Photo by David Vasquez[/caption]
Just to the south of Barcelona, the Spanish coastal town of Sitges has one of Europe’s longest established gay scenes, dating back over 30 years.
During the summer season – June to October – gay nightlife in Sitges gets going from around 10PM, with most of the bars remaining open until at least 3AM, and the dance clubs not closing until sunrise.
Several hugely popular gay events are held each year including Sitges Gay Pride in June, and two annual international gay bear meetings.
Catalunya Gay Travel Resources
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Barcelona is one of the best cities in the world to be gay. With its open community, incredible nightlife, vast array of restaurants, and glorious summer weather, the city doesn’t leave you wanting much.
I visited gay Barcelona once before, and saw it through the eyes of a young first-time tourist. This time around, I was visiting for Pride, and the experience underlined just how great a city this is for any LGBTI individual. (No surprise, given same-sex marriage and LGBTI adoption have been legal since 2005.) Here are some quick tips so that you can have the best, and gayest, time in Barcelona…
Barcelona, like any big city, has a plethora of things to see and to do. It can sometimes be overwhelming trying to plan your excursions. If you find yourself in this pickle then you should definitely check out Rainbow Barcelona Tours. They offer private excursions so that you can discover all the must-see monuments and places in Barcelona at your own pace without the fear or getting lost or missing something.
From Tangier in Morocco, I took a fast ferry all the way to Tarifa in the southernmost part of Spain. It took 30 minutes and the ferry ride itself was comfortable and clean. Included in my ferry ticket is a bus ride from Tarifa to the bis station in Algeciras. From there, I took another bus ride to Sevilla / Seville that lasted two hours. Outside Seville’s bus station, there’s a tram – so it was an easy ride to my hostel, near Cathedral de Sevilla.
The very first thing I did in Sevilla was go inside La Giralda, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and the world’s 3rd largest church. Instead of competing with the crowd inside the Catedral de Sevilla, I decided to climb La Giralda first. And yes, I was the first to go up there.
Giralda Tower stands at 342 feet. Thus, the view from up there is incredibly breathtaking.
Easily the biggest gathering of bears in Europe, the annual Bears Week in Sitges drew to a close yesterday after ten days (2-11 September) of furry frolics on the Spanish coast.
Sitges Bears Week attracts over 5,000 gay guys during the course of its festivities, and – if anything – is becoming too busy for some return visitors. Hotels and guesthouses get pre-booked months in advance.
The majority of visitors are from Europe, but a US bears cruise began docking at the town last year and returned again this year, boosting the US contingent.
We all know that Ibiza, Gran Canaria and Sitges are the holy trinity of Spain’s LGBTI holiday destinations. Look at what most gay tour operators offer and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was all Spain consisted of. Bustling beaches, a club on every corner and mornings spent nursing a hangover. And then there’s Barcelona.
We’ve all been there and loved every minute. But what if you want a break from the bars a real getaway? Is there an alternative? We packed our bags and cycled across Spain to find out.
Gran Canaria is a notorious gay destination in Europe, specifically in Playa del Ingles in the South. The island has always been a beacon of tolerance whilst in the olden days, mainland Spain used to have an extremely hostile conservative attitude led by the Catholic Church. The Canary Islands were a popular place to exile people who broke social rules and thought differently.
During the harsh, repressive Franco years, Gran Canaria was too far away from the mainland to bother with, so they turned a blind eye to homosexuality there. From the 1960s, tourism really started to take off, attracting more and more foreigners and therefore even more tolerant attitudes.
Today, the island is a playground for the gay boys, particularly in the famous Yumbo Centre a shopping mall in Playa del Ingles full of mainly gay bars, clubs and boutique Clone Zone type shops. Theres so many gay hangouts in Yumbo Centre to choose from, we’ve sifted through some of our favourites in our gay guide to the best gay bars, clubs and events in Gran Canaria.
The Canary Islands are renowned for the many pride events, carnivals and orgies of colour that take place throughout the year. Some of the most colourful of all include Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas in Gran Canaria in February, offering up the sort of atmosphere that can rival Rio along with some mind blowing drag queen competitions.
We love our carnival party fun atmosphere and after the Lou Queernaval in Nice, we were keen to discover more, but Spanish style.
THE CARNIVAL OF LAS PALMAS
Drag queen fever has taken over the world, especially since THAT iconic Miley Cyrus VMA performance. The Drag Queen show at the Las Palmas Carnival in Gran Canaria includes spectacular performances from drag queens drenched in glitter, OTT lipstick, fabulous platform heels and some of the best lip syncs you’ll ever see.
When we told our friends we were going to Gran Canaria for a summer break, the reaction went along the lines of…
“You’d better return with plenty of STDs otherwise it NEVER happened!”
OR:
“Oh yeah Gran Canaria… one of my mates came back absolutely RUINED – literally: he got pissed with a few blokes he met in the sand dunes and ended up spending the entire night there!”
Gran Canaria certainly has a fierce reputation and is hugely popular with the gay boy party crowd.
And for good reason: Maspaloma Pride is one of Europe’s largest annual gay events. The beach near the sand dunes of Playa del Ingles is THE place to hang out during the day and then it’s on to the infamous Yumbo Centre in the evening – a shopping mall gay playground filled with bars, clubs and Clone Zone type shops.
However, there is a completely different side to the island, begging to be discovered. Most will base themselves in Playa del Ingles and not make it past Yumbo or the sand dunes. So here’s our 5 things you didn’t know about Gran Canaria to inspire you to venture out beyond the pink Playa Del Ingles bubble.
With its year-round temperate weather, there’s never a bad time to visit the gayest Canary Island of them all: Gran Canaria. Known around the world for its rugged landscape and the friendliness of its locals, the destination – which covers a landmass of just 1,560km squared – is most famed for its paradise-like beaches.
Here, we look at five of the best – from the gay beach on the doorstep of the island’s most buzzing town, Maspalomas, to the secluded nude beaches favoured by locals…
Playa de Montana Arena
Its name translates to ‘Sand Mountain’ because of the large mound overlooking it, offering unrivalled privacy and isolation. It draws a varied crowd and is favoured by many local LGTBIs living in the south. About half the people who go to this beach sunbathe in the nude.
