40 Bt Gay Dtatns Worldwi, Acrdg to Travelers

Contents:

• THE BT CARIBBEAN DTATNS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS
• 40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS
• BT LBGTQ+ FRIENDLY CARIBBEAN ISLAND DTATNS FOR GAY TRAVELERS
• UNR THE ‘GAYDAR’: 10 BT GAYTN DTATNS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
• THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020
• I'M A GAY TRAVEL WRER AND THK THE ARE THE 5 SAFT, MOST QUEER-IENDLY CARIBBEAN TRAVEL STATNS
• BT GAY BEACH DTATNS
• DISVER THE BT 10 STATNS TO ENJOY GAY THAILAND

THE BT CARIBBEAN DTATNS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS

But rather than plan vatns to one of the dozen Caribbean islands where homosexualy is crimalized (surprisg, but te), most travelers simply prefer to vatn where they’ll feel fortable. LGBT travelers n take their pick of gay-centric beach to swim, sunbathe, and snorkel, pecially Happy Bay Beach and the clothg-optnal Orient Bay Beach (both on the French si), and Cupey Beach (Dutch si) where nu sunbathg is mon. 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.

40 BT GAY DTATNS WORLDWI, ACRDG TO TRAVELERS

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. It’s gag a reputatn as a gay party town wh Las Vegas-style drag shows, techno nightclubs, and beachsi pal of Jalis, Guadalajara, is often lled the “Gay Capal of Mexi” due to s embrace of the queer muny.

Also worth a vis is the Royal Botanil Garns, the gay Oxford Street LGBTQ+ district, and the Sea Life Aquarium to observe Sphen and Magic (aka Sphengic), the world-famo gay pengu uple. Walk the cliffs outsi Bondi Beach and Manley, where at least 80 gay men were killed the latter portn of the last Queensland the Great Barrier Reef may be the most famo tourist statn, but the state is also home to Datree Rart. The Gay Village’s Rue Sate-Cathere, be a walkg promena durg most summer months and the queers have bted out of the neighborhood, spillg to the surroundg historic district wh addnal LGBTQ-owned shops, spas, and the banks of the Great Lak, Toronto is said to hold the tle for the most diverse metropolis the world, where 230 natnali are reprented and the rints speak over 140 languag.

Calgary is also known for s wboys, and the cy hosts the world’s largt gay roo associatn, so visors may be surprised at s metropolan neighborhoods and shocked ’s home to the biggt queer Canadian nightclub wt of Montreal, Twisted Element.

BT LBGTQ+ FRIENDLY CARIBBEAN ISLAND DTATNS FOR GAY TRAVELERS

The largt Pri celebratn wtern Canada is held Vanuver every Your Se ArticlLGBTQ+ Travel Safety Inx: 150 Countri Ranked Worst to Bt ›The 10 Bt LGBTQ-Inclive Plac to Vis In 2022 ›Europe's 10 Most Romantic Capals Ranked ›What to Do In Alberta, Canada ›Joey Amato’s Gay Gui to South Ai ›. Today we will discs such LBGTQ+ iendly Caribbean Islands for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer Jamai and the Eastern Caribbean Islands, sexual activy between nsentg adults of the same genr is prohibed and the laws for each untry rry a prison sentence of 10-15 years however, there has not been any recent evince of this law beg enforced.

It is a small step the journey to rpectg the human rights of LGBTQ+ should be aware that the Caribbean is not necsarily more or ls homophobic than any other regn the world if you are seekg gay-iendly travel optns there. For a wild time off the beaten path, Piñata PV Gay Hotel offers stic charm and clothg optnal pool Cy ns a close send, particularly for the electric gay nightlife loted at the heart of the cy Zona Rosa, the area’s official gayborhood (which also has some of the bt shoppg). See the famed Oxford Street gay district wh a private tour om The Fabulo Wonr Mama (@thefabulowonrmama), a wealth of knowledge and humor who also posss some of the biggt peaks this si of the Grand Beach is perfect for workg on your tan or takg a surfg lson.

Queer visors should head to Ibiza Town’s gay neighborhood, Calle la Virgen, wh s terraced rtrants and gay bars ial for fun tim, people watchg, and cisg for you’d rather not party like Paris Hilton but prefer to relax luxury and relative solu, leave behd Ibiza Town and head north to the Six Sens Rort. ’Outsirs may thk of the old Conferate pal as a cy stuck s ways, but ltle do they know that Richmond, Virgia is anythg “g out” 2014, Richmond has emerged as the gay pal of the South. The Milwkee Gay Arts Center offers one-of-a-kd LGBTQ productns, and Walker’s Pot is settg self up to be the next big most renowned “gay statns, ” Santa Fe, New Mexi don’t have a go-to district like L.

