When it comes to LGBTQ+ friendly cities, there are a handful that are particularly well known for their inclusiveness, including Berlin, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro. But we wanted to shine the spotlight on some of the lesser-known cities that welcome members of the LGBTQ+ community with open arms and open minds.
Rome, Italy
Ciao amici! Rome is a wonderful hub for Italy’s LGBTQ+ scene, rivalling the chic Milan in the North. On Via di San Giovanni, the city’s unofficial gay street, you’ll find plenty of bars and clubs, like long-respected institution Coming Out. On Friday nights, the Muccassassina event takes over Qube Disco, putting on a popular gay dance party that has people queueing outside for hours. If you’re visiting in the summer make sure to check out the the Gay Village, a massive open-air festival with two dance floors, bars, live music, food trucks, outdoor cinema, and exhibitions.
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Skiathos, Greece
Skiathos is a very LGBTQ+ friendly Greek island where you’ll find a different ambiance to its more pricey, hedonistic cousin, Mykonos. Offering a more relaxed, low-key experience, you’ll find a more subtle LGBTQ+ identity here. The island is very friendly, open minded, and cosmopolitan, being the host of the first International Gay Culture Festival. Skiathos’ relaxed pace makes for a vacation where you’ll simply enjoy the crystal clear waters and sugar-fine sand, with less crazy partying that you may find on other Greek islands. It also has its own international airport, making it real easy to get to.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland, stands out as an exceptionally LGBTQ+ friendly destination. The whole country offers full legal equality and robust representation for LGBTQ+ individuals in parliament and the media. So much so, that Iceland was the first country in the world to elect an openly gay head of state. In Icelandic society, members of the LGBTQ+ community enjoy the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, including the right to marry. Because of this culture, you could consider pretty much every hotel and hostel as being gay-friendly, so there’s no need for a distinct “queer district”. With its progressive policies, welcoming atmosphere, and stunning natural beauty, Reykjavik stands as a shining example of an LGBTQ+ friendly city to visit.
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Prague, Czech Republic
While the Czech Republic has some way to go in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, it is considered one of the most progressive countries of the former Eastern Bloc. Prague celebrated their first Pride in 2011, and the LGBTQ+ scene is slowly growing – giving it an exciting energy and a buzz that’ll make your visit that much more fun. With plenty of bars, including popular Club Termix, Saints Bar, and Friends Club, you’ll have a lot of options to meet new people and take part in the scene. We recommend avoiding Prague’s most touristy areas and instead staying in the city’s newest ‘gayborhood’ of Žižkov.
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Sitges, Spain
Bohemian, unspoiled, and adored by painters, artists and writers of recent times, Sitges is a European gem you’ll definitely don’t want to miss. In February, you’ll find the Sitges Carnival, a rowdy festival that takes over the streets with drag shows, parades, and local food and drink. This is a great destination to celebrate Pride, where the idyllic beachfront turns into a gay village for five days of parties, parades, events and more.
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Tel Aviv, Israel
Come visit the most LGBTQ+ friendly city in the Middle East, which serves as a refuge for those in the surrounding regions. Israel’s ‘City that Never Sleeps’ has a vibrant, buzzing scene to match Rio De Janeiro, with a whopping 25% of the population identifying as gay. It has great nightlife, world-famous cuisine and amazing sunset-facing beaches, with Hilton Beach earning itself the reputation as the unofficial gay beach of the city.
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Malta
While not a city per say, we couldn’t avoid this amazingly progressive Mediterranean island. While it doesn’t have a particularly famous queer party scene, Malta deserves a mention because it has topped ILGA Europe’s ranking of countries by safety for LGBTQ+ people for the seventh year running. Malta has dominated these rankings so many times most notably because of legal same-sex marriage and gender-neutral passports. The Maltese’s tolerant attitude comes from their generally laid-back and welcoming culture, and you’ll definitely feel this when you come to stay on this idyllic island.
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Taipei, Taiwan
Dubbed the ‘San Francisco of the East’, Taipei is one of the most liberal and gay-friendly cities in Asia. While it doesn’t have as many tourists as neighboring countries, its liberal reputation has earned Taiwan the largest number of LGBT travelers compared to other Asian countries. People flock from all over to experience gay nightlife and delicious food in an Asian setting, and especially to see the famous pride parade. When visiting, make sure to head to the Ximen and Zhongshan districts to find the best LGBTQ+ friendly places in the city.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is one of our favorite lowkey LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in the world. Though Japan’s conservative culture doesn’t encourage PDA, there’s no discrimination as to who it comes from. In fact, there’s no particular history of hostility to LGBTQ+ individuals, but being gay isn’t something that a lot of people would openly talk about. Just chalk it up to the typical reserved nature of the Japanese. However, like many things in Japan, LGBTQ+ culture found its voice in manga, which has become so popular over the years as to somewhat dominate Japanese culture. And in the metropolis of Tokyo, Japan’s LGBTQ+ scene has found a steady home – so much so that the city boasts more gay bars than London – mostly found in the district of Shinjuku-nichōme. Here you’ll find countless boutiques, bars, and a vibrant energy that is hard to match anywhere else in the world.
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Lisbon, Portugal
As well as being a beautiful cultural hub of artists and thriving businesses, Lisbon is a fantastic LGBTQ+ friendly city. You have fun nightlife in Bairro Alto as well as several gay-friendly pubs and discos. Portugal in general is very open-minded and safe, where people are free to be themselves. Venture a little further out of the city to ‘Costa da Caparica’, a stunning coastline with a well-known gay beach – Beach 19. Here you’ll find a great place to make new friends and feel a vibrant social scene, all under the radiance of the Portuguese sun.
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