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

Contents:

• 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
• TOP 10 GAY AND LBIAN VATNS EUROPE
• AND THE GAYT CY EUROPE IS... (DISVER OUR TOP 10 WNERS)
• 9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE
• GAY MADRID
• 10 OF OUR FAVOURE GAY BARS EUROPE
• GAY ROME
• GAY PARIS

14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE

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. There are great queer bars such as SilverFuture Nkölln and Faccla Krzberg, both wh their flare and social atmospher that make them great plac for tourists, whilst mega techno clubs and parti (what gui to gay Berl uldn’t clu Bergha?! Compared to other plac Mexi, was the cy where I saw the most signs of affectn public between same-sex upl, and there are plenty of gay bars, clubs and parti for everyone.

The right to change legal genr has been place sce 2012 and anti-discrimatn laws are full force Rosar and the big pal cy, Buenos love Buenos Air bee has one of the bt gay scen across Lat Ameri, which is heavily supported by the ernment, particular Augt when has s BADiversa week every Augt. The gay scene of Buenos Air is que spread out, but the fol pot is the large, rintial neighbourhood of Palermo, pl a few plac dotted about super ol San Telmo and well-to-do Releta. Hostels Auckland | Cheap flights to AucklandGran Canaria, Canary IslandsGran Canaria, remend by Stefan and Sebastien om Nomadic Canaria is an extremely famo statn throughout the year for European gays.

From the 1960s, tourism really started to take off, attractg more and more foreigners and therefore even more tolerant love Gran Canaria bee there is a massive gay scene at Maspalomas and Playa l Ingl the southern part of the island. Gran Canaria also has several gay pri ftivals happeng throughout the year such as the Maspalomas Fetish Week October, Maspalomas Wter Pri November, Carnivals Febary (both Maspalomas and Las Palmas), Maspalomas Gay Pri May and fally numero bear parti October and another of our favoure experienc Gran Canaria was takg a boat trip (n by Canarias Gay) wh iends to the remote beach lled Gui Gui.

TOP 10 GAY AND LBIAN VATNS EUROPE

Hostels New York | Cheap flights to New YorkRome, ItalyRome, remend by Luigi & Daniele om Gayly is an credible cy wh tonn of amazg plac to take photos and historil s that will take your breath away.

AND THE GAYT CY EUROPE IS... (DISVER OUR TOP 10 WNERS)

You’ll fd yourself talkg to everyone and, wh the night g, you’ll want to disver one of the most popular Italian clubs: Mucssassa wter and Gay Village Pri tak place every June. Hostels Rome | Cheap flights to RomeLisbon, PortugalLisbon, remend by Gian Lu om Viaggia e of the most amazgly gay-iendly ci I n remend for LGBT travellers Lisbon.

Therefore, public displays of affectn (PDAs) and topics like sex and sexualy are thgs Japane do not talk about, though genr norms are more fluid Japan than elsewhere the LGBT people Japan are jt ‘gay for the weekend’ and often even have a ‘normal’ fay durg the rt of the week. To fd the bt gay hangouts, the top neighborhoods clu the U Street Corridor, Dupont Circle or Logan Circle wh LGBT favore spots like Cobalt, 30 Degre, Green Lantern or DIK Bar. The cy’s premier fancial district by day, once the sun go down the area is home to lectable street food, rooftop bars and Thailand’s prospero and lively gay village.

While Lbos isn’t actually that openly gay iendly, for the past several s hors of lbians began visg the island to honor the 6th century BC poets Sappho, born the beach area of Skala Ersos, which has bee a mec for the ternatnal lbian muny. Schoeneberg is the tradnal center of gay Berl, but the muny extends to numero gay hostels and B&B’s, clubs, rtrants, f, ftivals, monthly parti, and signer boutiqu. Swzerland is ell known as one of the most open md untri Europe, and Geneva is epicenter of gay culture wh numero gay-owned and gay-iendly bars, clubs, hotels, and gutho.

9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE

Wh a long-standg reputatn as one of the world's most liberal ci, Amsterdam is a welg place for LGBT travellers, wh a host of gay-iendly tablishments jt wag to be explored. Wanr along picturque nals and admire the cy's distctive archecture before checkg out the btlg gay bars the Amstel and Kerkstraat areas, and along Regulliersdwarsstraat.

Denmark was the first untry the world to legally regnise same-sex partnerships, so s edgy pal Copenhagen naturally ranks high on any list of gay-iendly statns. Copenhagen is also home to the olst openly gay bar Europe, and has even named the space next to Cy Hall Tower 'Rabow Square' to honour the ongog battle for equal rights. The sun-drenched Greek island of Mykonos has long been a popular statn for LGBT travellers, so much so that the tourism dtry now largely revolv around a gay dience.

GAY MADRID

There's plenty of gay-iendly acmodatn, bars and eatg plac around the island, as well as the famo Super Paradise Beach, a popular hang-out for gay and straight visors alike.

The Gay Village area around Canal Street is home to a great assortment of LGBT-iendly bars, rtrants and fés, and the annual Manchter Pri is one of the biggt celebratns of s kd the UK.

10 OF OUR FAVOURE GAY BARS EUROPE

There's a thrivg gay scene the Schöneberg district, wh plenty of gay-iendly bars and other tablishments lg the streets around Motzstrasse, Fuggerstrasse and Nollendorfenplatz, not to mentn attractns such as the Schwul Mm – one of the world's most important mms dited to LGBT life and culture. While attracts visors om all mographics their mass durg peak season, the island has plenty to offer the LGBT muny, om s host of gay bars and nudist beach to s annual ternatnal gay ftival, XLSIOR.

