Europe

Gay Rome – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Rome - The Globetrotter Guys

Rome is iconic, bustling, shrouded in history with grand monuments, has incredible food and interestingly, has a long standing history when it comes to homosexuality… It’s quite apt that our first visit to Rome was during Rome Gay Pride!

As a gay traveller coming to Rome, it has a fair amount to offer, perhaps not as much as other large cities, but it is sure to keep you entertained nevertheless. We spent a week in ‘gay Rome’ investigating the gay bars, upcoming events, the best things to do, top travel tips, where to eat and everything in-between to put together our Travel Guide to Gay Rome. We hope you enjoy.

Let’s get started…

Is Rome Gay Friendly?

Italy as a whole is considered to be gay friendly with an increasingly liberal attitude from the public. Of course, there are differences throughout the country and typically you will find that the more touristy an area, the more accepting they are.

It is fair to say that as a touristic and bustling city, we found Rome to be very gay friendly indeed. We encountered no problems whatsoever and during our visit experienced Rome gay pride which was well received and widely celebrated!

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globetrotter Guys

Rome Gay Travel Resources

Prague Castle – Keep Calm and Wander

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Prague Castle - Keep Calm and Wander

Prague Castle, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the largest castle coherent complex. With 18 acres of land area, this castle is, surely, one for the world record!

Within the area, you will find architectural gems from different times, and of various styles. If you are an architecture fan, this is simply your paradise. You will find Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, and more.

Prazsky Hrad (as the locals call it) sits on top of a hill. It’s a long climb up there on concrete steps. But Prague’s sweeping skyline view is magnificent from here.

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By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

The Prague Powder Tower – Keep Calm and Wander

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The Prague Powder Tower - Keep Calm and Wander

This iconic Prague Powder Tower has an interesting history. Before it got its present-day name, this tower served as the entrance gate of the Bohemian monarchy on their way to St. Vitus Cathedral on the hill. In other words, the Royal procession started here.

If you look up and down the facade of the tower, you will find that it has a striking resemblance to the tower at Charles Bridge. That’s because this Powder Gate took its inspiration from it.

The Powder Tower was built in the late 15th century when Gothic architecture became less popular.

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Prague’s Dancing House – Keep Calm and Wander

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Prague's Dancing House - Keep Calm and Wander

This Dancing House in Prague is in every tourist guidebook of the city. However, I really have mixed feelings about listing it as a tourist attraction. Alright, it’s different, eh? It’s not the usual building you can find in Prague, but, ok, it’s….unique? 

Now, let’s take a closer look at this piece of architecture.

The glass tower is certainly the woman in the dancing duo, right? And she’s obviously wearing a skirt! Isn’t she curvy? The stone tower on the right is, of course, the man. I wonder why the man only has a leg and the woman has six legs?

By Alain – Full Story at Keep Calm and Wander

Lesbian Ljubljana – Our Taste for Life

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Lesbian Ljubljana - Our Taste for Life

Slovenia is a magical country in Eastern Europe. And while it may be smaller than most cities, it certainly doesn’t lack in adventure or beauty. We knew very little about the country before our recent visit. In particular, Gay Slovenia and what it would be like to travel there as a lesbian couple. We imagined this part of Europe to be quite conservative. But as it turns out, Slovenia has an accepting and progressive culture. Gay Ljubljana especially has an almost thriving LGBT+ scene, and the country as a whole has a lot to offer gay travellers.

We travelled via coach from Budapest to Ljubljana, so were fortunate enough to take the scenic route into the capital. Towering snow-capped mountains hugging rolling green hills dominated the landscapes. Only to be occasionally interrupted by quaint villages resembling something out of a fairy tale. Slovenia was flaunting herself at us, and it worked. We were head over heels in love before we’d even left the coach.

Lesbian Llubljana

Our love affair with Slovenia continued into Ljubljana and beyond. The capital is enchanting, bursting with beautiful architecture, art, culture, and charm. While the rest of the country boasts some of the most captivating nature we’ve ever laid our eyes on. When we also consider Slovenia’s gay-friendly attitude, it’s a place we will return to time and time again.

