Gay Travel Europe – Rick Stev' Travel Blog

Contents:

• GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI
• 9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE
• GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS
• HE TRAVEL – GAY TRAVEL TOURS, GAY ADVENTURE TRAVEL, ACTIVE VATNS
• GAY TOURS AND GROUP TRAVEL
• ONE INTERRACIAL GAY COUPLE TRI TO TRAVEL FEARLSLY — AND SOMETIM FDS ACCEPTANCE SURPRISG PLAC
• LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023
• GAY TOURS EUROPE
• GAY TRAVEL EUROPE
• 14 POPULAR GAY TOUR & VATN COMPANI
• CHECK OUT OUR TOP 7 NEW GAY CIS & TOURS FOR 2023
• GAY SPA - OUR 6 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE LGBT SPA
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• TOP LGBT-FRIENDLY PLAC FOR GAY SENR TRAVEL AND RETIREMENT
• TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021
• 14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE
• 5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
• GAY TRAVEL GUIS BY WORLD REGN
• CAPALS OF CENTRAL EUROPE GAY CULTURAL TOUR TO BUDAPT, VIENNA, PRAGUE
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS EASTERN EUROPE

GAY EUROPE TRAVEL GUI

'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022. Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. This will clu the unique sign of their flexible gers (yurts), and their annual Naadam Ftival of wrtlg, 545-SW-HETravel-NewMexi-Colorado-Southwt-Gay-Tour-gallery-300× Southwt Enchantment Adventure TourWe are exced to offer our first adventure tour through the remarkable, high sert regn of Northern New Mexi and to the lh tumn lors of the mountas of Southwt Colorado.

GWt Iceland Fjords: Gay Iceland Adventure TourFrom Vikg culture to Arctic wilrns & bety, our new tour of Iceland will show you the extrem of Iceland: iendly Vikg scendants, unspoiled lh wilrns, fumg and hissg geysers, massive glaciers, towerg volno, and vg natural hot sprgs. Taste of ItalyPlant A Tree ProgramSPLASH Grand Canyon Gay Raftg AdventureHE Travel Heads to Machu PicchuHE Travel Prents EcuadorHE TRAVEL KAUAI ADVENTURE TOURHE Travel Prents Pengus of South AiHE Travel’s Galapagos AdventureGay travel huntg Santiago, Chile.

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. 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.

9 MOST GAY-FRIENDLY COUNTRI IN EUROPE

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”.

GAY TRAVEL TOURS & TRIPS

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. 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. 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.

In fact, on a lol island, we had the oppose experience om anonymo Europeans exclaimg their disgt, or beg heterosexualized and name-flipped by the management: a ncierge a hijab very sweetly asked if we were together, sed when we told her that we were, and treated like the other guts at the hotel — some of whom were also gay. While rtrictg our travel largely to plac where homosexualy is legal but often ls visible has rced our strs — and nowhere the fn of hardship do say “havg to choose Curaçao over Jamai” — we’ve actually had more nontatnal experienc at home New York, where the laws are some of the most liberal this si of Amsterdam.

HE TRAVEL – GAY TRAVEL TOURS, GAY ADVENTURE TRAVEL, ACTIVE VATNS

But I also know that travellg n be the bt gift to give yourself while tryg to figure out which booti you like bumpg and how to live a life that is still not nsired “normal”, there are some super smashg gay iendly ci to fill the spiratn cup along the way. Along wh torrents of ptivatg ffee, the bt gay ci always seem to have scmpt we of the ve – and Cape Town don’t is credibly betiful scenery around alongsi some great hikg to be done around the edg of the as I might, I’ll never be this Town is also a great place to learn to surf… or even swim wh great whe sharks.

