Gay travel destinations: from Sitges to Provincetown

Some places are so gay, straight people are a minority. In these rarefied towns, you’ll find lots of stylish and attractive gays, looking for other gays. We’ve gathered together a list of some of our favorite gay destinations. They have to meet a strict criteria to get on the list: they must be super gay-friendly and packed with gay bars. Our top gay travel destinations range from Mexican towns overlooking the Caribbean Coast, to pebble beaches on the South Coast of England.

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta (also known as PV) is the biggest gay destination in Mexico. It’s home to Zona Romantica, Latin America’s biggest Gayborhood. Most tourists in PV are well-heeled gay men - or credit card queens - from the USA. Rather like the English taking over the south coast of Spain, Americans have claimed this charming Mexican town.

You’ll find several popular gay hotels, as well as more gay bars than you can explore in a single trip. The sheer quantity of LGBT+ venues in PV rivals the gay scenes of London and New York.

Provincetown

This is where the founding fathers landed in the hope of continuing the Puritan revolution. They didn’t quite succeed. Today American gays in tank tops (or less) parade through streets decked with rainbow flags. Provincetown has become a gay-majority town. Straight people, while more than welcome, are very much a quaint minority. John Waters spends most of the year at his Provincetown residence: that’s how gay it is.

Initially a bohemian arty town, Provincetown now attracts the party crowd. That being said, you can also have a more relaxing experience in one of Provincetown’s many inns and explore the New England countryside. You can take a ninety-minute ferry from Boston to Provincetown. 

Mykonos

Greece’s most glamorous island - if you pretend Santorini doesn’t exist - is a magnet for gay travelers. Mykonos is especially popular with the upwardly mobile gay jet set. It’s a place to see and be seen (on Instagram). The action takes place at JackieO’, a beach club named after the former First Lady. Mykonos is packed with world-class (and wallet-destroying) luxury hotels.