In this travel guide, we cover what Gay Slovenia and Gay Ljubljana have to offer LGBT+ travellers. We will list the best Ljubljana gay bars, cafes and nightclubs; gay-friendly hotels and hostels; LGBT+ events; as well as all the top things to do. We will also touch on LGBT+ rights in Slovenia, so you are fully prepared.

The road to equal LGBT+ rights in Slovenia has been, and still is to an extent, a turbulent one. While same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1976, same-sex couples were neglected the same marital rights as straight couples until 2017. Before that, the government recognised ‘registered partnerships’; however, this included little inheritance, social security or next-of-kin rights.

By Charlotte & Natalie – Full Story at Our Taste for Life

Llubljana Lesbian Travel Resources

Gay Tbilisi – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Tbilisi - The Nomadic Boys

That Soviet hangover, so prevalent amongst gay bars and clubs across East Europe and Russia: your entry based solely on a bouncer’s snap decision as to whether you’re cool or hip enough to enter inside.

Yet in Tbilisi, it’s also a way the club bouncers and promoters monitor who comes inside in order to prevent any violent homophobic clashes happening.

Face control aside, we completely fell in love with Tbilisi, as do most travellers who visit, both gay and straight. This is a city with a crumbling, yet super picturesque old town – Instagram opportunities abound on every other street corner. There is an evolving queer scene with a super active LGBTQ community, growing massively in confidence by the minute! Tbilisi’s also super cheap, making it a popular base with many expats, digital nomads and property developers looking for the next big “up and coming” investment base in East Europe.

We came to gay Tbilisi to celebrate my birthday and quickly fell in love. This is a city you will want to return to, and for good reason. We know we will! 

We’ve put together our gay guide to Tbilisi based on our first-hand experience and embellished with other nuggets of information passed on to us by gay locals we met along the way.

Is Tbilisi gay friendly?

Compared to Barcelona, Berlin and Amsterdam, not really, no! But compared to the rest of Georgia and most other places in East Europe, we say a big ‘hell yeah!’ It’s all a matter of perspective of course. As a country, Georgia is renowned for being quite homophobic, largely because of the strong influence of the extremely conservative (and backwards!) Orthodox Church.

However, as a gay couple in Tbilisi, we were surprised by how more liberal and progressive the city is in comparison to the rest of the country. There is not only a growing queer scene here (including the largest gay club in the Caucasus), an annual Pride event, but thanks to the rise in tourism, more and more hotels are embracing LGBTQ travellers.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Torremolinos – The Globetrotter Guys

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Gay Torremolinos - The Globetrotter Guys

Torremolinos is the gay hotspot of the Costa Del Sol. We knew plenty about other popular gay places in Spain like Madrid and Barcelona, but were very surprised to find out that Torremolinos also has a huge gay scene to rival these cities.

Torremolinos is on the South coast of Spain and is part of the Costa Del Sol – literally the ‘Sun Coast’. It’s been an incredibly popular tourist destination for years given that it is only ten minutes from Malaga airport, has hot weather for the majority of the year and beaches stretching all the way along the coast.

When it comes to gay Torremolinos, it has a very long and interesting gay history. Torremolinos was considered to be the liberal, hedonistic escape in Spain during the Franco era and it was here that Spain’s first ever gay bar opened back in 1962.

With this in mind, it starts to make sense why Torremolinos has eventually become a thriving destination for gay travellers with a lot to offer in terms of it’s gay scene.

Perhaps we were late to the party, but this was news to us!

We spent three weeks in Torremolinos and here is everything you need to know, read on for our Torremolinos gay guide.

Gay Torremolinos

The main gay area of Torremolinos is very easy to find and is known as the La Nogalera area.

The gay area is just off Plaza de la Nogalera and forms a huge square of densely packed bars and clubs.