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

S., but ’s also home to North Carola’s annual Pri Ftival and the state’s Gay & Lbian Film if that’s not enough for North Carola, head wt to Asheville and fd an LGBTQ bohemian paradise smacked the Smoki. Lolly known as the San Francis of the regn, the gay cultural landspe is vibrant, and the drag scene is easily among the bt the natn–jt watch “Kgs, Queens, and In-Betweens” cy is also a risg fashn mec, hog the third most fashn signers the untry, along wh retail giants like L Brands, Exprs, Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fch.

” It mt be somethg the over 140 gay-owned bs, rangg om B&Bs to bars to art galleri to cuty ice cream shops, the small neighborg towns of Sgatuck and Douglas are home to the largt gay rort the Midwt–and thanks to lol protectn of genr inty and sexual orientatn, you’ll be hard-prsed to fd anti-LGBTQ attus here. The cy created the first gay and lbian muny center the untry, and ’s Albany that was home to one of the earlit transgenr groups datg back to the cy may not have the crazy, never-endg nightlife of NYC, and may not have the sheer numbers of NYC, but, for general “Queer Life, ” Albany ranks seventh the untry–not to shabby for a cy overshadowed by the Big LGBT muny and the Mormon church hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye.

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.

THE WORLD'S MOST GAY-FRIENDLY BEACH CI AND RORTS

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. 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.

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

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).

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.

THE WORLD’S 30 BT GAY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL DTATNS 2020

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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.

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.

BT GAY BEACH DTATNS

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. Though Amsterdam is not as large of a cy as some of s European neighbors, those hopg to experience all of the gay iendls has to offer won’t be disappoted bookg a hotel neighborhoods like Kerkstraat, Amstel, or Reguliersdwarsstraat. When you’re not loungg on the whe-sand beach or olg off the crystal clear turquoise waters for which Aba is so famo, be sure to grab a drk or two at Jimmy’s Place, one of Oranjtad’s most famo gay bars.

Ined, the Curao Tourist Board has published on s webse: “Wh exceptnal gay iendly hotels and attractns, [Curao] enurag gay and lbian travelers to vis the island and experience s ‘live and let live’ atmosphere for themselv. Travelers terted seeg some breathtakg natural scenery will have their pick of erary optns, and wh nearly 100 gay-owned home stays throughout the North and South islands, their pick of plac to stay, too. Barth, wily celebrated, and you will fd lots of queer lols and ex-pats alike overtly tegrated to society — this is a place where queerns don't have to to go: The island draws LGBTQIA+ travelers for s bety, sophistitn, and party atmosphere — even if lacks a dited gay bar.

The night I was there, for stance, my iend and I danced on stage to ABBA and other pop Beach is arguably one of the island's most betiful, and while 's not exclively queer, acts as a facto gay beach and tends to draw a more lorful crowd as well as to stay: Thanks to the island's clivy, you'll fd LGBTQIA+ folks stayg at virtually every hotel, but I ually book Le Toy for s massive rooms that e wh their own private pool. ) banana bread is a mt alongsi lectable seafood dish; Hidn Treasure, a romantic rtrant for date night; The French Touch, which is n by a French ex-pat and serv tasty classics; or The Tck Stop, an outdoor eatery wh live to stay: The rooms and villas at Alaia Belize, Autograph Collectn will likely speak to gay men like myself who are spired by sign. The Rumors Ftival, a circu party, and events, also happens njunctn wh, Playa Hollywood acts as the cy's gay beach, where queer rints and visors go for fun and are also a few gay waterg hol and clubs wh LGBTQIA+ parti Cartagena; my experience, they are fun but do not offer what travelers om bigger ci might expect om queer culture.

DISVER THE BT 10 STATNS TO ENJOY GAY THAILAND

For other timate gay-iendly acmodatns Cartagena, nsir the gay-operated Hotel Casa Lola or the charmg Hotel tips: Plan a picturque day trip to the Rosar Islands, which are roughly a one-hour boat ri om Cartagena, wh plenty of mare life for snorkelg or scuba divg. However, there is a multu of reasons why I return aga and aga, namely, the plac listed to go: Almost a right of passage, any queer visor to Puerto Ri should make a trip to Condado Beach, wh s gay stretch of sand filled wh Speedo-clad hunks that ngregate here. Where to stay: The majory of hotels are gay-iendly and the island has seen a surge of new opengs the past two years, cludg Curaçao Marrtt Beach Rort, Dreams Curaçao Rort, Spa & Caso, and soon, upl will enjoy the first Sandals on the island — Sandals Royal Curaçao.

My suggtn is the gay-iendly Bar Hotel, which has reasonable rat on stud, sue, and apartment-style Luxury Rort is another queer-iendly favore and has an island-chic, welg atmosphere, and villa-style rooms, many of which nta private plunge tips: In the ma port town of Willemstad, Pietermaai is a trendy neighborhood that attracts queer visors and is siar to Miami's Wynwood, filled wh murals and trendy plac to eat and have a night out. 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.