8 of Europe’s Most Gay-Friendly Cities & Destinations
In a year where it seems that prejudices are returning, right-wing governments are rolling back previous protections, and debates about people’s very existence have led the headlines, travelling as a member of the Diverse community continues to take its own additional considerations and concerns. Thankfully, there are still many gay-friendly destinations in Europe, and even in countries which might have shifted their national policies, you can still find enclaves of acceptance, tolerance and celebration.
Still, our community isn’t one huge homogeneous group with the same needs or worries, and defining a gay-friendly destination isn’t as uncomplicated as picking the place with the largest self-acceptance party. For some male lover travellers, it’s more about being able to guide a double room with their partner or contain hands without the horror of prejudice or ambush, while others might be seeking a non-stop party scene. Mr Hudson, an agency that specialises in luxury designed gay vacations, believes that gay-friendly also extends well beyond clubs and community and builds its trips around the best in culture, classy hotels, and stylish activit
In September 2024Instagram pushed me a post by Travel Gay, a website listing “the best gay bars, nightclubs, saunas, spas, beaches, shops and more, along with interesting travel ideas and fabulous offers”. There I saw the undated post (date your articles and posts, people) ‘LGBTQ+ Solo Travel: the Top Cities to Visit?‘ by Adam Reid. Being a solo gay traveller, it caught my attention.
Now, while I’m still very much a homosexual, it has been a while since I last travelled solo. My last solo trip was Tel Aviv in 2018. Since then, I’ve travelled with Danny, Oriol, Steve, Philippe, Nicolas, Thanh, my sister Florence. In 2021 I wrote ‘SINGLES DAY | Why everyone should travel alone sometimes‘ and reading it endorse I feel the cringe but I stand by its content.
It’s 2024. I should do a proper solo trip again soon(ish). I feel ready.
“LGBTQ+ Solo Travel: the Finest Cities to Visit?”
“Solo explore is an intimidating prospect to many of us but it’s one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. Solo travel is on the rise and it’s light to understand why with the unmatched feel
Our roundup of the best gay holiday destinations in Europe to inspire and help you prepare your next gaycation.
Every gay traveler, at one point, looked up at a rainbow and dreamt of seeing the world. ‘There must be somewhere improve than this drab old town?'…each of us often wondered in our respective beige suburbs growing up…
Fast forward 20 years, and we're both living our dream of seeing the world, one amazing continent at a time. Europe is hands down our favorite. We are biased, of course, as this is where we're from – Stefan is British/Greek Cypriot, and Seby is from France.
We've traveled extensively around Europe when growing up, as well as together as a gay couple. Of course, some places stood out to us more than others, so we list out what we found to be the top gay holiday destinations in Europe from our first-hand experience:
1. Sitges in Spain
For us, Sitges is the numero uno gay holiday destination in Europe. It's a small coastal town, around 45 45-minute train travel from Barcelona. For decades, it's been a famous LGBTQ mecca, full of many gay hangouts, all congregated together mainly along the Carrer de Joan Tarrida street.
The
LGBTQ travel & lgbtq+ holidays
Welcome to your go-to LGBTQ tour hub with the latest savings on holidays, flights and more as successfully as advice on where to depart and, crucially, where to avoid.
Recommended LGBTQ travel companies
We comprehend that travel companies still have a long way to go in terms of being fully LGBTQ-friendly but there are those that stand out as leaders of the pack. For example, both Hilton and Virgin Holidays hold been shortlisted in the 2019 Icon Awards.
With that in mind, we've curated a collection of travel companies that we believe to be LGBTQ conscious, whether it's through specific holidays or acceptable, open policies. Find out more about the brands below.
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Disagree with our selection? Do enable us know if you have had a negative trial in relation to LGBTQ issues with any of the travel companies we're championing.
LGBTQ & gay-friendly cruises
Cruising is enjoying a massive resurgence in popularity with more people than ever looking to these floating hotels for a remarkable break in the sun, taking in more than just one location on their voyage of choice.
Here you'll detect the latest deals on itineraries from LGB
If you had to choose just one continent for gay travel, Europe has to be the number one answer. It has so much to provide including some of the most gay friendly, gradual and welcoming cities and countries in the society. There are many marvelous gay destinations in Europe! [no_toc]
Some countries in Europe, such as Spain and Sweden, go beyond plain acceptance or tolerance.
They possess developed to a signal where the LGBTQ collective is truly integrated into society, gay couples are not labelled ‘gay couples’; they are just another couple in the road – as it should be.
There are many well-known gay travel destinations in Europe, from the queer hot spots in Spain such as Madrid, Barcelona and Sitges, to Berlin in Germany, the queer mecca of Mykonos in Greece and our UK home of Manchester.
But many lesser-known cities and countries in Europe are now following suit to welcome gay travellers into their countries which is a step in the right direction!
Why is European Same-sex attracted Travel so easy?
So why is gay travel in Europe so easy and progressive in the first place? Here are some reassuring facts for context:
Denmark was the first land in the world to allow same sex pa