By Sion & Ben – Full Story at the Globtrotter Guys

Andalusia Gay Travel Resources

Gay Moldova – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Moldova - The Nomadic Boys

Moldova is all about wines. Lots of delicious, fine wines that you’ve probably never heard of. What used to be a small slice of the Soviet Union is now one of the most underrated parts of Europe begging to be discovered.

So big is the wine scene of Moldova that the country famously has the largest underground wine cellar in the world. The Milestii Maci cellars are as notorious as they are humongous, holding a record 1.5 million bottles of wine.

There are lots of fun things to see and do in this undiscovered part of Eastern Europe, but as is the case with most places in the region, LGBTQ rights have a lot of catching up to do. We summarise our experience travelling around Moldova in this detailed gay country guide.

LGBTQ rights in Moldova

Moldova, sadly, is strongly influenced by the very conservative Eastern Orthodox Church, which frowns on LGBTQ rights. Anti-discrimination laws for hate crime and gender identity are yet to be passed and the country implemented a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 1994, which is still in place.

On the plus side, being gay in Moldova is legal (since 1995) and anti-discrimination laws exist in employment and in the media. In addition, gays are (theoretically) allowed to serve openly in the army and the right to change legal gender was introduced (but only following a psychiatric diagnosis). 

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Gay Reykjavik – Carlos Melia

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Iceland. It is like living in Jurassic World. One Glacier after the other, Volcanos, Geysers, hundreds of breathtaking Waterfalls, Lava Fields…. Still debating why Iceland is green and Greenland is covered on Ice, but from what I gather after my week research, this originated in a group of Vikings, trying to keep other to come to Iceland to enjoy the spectacular landscapes and taking over the lands.

During my week in Iceland, I took Reykjaivik as my base and from there I took day tour to different locations, to be: Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon + Golden Circle + Snaefellsnes Peninsula & National Park and beyond. I also spent one night at the Blue Lagoon – where I stayed at the newly opened The Retreat Hotel & Spa.

While in Reykjavik I spent my nights at the following hotels. EXETER Hotel + APOTEK Hotel + BORG Hotel all three by KEA Hotels Group. Now the highlight of my stays in the main capital, was the very exclusive Tower Suites Hotel, feature only 8-Suites and the the only one offering panoramic views over Reykjavik’s Peninsula and City.

Full Story at Carolis Melia

Reykjavik Gay Travel Resources

Gay Malta – The Nomadic Boys

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Gay Malta - The Nomadic Boys

“You want to go to a gay bar in Malta? Pick any one you come across and you’ll be just fine!”
So said our Maltese gay friends when we asked them about the gay scene. But we get their point. When it comes to gay friendliness, Malta is killing it! This tiny island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea is frequently named as one of the most gay friendly countries in the world and we can totally see why!

What used to be one of the most religious places in Europe (for example, up until 2013, divorce was illegal in Malta!) the country did a 180-degree turn to pass some of the most LGBTQ progressive laws in the world, quickly becoming THE gay haven in the Mediterranean region.

We visited Malta as part of a trip with Teletext Holidays to discover the gay scene and what makes it so appealing to LGBTQ travellers. We left with a strong thirst to return and see more. The people are open-minded, super friendly (Maltese guys – heLLO!), the queer community is very visible and even though it’s such a small nation of just 400,000 people, it still has a vibrant gay scene to check out.

We’ve put together all our findings in this gay guide to Malta as we explored the country from Valletta to Mdina, Gozo to Camino and Dingli to Xlendi.

Gay Rights in Malta

They are extremely progressive!

…or to quote the United Nation’s Equality and Non-Discrimination team:

“Malta has become the gold standard of LGBTQI reforms – a beacon of human rights for LGBTIQ issues!”

This says a lot for a country where up until 2013, divorce was illegal. This gives you an idea of just how Catholic and religious Malta used to be. It all began in 2013 when the progressive centre-left Labour Party came to power and prioritised gay-friendly policies led by the proactive Minister for Equality, Helena Dalli. They began by passing a full range of anti-discrimination laws, recognised civil unions and also passed adoption laws within their first year in power.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys

Malta Gay Travel Resources