Gay holidays Greece & the islands | Greeka

Contents:

• 'GAYTNS': A GUI TO LGBT+ VATNS GREECE
• GAY ATHENS – A GUIDE TO THE GREEK CAPITAL FOR LGBTQIA2S+
• GAY HOLIDAYS GREECE & THE ISLANDS
• GREECE GAY TRAVEL
• GAY GREECE: QUEER CULTURE, LOL LIFE, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW! ??
• GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS GREECE
• THE BEST ATHENS GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS ATHENS
• GAY MYKONOS
• GAY THSALONIKI
• TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN ATHENS, GREECE

'GAYTNS': A GUI TO LGBT+ VATNS GREECE

Though not typilly known as a gay statn, Athens is very well known to all kds of travelers who e to immerse themselv the cy’s renowned history. Many LGBT+ visors may simply pass through the cy on their way to more gay-iendly Greek statns like Mykonos, but they’d be mistaken to skip Athens entirely or only drop to tch a glimpse of the Parthenon on their way to a more relaxg beach town.

As the pal cy of Greece wh nearly 4 ln people livg the metro area, you’ll fd a large selectn of gay and gay-iendly rtrants, f, bars and clubs.

GAY ATHENS – A GUIDE TO THE GREEK CAPITAL FOR LGBTQIA2S+

We won’t tell you not to go to Mykonos due to this, bee ankly you should and you’ll probably love , pecially wh how gay-iendly is. Bis Santori, which is probably the most popular and touristy island of them all, Mykonos probably holds the tle of 2nd for the general visor but fely tak the lead of the Greek Island gay hotspot.

Mykonos may have won over the gay crowds the ’70s onwards, but LGBT travelers to Greece now have a wi range of gay-iendly statns to choose om. Whether you’re the tellectual type, the art lover or the beach bum, Greece is among the most welg gay-iendly untri Europe, and is slowly but steadily evolvg to a muny of openns and cln.

So y, many Greek same-sex upl live openly and publicly and happily among fay, iends and lleagu a society that is takg step – albe baby steps – towards gay liberatn. ►Folegandros – Ty and far away, Folegandros has been wng over the gay crowds the last uple of years wh s isolated beach and hikg trails.

GAY HOLIDAYS GREECE & THE ISLANDS

And some trivia: believe or not, a few years back exvatns on Astypalaia brought to light what is believed to be the world’s olst graffi pictg gay sex.

The annual Gay Pri Para Athens and Thsaloniki and events which take place Athens every year June and the Internatnal Ersos Women’s Ftival held annually on the island of Lvos September are a great chance to mgle while on holiday. ✔︎If you haven’t ed gay-foced bookg apps or are visg an off-the-grid statn like a remote island or village the mountas, don’t be surprised if you book a room wh a double bed and upon arrival the host scrambl to change to two sgl. Greece is one of the top gay statns for the LGBTQ+ travelg public, a fact to which the iendly and open-md culture of the Greeks ntribut is a gay Greece travel gui (our other Greece travel gui wasn't cuttg the mtard) to enjoy our exotic untry ee and proud!

The famo Mykonos, the queen of the Cyclas, apart om the crowds of celebri of the ternatnal jet set, also attracts a huge number of members of the LGBTQ Mykonos Town, the gay pal and the gayt cy Greece, to the many strikg beach that host day and night-long parti, the gay muny on the island n live life to the fullt!

GREECE GAY TRAVEL

’ Take that, Las the day, the dozens of betiful Mykonos beachs promise the ultimate experience that only the Greek summer n ski, clear blue waters, a rehg sea breeze, wonrful scents of nut sunscreen mixed wh the aromas of hly squeezed juic, cktails, and tradnal dish of Greek top gay beach Mykonos are fely those of Agrari, Super Paradise, and the sun go down, the fun climbs up to unprecented levels.

Every rner of Mykonos has at least one bar or club, where the fun never Paradise, Crella Gay Club, Cavo Paradiso, Jackie O ’, Babylon, and Lola, are jt a few of the dozens of LGBTQ hangouts you will e across on the until you n no more, and dance until dawn. Athens is a liberal cy that, of urse, brgs together the natnal gay tablishments are ncentrated the Gazi area, but you need to know where they are orr to lote them, as they’re not as "loud" as one would expect.

There are some of the most popular LGBTQ+ bars, to enjoy Athens by night, such as Soda2, one of the first gay bars Athens, and Samone, wh drag queen shows and theme Athens, is mon for the LGBTQ+ muny to go to Rostor, a fe extremely popular the gay muny of lols and is loted Agias Iris Square, and is perfect for a beer and a be. For same-sex upl Athens, the pal cy of Greece, there are many day-iendly acmodatn optns or even gay hotels exclively signed for the LGBTQ+ example, Elegant Hotel, near Gazi, wh a unique bar and rtrant on se, is a perfect choice for LGBTQ+ ’s more, the Central Athens Hotel, the old town of Plaka, and Electra Palace Athens, also the historic center, wh a terrace, a spa, and a gym, wele LGBTQ+ people on a daily basis.

GAY GREECE: QUEER CULTURE, LOL LIFE, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW! ??