What uld be better than loungg a summer day away on a dreamy gay beach along the Mederranean, or sippg a cktail wh lol gay guys a cy square well to the night?

GAY ROME

While this pt-sized island may be bt known for s picturque archecture, dreamy beach, and idyllic lotn the Med, s evolvg gay scene is also startg to turn heads. While Dubrovnik, and Croatia the ma, may not offer the same LGBTQ scene as that found other European gay statns like Barcelona or Berl, remas liberal enough to still enjoy a relaxg gaytn here.

Throughout the year, Maspalomas is host to many gay parti and events, and e Augt, you n enjoy Dunas Ftival - a five-day party offerg lavish pool parti, live DJs, and go-go dancers. Greece should be on everyone’s travel gaydar summer, and if you are lookg for an active gay scene upled wh dreamy beach and lively gay parti and ftivals, Mykonos is your solutn. Even if most gay and lbian life is centered around the cy’s Eixample district, why not stead wele the warm season wh lol gays at one of Barcelona’s gay beach?

GAY PARIS

On an afternoon Schöneberg, you’ll jo proud gay upl walkg the same historic streets where LGBTQ artists and activists once began the fight for gay rights, as early as the 1890s fact. You’ll fd a number of monuments around the cy memoratg the many LGBTQ victims of WWII, wh the Schwul Mm documentg the art, culture and history of Berl’s homosexual muny, which was long centred , Nollendorfplatz is still the place to be if you’d like to see the cy’s bt fetish clubs and leather bars, wh September brgg wh the Folsom Europe BDSM and subculture ftival. As well as s progrsive lols and large gay muny, the cy self is a playground for gay travellers, most notably the Chue neighbourhood where there’s always some kd of event happeng.

The third natn to legalize gay marriage back 2005, Spa’s pal has sce bee a mol for other untri, wh s equaly acts allowg for same-sex adoptn, marriage and legal safeguards agast discrimatn. Drawn through wh waterways and nnected by hundreds of photogenic bridg, Amsterdam is the cy of the cyclist, allowg for scenic ris along the Prsengracht nal and the Amstel River which both bee awash wh para boats durg the annual gay nal pri. At all other tim, you n fd Amsterdam’s gay scene centred on Reguliersdwarsstraat, particularly at the cy’s olst gay bar, Cafe t’ Mandje, a popular late-night meetg pot wh kschy dér datg back to the 1920s.

While explorg the cy, be sure to look for the Homomonument, a se promoted as a livg monument to homosexuals opprsed and persecuted around the world, also learng more of the cy’s LGBT history at the Pk Pot rmatn sk close by. This uld even be a rult of the cy’s long gay history, as London has hosted a steady stream of gay bars sce the 1700s, wh Soho beg the first gay district Europe.

This area surroundg Old Compton Street central London remas the go-to place for 21st century gays, nstantly transformatn wh queer-oriented theatr, fés, sex shops and bookstor on every street. As well as drkg outlets, mil theatre remas alive and well on London’s Wt End, wh gay mils and LGBTQ productns on the regular smaller venu and clubs such as Above The Stag.

Copenhagen, DenmarkWh Denmark beg one of the first European natns to legalize same-sex marriage 2012 (and same-sex unns back 1989), ’s pal of Copenhagen certaly has the crentials to be crowned gay pal of Europe.

Though smaller events like World Aids Day and the EuroGam are celebrated throughout the year, the pnacle event for the gay muny mt be Copenhagen Pri, which actually happens twice a year both June and well as your ual dance clubs, Copenhagen go one better wh a selectn of sophistited gay spots near Cy Hall, while the alternative scene meets nearer Central Statn or Vterbro, the cy’s old Red Light District. To fd your people, head straight for La Marais, the only official gaybourhood of Paris which hosts the large majory of the cy’s gay bars, clubs, fés and LGBTQ bs. Historilly speakg, Paris has always been a ltle queer, known rmally as the ‘Vice of Sodom’ the Middle Ag and havg legalised homosexualy as early as the French Revolutn back 1791.

Paris | Photo: Charleen V 25hours Hotel Paris | Photo: The Gay PassportBis hostg the UK’s largt pri para, Manchter also hosts Queer Contact arts ftival, Drag Ft UK and Sparkle Ftival7. Bis hostg the UK’s largt pri para, Manchter also hosts Queer Contact arts ftival, Drag Ft UK and Sparkle Ftival, wh more drag events and themed nights happeng nightly the Gay Village on Canal Street the cy’s bt gay bars, clubs and LGBTQ venu.

Mgle good gay pany on Sat-Jaqu, fdg most of the nightlife actn on Marché Au Charbon, particularly the month of May when the narrow streets and sloped lan behd Grand Place fill wh revellers for an entire week of pri celebratns, culmatg on Saturday for Pri Day Bssels.

Certaly one of the bt gay statns Europe for s longstandg acceptance of same-sex unns (legal sce 1795) and same-sex marriage sce 2003, Bssels ntu to pursue equaly. Loted jt 60 mut by tra om London Cy, Brighton is the go-to weekend spot for gay Londoners lookg to relax bi the sea before gettg lost among like-md gents along the bbled lan of St. Hostg 250, 000 people each year for s Pri ftival, Brighton remas a meltg-pot for gay culture year round, a trend started the 19th century when men om across the untry me to meet up wh soldiers statned here.