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
• 40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
• OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH
• 6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD
• LGBT TRAVEL IAS: TOP 12 GAY FRIENDLY CI
• I'M A GAY TRAVEL WRER AND THK THE ARE THE 5 SAFT, MOST QUEER-IENDLY CARIBBEAN TRAVEL STATNS

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.

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.

10 BT GAY BEACH THE WORLD

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.

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.

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.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

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. 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.

40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS

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).

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.

OUT THE SUN: FLORIDA’S TOP 10 GAY BEACH

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.

6 OF THE TOP GAY-IENDLY RORTS AROUND THE WORLD

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. 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.

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.

LGBT TRAVEL IAS: TOP 12 GAY FRIENDLY CI

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.

I'M A GAY TRAVEL WRER AND THK THE ARE THE 5 SAFT, MOST QUEER-IENDLY CARIBBEAN TRAVEL STATNS

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.

And while there are gay-iendly seasis all across the globe, several rise to the top—whether bee of their sheer bety, their unique character or the crowd they draw. Fort Lrdale has eclipsed Miami as Florida's go-to gay statn and Sebastian Street Beach, between Sunrise Boulevard and Las Olas Boulevard, fely fli the rabow flag. Even when 's not Carnaval, "Farme Gay, " to the east of Rua Farme Amoedo, is the loc of gay life R—and a great place to ogle the mcular "Barbi" who sashay between Posto (guard tower) 8 and 9, next to the gay-iendly Ipanema Plaza 9pm, the actn mov to the half-dozen gay bars and clubs the area.

) The peak season, though, ns om early July to early fd the gay sectn of the beach, follow the crowds of buff hombr to the third beach zone, right near Hotel Calipolis.