Gay and Lesbian Travel: 2008
How's Europe treating gay and lesbian travelers? Here's a chance for gay and lesbian travelers to share practical lessons learned, and best and worst scenes.
- Please don't post questions here. Use our Travelers Helpline.
G & L Travel in Italy Great Fun
Rome & Italy. Katherine S & Sarah N from www.romanjourneys.com give great budget rates and Awsome tours and they are so much fun!
Deedra Smith
Los Angeles, LA USA Sun 11/09/2008
A welcomed feeling
My partner and I have traveled in western Europe for over 10 yrs on a yearly basis. We have never felt unsafe in any city or country. All B&Bs and hotels have been great. Travel is a means to learn from other cultures and for them to learn from you.
Kirby Nichols
College Station, TX USA Mon 10/27/2008
Italy
Thanks Boys we are checkin in with Arti & Hotel in Florence due to your guidance . Thanks so much. If you have any hints for Venice we're watching!!
Anita Cocktail
Perth, WA Australia Mon 08/25/2008
Loved Hungary
Just got back from 10 days biking tour along the Danube from Vienna to Budapest with 13 other Gay men, have to say Rick's advice to pack light really paid off - one member had his luggage/gear misplaced by the airlines - disaster for him.
Taking Rick's advice on going local added an entirely different experience than what I expected and I am sooo thankful I went this route for my first European trip. By cycling we navigated through small town and backroad Hungary - huffing it on bikes - like backpacking, provided a way to share a common bond with the locals, it de-touristed us. This is the way to go if you want to combine a workout with your travel!
Tips from this trip for Gay men:
1) Small town Hungary is fairly traditional and Catholic, on the other hand Budapest is cosmopolitan and Gay-friendly.
2) Beware the subway in Budapest, the tickets are complicated. We were apprehended by the police for having the wrong ticket. It cost us a 100Euro bribe. Buy the transit pass, its worth it.
3) Keep the number to the US embassy handy....
4) The best hot spring is the old Turkish bath in Buda......
5) The best dance club "Action"
6) The "Art-Hotel" is blocks from the turkish bath and sits right on the danube with direct view of the parliament. 3 stars/90Euro Single
7) If you can, do a biking tour of Budapest, you might get run over but you'll can get around quickly and it will keep your interest and excitement level up! We used budapestbike.hu
8) The chain bridge turns into a flea market on Saturday, you'll find the best souvenirs there.
9) Check out Raday street for restaurants but "Manna" restaurant behind castle hill was our favorite about $75 US each for a great meal.
10) I recommend having the hotel call the cab for you -its more expensive but you save money on being scammed or taken for a ride...
11) Bring a washcloth - the hotels dont stock any
12) Bring your own sunscreen it is very expensive if they have it
DW
Seattle, WA USA Sat 08/09/2008
Gay-friendly Budapest
Just wanted to share a great place to stay we found and tried in Budapest, it's gay-friendly and we got a great value for our money and a lot of handy tips, also on the gay-life of the city! We rented a small apartment downtown, where we had everything we needed and we got a free pick up from the airport, as we stayed longer than a week.
I highly recommend them to use, the website is: www.gaystay.blogspot.com
We found Budapest overall tolerant and there are surprisingly many gay places in there.
Wonk-Lai
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Sat 05/24/2008
My partner and I travel extensively throughout western Europe. We've never had a problem in any location. That includes England, France, Germany, Italy, Checkoslovakia and the Netherlands. We make clear ahead of time what we want, and we vote with our plastic. If you're polite and straightforward, I think that helps a great deal.
stevio55
Portland, OR USA Sat 04/12/2008