GAY TOURS AND GROUP TRAVEL

”The most prehensive article on LGBTQ travel safety I found was this list of the 150 Worst and Saft Countri for LGBTQ travel; the article ma the lk between many untri which have “anti-gay” legislatn and their stat as former Brish loni. Add that to the dirty lndry list of lonialism – wispread crimalisatn of non-hetero activi and the breedg of stigmas that still lgers to this thkg about the regns of the world and how dangero would be to travel gay there, I thought about this qutn: what would happen if I held the hand of my same-sex partner public this area?

But I’m gonna lightly drizzle on this you do e datg apps untri where there are legal or vlent repercsns for beg gay, a quick word of warng: the police and other vigilant have been known to e apps to lure other gay men to icky I thk this is fucked up? I started chattg to one of them who realised I was also wag for my girliend, like he that penny dropped, he kept showg me photos of his brother and his brother’s hband Ameri and suggtg the bt unrground gay bars New Delhi! But all serns, you n’t expect that someone who’s been raised a Church for twenty, forty, fifty years who has been told that beg gay is a s to jt sudnly love the first gay person they will also be wrong about a lot of thgs your life, and this is jt somethg they’re fuckg wrong about.

ONE INTERRACIAL GAY COUPLE TRI TO TRAVEL FEARLSLY — AND SOMETIM FDS ACCEPTANCE SURPRISG PLAC

The greater prence of gay travellers then the more normalised we bee, and the ls dangero is for the LGBTQ travellers that e after, there is far too much good ffee and the h mango on this si of the Pacific to be sampled for LGBTQ travellers to simply stay at home! Be a day explorg the Pensula to the tip of Ai, a day explorg the Welands, a day the cy and on Table Mounta, a day safari, a week drivg the Garn Route, or a few nights on safari, they’re a gay tour pany wh somethg for everyone.

Wily looked upon as a mol natn for gay rights Europe ( 2013 the Pew Rearch Center ranked Spa as the most gay-iendly untry the world, ) Spa ntu to ph the envelope for equaly and tolerance, wh laws place to protect same-sex marriage, adoptn, and transgenr rights. Add to the mix some of the world’s largt, most wildly fun Pri Ftivals and a rich cultural history that liv on the passnate, diverse untry today, and you’ve got all the makgs for an epic gay Spa getaway that will quickly have you returng for more.

Every summer, Sg hosts a rivetg Pri Ftival, wh other notable gay events cludg Europe’s largt Bear ftival and a gay-popular luxur acmodatn the heart of gay Sg, Hotel Casa Vilella offers stately rooms and sweepg Mederranean views. Photo: Florian WehMadrid is the beatg heart of gay Spa, arguably one of the world’s most gay-iendly ciStart your exploratn of gay Madrid Chue Square, easily distguishable by the plethora of billowg rabow flags that rate most tablishments.

LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023

A large variety of mouthwaterg mocktails mak this a particularly unique optn for those cled to absta for an Purple Hotel is Ibiza’s premier gay adults-only hotel, an elegant way to experience the bt of Ibiza’s gay scene whout sacrificg style the procs. Home to a burgeong gay scene full of flourishg gay bars, fashnable gay travellers and, of urse, a distguished Pri Ftival, Valencia has all the buildg blocks of a fascatg gay getaway—not to mentn s strikg futuristic archecture, vibrant Old Town, nt regnal cuise, and dazzlg goln sand Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia don’t have a distct gayborhood. 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.

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.

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. 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. 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.

GAY TOURS EUROPE

Beg wh four nights R to take s most famo sights / Fly to Iguassu Falls and stay at the renowned Belmond Das Cataratas hotel overlookg the falls for two nights, wh many adventur store / Fly to Sao Plo to enjoy three nights of revelry at one of the largt Gay Pri celebratns the world. Hoton, Uned Stat Organiz gay and lbian cise events wh LGBT onboard programmg to lotns cludg Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Mexi, Virg Islands and more, aboard luxur cise l cludg Carnival, Celebry Cis, Holland Ameri, Norwegian Cise Le, MSC and Royal Caribbean.

