Taking pride, all year round
From California clubs to a remote Icelandic fishing village, here’s where to find the best of the modern LGBTQ+ scene
When LGBTQ+ folk explore travel destinations, we always ask ourselves if we will be welcome there. Wherever we venture—in search of parties, culture, or a super-cute place to explore—we want to feel comfortable to be ourselves.
It’s why, besides the great clubbing, art galleries and restaurants, we’ve traditionally been drawn to world cities like Amsterdam and London, places with historically strong, visible queer communities. We go to discover, but also to find ourselves; to hold hands with someone, safe in the knowledge we’re on the city’s gayest street, or feel a sense of belonging when we celebrate Pride with our community.
Pride season offers us a chance to feel seen and supported. So it’s been heartening to see, in recent years, the emergence of Pride parades in less traditional gay spaces worldwide. Some are big, some intimate affairs, but all signal to LGBTQ+ locals and travelers alike: You’re welcome here, today and every day.
In some cases, dramatic legislative change has helped forge this path. In Malta, for example, a decade of legal reform has put the island on the map for LGBTQ+ rights. But changes on the statute books alone don’t create a welcoming a space—for that, you need friendly people. As you’ll see from the seven great destinations for LGBTQ+ travelers we’ve selected below, there are plenty of those good folk out there in some truly exciting places. And if you need additional help, our LGBTQ+ welcoming filter on the Expedia app can help steer you in the right direction of your greatest, safest gay adventure yet.
London, England
The pace of change in the British capital is best exemplified by the queer party scene, where club nights offer an ever-evolving mix of hedonism and progressive politics. But start your trip with a visit to the UK’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ museum, Queer Britain. From here, hotfoot it to Gay’s the Word, an iconic bookstore and queer living history. Next, experience London’s gay heartland in Soho, where Old Compton Street is the place for coffee and people-watching. Close by, stop traffic on Trafalgar Square at London Pride’s traffic lights. From there, go east for dinner at the reliably stylish Bistrotheque before drinks at hip watering holes The Divine and Dalston Superstore.
Seydisfjördur, Iceland
This tranquil town in eastern Iceland might appear an unlikely LGBTQ+ destination, but all that changed in 2014 when Snorri Emilsson, with the help of six friends and a sound system, put on a local Pride parade. The event has grown to over 200 participants and since 2016, residents have been painting the town gay on Rainbowstreet’s Pride path. Year-round, it’s worth beating a path to Seydisfjördur for its colorful timber houses, beautiful setting between mountains and a fjord, hiking trails and thriving arts scene. It’s home to an art school, theatre and cinema, as well as Art in the Light and the Flat Earth Film Festival, and is now firmly on the LGBTQ+ map.
Valletta, Malta
Malta has come a long way in the last decade, passing some of the most progressive LGBTQ+ laws in the world, and turning the island into an attractive destination for the community. The baroque capital, Valletta, which hosted 2023’s EuroPride in September, has year-round appeal with its romantic Mediterranean setting and awe-inspiring UNESCO World Heritage buildings, including St John’s Co-Cathedral, where the only signed Caravaggio painting hangs. While you’re there, enjoy the friendly vibes at Two Buoys or take in the breathtaking views over dinner at Barracuda, and you can enjoy a waterfront drink at much loved lesbian-owned bar Maori.
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Los Angeles, CA
LA is a great destination for bigger groups. Start your engines on the rainbow-colored crosswalks of West Hollywood, the heart of the city’s Pride festivities in July, and the spot where RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni perform at Micky’s and Hamburger Mary’s. Daytime, check out the galleries, fashion stores and cafés of WeHo’s design district.
Next, a pitstop in Downtown, the neighborhood giving LA fresh cultural clout with unmissable art shows at The Broad and MOCA. The district is also the place for great nightlife and boutiques like Dover Street Market. Then head east to Silver Lake for LA’s vibiest queer scene: Hang out in hip dive bars like Akbar, spot filming locations of The L Word reboot, and uncover hidden LGBTQ+ history at the Mattachine Steps.
Provincetown, MA
Provincetown is a real-life end-of-the-rainbow place—for close to a century LGBTQ+ travelers have been enjoying this idyllic fishing town on the tip of Cape Cod. Summer is busy, especially between Pride in June and Carnival in August when year-round dance club The Atlantic House and the legendary Tea Dance at the Boatslip Beach Club can be heaving. But the quieter seasons are magical too. In May, Provincetown hosts the lesbian-only Single Women’s Weekend; while fall’s TransWeek (previously known as Fantasia Fair) is the world’s longest-running transgender event. And if you just love Christmas, they’ve got you covered: Holly Folly in December sees the town light up like a Hallmark movie, albeit one with Santas in bathing suits.
Madrid, Spain
Flying solo? Madrid is a great option for the single traveler. Chueca is the largest gayborhood in Spain and host of Europe’s biggest Pride, making it the ideal place to make friends. Check the cafés around Plaza de Pedro Zerolo and Plaza del Rey, then join the communal fun at the ultra-kitsch Loco Bongo party or at drag institution, LL Bar. Madrid nightlife starts late, so take an early stroll around adjacent bohemian Malasaña, or La Latina, nicknamed Little Chueca. Head to Paseo del Arte for three of the world’s finest museums. Reina Sofía Museum houses work by seminal queer artists, while the Thyssen-Bornemisza and Prado museums offer LGBTQ+ guides.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
When it comes to being a gay-friendly destination, Amsterdam has the receipts. In 2001, the Dutch capital hosted the world’s first same-sex weddings, and set another precedent with Homomonument, the world’s first gay memorial, which commemorates queer people persecuted during WWII. Staff at the on-site information center Pink Point can direct you to the city’s four main areas. Amstel is home to traditional gay pubs, while Kerkstraat is the most picturesque. In Zeedjik, put another dime in the jukebox at Café ’t Mandje. On Reguliersdwarsstraat, Amsterdam’s premier gay street, take in a drag show at Bar Blend, enjoy après-ski-styled drinking at Exit Café, and raise a glass to newly opened B’Femme, the street’s first lesbian bar.
Colin Crummy is a writer and editor who has contributed to GQ, Mr Porter, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar.