Santori is still at the top of the list of statns that are ial for gay vatns when you vis is a super romantic island wh a lra that seems to merge wh the sky at sunset and volnic soil that giv the island s fair share of lol produce, cludg s we.

GAY AND GAY-IENDLY HOTELS GREECE

Santori's wonrful assyrtiko we and spectacular scenery have ma the Cyclas islands famo across the has many gay-iendly bars and beach and n be intified as a particularly vg Greek gay statn for LGBTQ+ travelers. CreteCrete - creds: Crete may not be an tablished gay-iendly statn, such as Mykonos and Santori, but has a lot to offer s gay s archeologil fds that narrate Greek history to s beach, will enchant you andIf you are cisg the Greek islands, is very likely that you will pass through Crete, specifilly om ’t skip a vis to the archeologil se of Knossos Palace and the mm, which are some of the top thgs to do a tour of the cy, the tomb of Nikos Kazantzakis, the archectural diamonds the alleys of the cy, and a cup of ffee one of the tradnal ffee shops of the area will help you fall love wh the cy and s rich history. Malia is the smopolan center of the island, while Hersonissos is the center of the LGBTQ+ muny's night Hersonissos, is remend to vis the gay bar Roze Maandag the port and La Brasserie Herakln.

A gay Greek island the makg, if you om the betiful beach and the amazg hotels, Skiathos also offers a lively gay nightlife that will keep you excellent spirs for untls nights. Skiathos has 50 beach to explore, but the most popular for gay tourists are Big Banana and Small stunng sunsets full of romance, there is Agia Eleni Beach, as well as the fe sand beach of Lalaria and Koounari.

NlAlthough Greece there are no purely gay beach, except Mykonos, is mon for the gay public to choose more alternative and private beach as a reference pot for their of the bt beach have been found Crete, which is nsired a popular tourist statn for the LGBTQ+ public Greece. Wh the clear crease social events, such as gay weddgs and receptns, the gay public more and more often choos luxury villas for their parallel holidays villas seem to attract the tert of the public, as they n meet the needs of more guts to a greater extent. Although famo islands such as Mykonos and Santori rema firmly on the list of top optns, many alternativ the form of unknown Greek islands, such as Karpathos and Alonissos, are dynamilly enterg travelers' exploratn urse, no matter which Greek island you vis, a gay sailg trip is a mt!

THE BEST ATHENS GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS ATHENS

Participate Gay Events and Athens and Thsaloniki PriThsaloniki pri - creds:  Every year, both Athens Pri and Thsaloniki Pri attract many visors who e to participate the LGBTQ+ celebratns, wh the Pri para as the ma attractn, as well as a variety of events, parti, and activi throughout the cy.

Elysium Sunset BarThe bt view to see the sunset on the island of Mykonos is at the bar of the famo gay hotel over two s, has been tablished as the favore meetg pot of the island. Also, the gay scene of Mykonos is now well-known the same time, four gay pri ftivals Greece take place every year the ci of Athens, Thsaloniki, Patras, and general, homosexualy is gradually beg more and more accepted by the Greek populatn, pecially the big fact, acrdg to the ILGA-Europe report 2016, which als wh asssments related to LGBTQ+ rights European untri, Greece that year was ranked fifteenth out of a total of 49 European particular, showed the largt percentage change annually pared to other European untri terms of the gree of improvement of LGBTQ+ rights pared to Safety GreeceWoman wrapped a pri flag - creds: BBC. Thankfully, The fight agast homophobia and transphobia is no longer nsired a luxury em enomilly veloped societi, nor is part of the agenda of a small group of Natnal Commtee for Equaly of LGBTQ+ unr the chairmanship of the former Print of the European Court of Human Rights, Alexandros Sisilianos, wh the participatn of reprentativ of three LGBTQ+ anizatns, is certaly a reason why people of this muny are safe the moment, Greece, after bills for the Cohabatn Agreement and the regnn of the genr inty of the prev ernment, is ranked among the European untri that -stutnally- regnize and wele the visibily of the LGBTQ+ ThoughtsAs you n see, there are many gay-iendly statns Greece you n clu your Greece vatn packag or your Greece erari.

GAY MYKONOS

Hopefully, over time there will be more or more, and the time will e when the ‘gay-iendly’ label will no longer be tourism, there are no barriers, neher the untry of orig of travelers, nor the fancial abily to spend, nor sexual preferenc. LGBTQ+ travelers will also want to check out the XLSIOR gay ftival that tak plac Mykonos Town late Augt, sometim early September. Athens has the largt LGBTQ+ muny Greece, particularly the Gazi neighborhood, which has an array of gay bar and clubs like Soda2.

Mykonos island has one of the most famo LGBTQ+ scen the world and be a gay mec durg the summer months, which culmat wh the XLSIOR Ftival. 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.

GAY THSALONIKI

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.

TOP 11 GAY FRIENDLY HOTELS IN ATHENS, GREECE

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.

The season’s big gay dance ftival is XLSIOR, attend by about 30, 000 people (17-24 Augt)HelskiA Pri gatherg at Helski Cathedral. 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). There are many islands which are famo for their gay-iendly and lbian-iendly featur, offerg amazg opportuni for all upl who are terted.