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?!

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. 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.

GAY TRAVEL EUROPE

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.

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.

“In 2018, India managed to annul Sectn 377, a Brish lonial-era law prohibg ‘unnatural acts, ’ orr to legalize nsensual gay sex, ” says Fergson, who pots out that ancient Indian lerature such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana have many referenc to LGBTQ+ hero cludg transgenr warrrs and two queens who ma love orr for one queen to get pregnant wh an heir for their kgdom.

14 POPULAR GAY TOUR & VATN COMPANI

Unfortunately, thgs may soon be gettg even worse for the LGBTQ+ muny, as the Ugandan ernment has recently lled to retroduce an anti-homosexualy bill, which would clu the ath penalty for same-sex acts, the midst of the recent murr of a gay Ugandan activist. However, public attus lag behd legislatn wh 84 per cent of the public tellg the World Valu Survey they didn’t thk homosexualy was jtifiable between 2017 - remag Nordic untri, already famo for their high happs rankgs, are also high-ranked for their progrsive polics. However, the Rsian ernment has already drawn ternatnal ire for s ‘Gay Propaganda law’ which, siarly to now-repealed Sectn 28 the UK, bans discsg homosexualy Pri paras are banned Rsia’s major ci and there are also reports of ‘gay-hunters’ attackg gay men the street.

All Pri week activi were banned Istanbul, the untry's largt cy, this has also been claimed that the Turkish ernment told Netflix to remove a gay character om one of their scripts or risk losg their license for filmg the untry. The followg travel guis are available at many bookstor, or you n orr them om any onle bookseller: Frommer's Gay & Lbian Europe (), an excellent travel rource to the top European ci and rorts; Spartac Internatnal Gay Gui (Bno Gmünr Verlag;) and Odysss: The Internatnal Gay Travel Planner (Odysss Enterpris, Ltd.

CHECK OUT OUR TOP 7 NEW GAY CIS & TOURS FOR 2023

The spac mentned above embody one of the secrets of LGBTQ life not-so-iendly plac — the muni are ually que bond and highly supportive of one another, makg Geia, at least safe bubbl, one of the most gay iendly plac Eastern Europe. OUTstandg Travel, created by lol queer people, tly livers on providg unfettable vatns for gay men and their travel panns, pecially for those lookg to get a te taste of the culture, cuise, and nightlife of their Mederranean bucket-list statns.

GAY SPA - OUR 6 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE LGBT SPA

From/To Reykjavik, Iceland - Reykjavik, Sila Snorkellg, Gjabakkahellir Cave, Hv�ta River Raftg, Myrdalsjökull Glacier Trek, Jökulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, Blue Lagoon, Goln Circle, Fontana Steam Baths, Reykjavik Gay PriFloat between icebergs of Jokulsarlon Lagoon • Swim between the tectonic ntental plat • Snorkel a glacier river then trek across the glacier that fed • Start Pri wh a dip the Blue Lagoon • Celebrate wh the lols.

Set on the stunng W�rthersee lake this four day gay event gets bier every year wh over 3000 people attendg last year�s events, cludg the beach club, the roller dis, Almdudler stume party and the pk lake boat cise party, are jt some of the events you n look forward to this year. Virg Voyag Rilient Lady - 2770 passengersFrom/to Athens, GreeceJo your bear buddi and iends on Virg Voyag' 3rd ship their new Adults Only Cise Le, brand new Rilient Lady as we sail om Athens to Greek Islands, wh an overnight Gay Mykonos! Spend your time baskg the Augt sun at the private pool wh up to 30 Detours gay tour iends at your 20-sue pound, then explore the famo nearby s of Siena, Florence, and Pisa before returng to your private stle each night.

Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas - 5518 passengersFrom/to Barcelona, SpaJo on Cise4Bears European Bears gay group cise as we set sail straight after the Sg Bears Week 2023 (September 1 - 10, 2023) on Royal Caribbean's packed wh activi Symphony of the Seas to Wtern Mederranean!

