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

Contents:

• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
• 8 BT GAY WTER TRAVEL DTATNS
• 40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
• 7 GAY FRIENDLY WTER SUN DTATNS YOU CAN’T MISS

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

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.

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. The term – a phemism that dat back to the 1950s – was once ed to dite gay social events on daily cise le programs, whout explicly llg out members of the muny on board.

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.

UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU

Cisers should also thk about whether they'd like to travel aboard a gay-iendly mastream le, such as Celebry Cis or Virg Voyag, or opt for an all-gay, full-ship charter wh a third-party vatn pany. Of VACAYA's all-gay charters, he says, "For one magil week, our muny gets to be the majory and live life out loud the blissful utopia VACAYA creat on a gay cise.

8 BT GAY WTER TRAVEL DTATNS

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. "As an LGBTQ ciser, you're lookg for a ship wh lots of entertament, cludg dance parti and events, " says Mars Martez, founr of Men Who Bnch, a Black gay liftyle blog.

40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS

Celebry Cis(Courty of Celebry Cis)Celebry Cis sets the scene for an excellent vatn for gay travelers, om s extravagant annual Pri parti to s daily LGBTQ programmg throughout the year. 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.

]The Cise Wh La Demence(Courty of The Cise wh La Demence)Acrdg to past cisers, if you're lookg for one of the bt party scen on the open seas, nsir an all-gay cise wh La Demence. 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.

7 GAY FRIENDLY WTER SUN DTATNS YOU CAN’T MISS

Cnchg survey data om 174 untri, the UCLA School of Law thk tank's rearchers sred untri based on public beliefs and polici regardg lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people. We sat down and dreamed up a list of queer experienc every LGBTQIA person should have their lifetime cludg a few novel on that might not be on your gaydar yet, but are sure to tickle you, um pk. As the queer muny assiat, gayborhoods are beg srce, but the Castro district San Francis is still a rabow-lored bean and s bt feature is s movie palace of the same name which opened 1922 and whose sign is a cy in.

Ibiza, Sg and Gran Canaria attract queer sun seekers by the thoands, but none que touch the eternal fascatn wh the island of Mykonos thanks part to the Ancient Greeks and their societal acceptance of homosexualy. This sun-drenched sert metropolis belongs to many cludg Hollywood A-listers, mid-century sign fanatics and gay male sun seekers, but for one week annually the cy turns Sapphic as party promoters Club Skirts turn the town to a nonstop party and mic ft that is bar none the largt gatherg of lbians the Uned Stat and has attracted the lik of Lea DeLaria and Lady Gaga among others. This sunny cy by the sea is hardly Brazil’s biggt (that distctn belongs to São Plo), but LGBT Carns dance to the beat of their own Samba-fed rhythm day and night pecially at Farme Amoedo, an vg stretch of gay beach Ipanema.

One of the most eloquent and provotive queer wrers of all time, Amerin novelist turned expat Jam Baldw left que a footprt on gay Paree and visors to the Cy of Lights who trace his steps n take numero legendary hnts cludg fé L Dx Magots, Café Tournon, Le Select, Brasserie Lipp, Le Montana, and Café Flore among others. Gay Days started as a one-day event which several thoand LGBT Floridians showed up at the beloved Orlando theme park wearg red shirts as a mark of visibily. More than twenty-five years later (and still not sanctned by Disney) draws together an timated 150, 000 people for a week-long gatherg that clus pool parti, A Taste of Gay Days, and Miss Gay Days Pageant and is beloved by both a party crowd and same-sex fai.

The Dutch pal is servg of s reputatn as a breezy and tolerant mec for people of all kds as evinced by s tolerance for sexual pleasure and dg e, but between cisg the nals and the bars, save a moment for reflectn at the Homomonument, a nal si tr of triangl that memorat people who have been persecuted due to beg LGBTQIA. Who would’ve imaged a sun-drenched nal town bt known for lnchg the gdy, libido tradn known as sprg break would revent self as a high-end statn for gays and lbians?

Boastg a dozen LGBTQIA-exclive rorts (most clothg optnal), laid-back Fort Lrdale remas the qutsential weekend gaytn mandg only swimmg, sunng, boozg and relaxg.