breakfasts pl Florida's largt gay rort. The cy's btlg Hillcrt neighborhood is a hub of gay nightlife and retail, and you'll also fd plenty of GLBT-equented bs nearby North Park and Universy Heights.

OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH

Head for the oceanont muni of Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and you'll disver a geo stretch of gold-sand beach, wh the gay-popular Black's Beach among the most spectacular.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

San Diego also has a rich cultural scene downtown, ol rtrants and slick hotels the Gaslamp Quarter, and outstandg mms and attractns leafy Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Gay Pri ftival each July. Among the top 10 largt ci the Caribbean, sunny and vibrant San Juan (metro populatn 2 ln) has the bt gay scene and most welg attu toward GLBT travelers.

One great approach to visg here is to be your trip wh a few days on Puerto Ri's gay-popular rort island of Viequ, which is a short flight. Arguably the gay epicenter of the Southern Hemisphere, scenic Sydney is a major bs and cultural center that jt happens to be flanked by some of the world's most geo beach.

Sydney's gay scene is foced tradnally around Oxford Street, a 20-mute walk om the much-photographed Inner Harbour and Sydney Opera Hoe, but nearby ner suburbs like Newtown, Erskeville, and Glebe have sizable LGBT populatns and many mixed bars and rtrants. Israel's send-largt cy after Jesalem, the Mederranean-ged metropolis of Tel Aviv (populatn 400, 000) is also among the most secular and gay-iendly municipali Israel.

GAY-IENDLY BEACH VATN? - BEACH VATNS FOM

It's long had a sizable gay prence, cludg plenty of f, bars, and boutiqu terg to GLBT rints and visors—Shenk Street li at the heart of the cy's gay scene. The weather at the beach, even summer, is often ol and wdy, and the surf n be vlent—even que dangero—pecially around gay-popular Baker Beach, a clothg-optnal patch near Prid Park that affords visors fe views of the Goln Gate Bridge. San Francis is nohels an outstandg place to live or vis if you want a balance of gay culture and geo astle that's great for joggg, beach hik, and admirg the views.

There's the lovely beach at English Bay that's jt steps om the gay-popular bars and rtrants of the cy's Wt End, and Ksilano Beach Park jt across the water.

And a ltle farther afield, Wreck Beach at the foot of cliffs near the Universy of Brish Columbia is a favore of gays and lbians (and is clothg-optnal). 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.

TOP 10 GAY-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN THAILAND

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.

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.

DISVER THE 10 BT GAY BEACH NORTH AMERI (AND WHERE TO STAY)

Condado Beach is San Juan’s top spot to experience Puerto Ri’s gay scene, and for a ep dive to the surroundg culture, there are no better acmodatns than those at La Concha Renaissance Rort. Quick beach accs, two hwater pools, and plimentary breakfast are jt a few of the perks awag guts at Sand Castle on the Beach, a charmg gay-owned abo found on the island of St. Jt 90 mut outsi of the natn’s pal, the gay-owned Inn at Ltle Washgton has hosted Capol Hill’s most prtig policians sce s lnch 1978 — and all tak is one be to unrstand what keeps the dignari g back year after year.

One of Utah’s most gay-iendly statns, Park Cy is known as the home of the Sundance Film Ftival, but this star-studd event is far om the only attractn that keeps tourists flowg . An inic gay beach statn sce the 1970s, Fire Island is 5 kilometers off the ast of Long Island, New York, and pris a dozen beachsi muni. Sun-seekers who head to the longtime LGBT muny of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, n expect to mgle on the shor of gay-iendly Poodle Beach wh olr lol rints and vatng cy folks om Philalphia, Pennsylvania (207 kilometers), and Washgton, D.

This town has a number of fay-iendly plac, such as CAMP Rehoboth, a full-service gay and lbian muny center that aniz summer events for all ag. LGBT-owned bs have thrived here for s, particularly the gay nightlife the Broadway Corridor Alamos Beach, which clus venu like Mhaft, a pub for the jeans and leather crowd, and Paradise, a piano bar and eatery.