LGBTQ+ Travel Guides, Gay Bars & Hotels Worldwide

This modern design hotel is centrally located in Stockholm, and features a restaurant with international cuisine, wine bar with outdoor terrace and a well-equipped gym open 24-hours. Free WiFi is included. Stockholm Central Station is just 10 minutes' walk away. A coffee machine and minibar for mixing cocktails are featured in each room. A flat-screen TV and sound system with streaming options, as well as a universal adapter are included. The bathroom comes with a rain shower or bathtub, hairdryer and organic toiletries from c/o Gerd.

Hotel Versey gives the familiar Days Inn brand a rather more colourful personality, with design inspired by Chicago’s music, art and neighbourhood culture. Its Lincoln Park location puts you between Downtown and Northalsted, so it can work particularly well if you want reasonably easy access to both sightseeing and gay nightlife without paying central Chicago prices. The bars around Northalsted aren’t immediately outside, but they’re within easy reach. Rooms are contemporary and informal, and there are plenty of restaurants and shops in the surrounding area. GayMapper tip: a useful value option if location matters more than luxury and you want to split your time between central Chicago and the gay scene.

Parrots Sitges Hotel puts you right in the middle of the action. It sits on Carrer Joan Tarrida, just off Plaça Indústria, so many of Sitges’ best-known gay bars are literally seconds away and the beach is only around a minute on foot. The hotel is closely connected to the long-established Parrots Group, which has played a major role in Sitges’ LGBTQ+ scene and is a founding member of the association behind Sitges Pride. The rooms themselves are modern and straightforward, with air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, fridges, safes and private bathrooms. Some categories add street-facing balconies or larger terraces with loungers. This is very much a location-first hotel rather than somewhere you book for resort-style facilities, but that’s exactly why it works so well for a gay Sitges break. GayMapper tip: ideal if your priority is stepping straight out of the hotel and into the bars, with the beach almost as close in the other direction.

Drakes is a stylish little seafront hotel that puts you close to Kemptown nightlife without feeling like a nightlife hotel itself. Set across two Regency townhouses on Marine Parade, it’s only a short walk from Brighton’s gay bars, Palace Pier and the Royal Pavilion. There are just 20 rooms, many overlooking the sea, and the better categories have some wonderfully Brighton touches — huge bay windows, freestanding baths and views across the beach and Pier. Rooms are air-conditioned and include free Wi-Fi, bathrobes, quality toiletries and tea and coffee facilities. Downstairs, the cocktail bar looks directly across the water, while Michelin-recommended Dilsk offers fine dining built around seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. It’s a more intimate and romantic experience than the big seafront hotels, and current guest feedback is particularly strong for service, cleanliness and location. GayMapper tip: a great option if you want Kemptown close enough for an easy night out but would rather return to cocktails and sea views than a club downstairs.