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

Celebry Apex - 2910 passengersFrom Amsterdam, Netherlands To Athens, GreeceJo on Wtern Mederranean gay group cise as we leave Amsterdam and sail to five untri, cludg France, Portugal, Spa, Malta and nclu your trip Greece. When you sail the Greek Islands, you'll disver the Ionian Sea is the most relaxg area of the Greek Islands, wh tall cliffs offerg sheltered sailg ndns and a warm temperature, which mak them the ial lotn your Greek Islands gay sailg holiday.

TOP LGBT-FRIENDLY PLAC FOR GAY SENR TRAVEL AND RETIREMENT

The ancient Greeks, the ancient Romans, thk of Juli Caar and Nero, etc., pl all those Renaissance artists�Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Caravagg: did ever occur to you how much Italian gay history and art there is? Vikg River Cis Vikg Ear - 190 passengersFrom Amsterdam, Netherlands To Basel, SwzerlandCome jo our timate and super-iendly group of Gay Daddi, Bears, admirers and iends for a special Christmas themed cise on the Rhe River. From Vienna, Atria To Basel, Swzerland - Vienna (Atria), Munich, Nuremberg (Germany), Strasbourg, Ribevill�, Riquewihr (France), Basel (Swzerland)Experience THE BEST OF CHRISTMAS Europe, om Mozart and the Habsburg Emprs, Sissi�s stl Vienna, gay Kg Ludwig�s herage Munich and Bavaria, the olst and most famo Christmas market Nuremberg, and the most betifully-rated fairy tale villag the Alsace mountas and the stunng Christmas Capal Strasbourg.

TRAVEL SAFETY REPORT: 20 WORST PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2021

At any given time you may fd yourself on melback ridg through the sert, readg a newspaper while you float weightlsly the Dead Sea, sprawled out unr the sun at the gay beach full of lols, explorg one of untls world-class mms, or takg the unique culture and tradns on display through the streets of this Middle Eastern regn.

From Budapt, Hungary To Berl, Germany - Budapt (Hungary), Prague (Czech Republic), Berl (Germany)We will take you on a spectacular 10-days gay group tour, crossg Europe: Budapt pal of Hungary; Prague pal of Czech Republic; Berl pal of Germany. From Prague, Czech Republic To Vienna, Atria - Prague (Czech Republic), Bratislava (Slovakia), Vienna (Atria)We will take you on a spectacular 9-days gay group tour, crossg the 3 most emblematic Central European untri: Prague pal of Czech Republic; Bratislava pal of Slovakia; Vienna Capal of Atria.

Spl, Hvar, Vis, Korcula, Lastavo, Miljet, DubrovnikThis Gay Nu Sail Exclive all-clive luxury gay cise let you disver the most betiful islands and ancient picturque villag of Croatia and of urse the World Herage ci of Dubrovnik and Spl (Trogir).

14 GAY-IENDLY CI THAT LGBT TRAVELLERS LOVE

From Pisa To Venice, Italy - Pisa, Luc, Cque Terre, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Chianti, Bologna, Venice9 day, all gay, ctomized 5* luxury sightseeg and gastronomic tour of Tny, Italy, cludg Pisa, Luc, Cque Terre, Florence, the Chianti regn, Parma and endg Venice. From/To Athens (Lavrn), GreeceOur Mykonos Greek Islands Gay Cise is a perfect optn for those lookg for a blend of on-shore cultural and historil sightseeg, astal relaxatn, on-ck sea-view unwdg and the iendly atmosphere of a small ship all-gay cise. 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.

5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)

GAY TRAVEL GUIS BY WORLD REGN

CAPALS OF CENTRAL EUROPE GAY CULTURAL TOUR TO BUDAPT, VIENNA, PRAGUE

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS EASTERN EUROPE