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Barcelona Gay Travel Guide
Ah, España! Barcelona is the sea-side capital of Catalonia, a region of Spain quite distinct in both language and culture from the rest of the country. Gay residents have long enjoyed freedom and tolerance in Barcelona, and it is now a supremely popular destination for gay travelers. In summer, tourists flock here from all corners of the globe for beach-oriented vacations, and in winter, frozen northern-Europeans descent on the city of Barcelona for a temperate urban escape. From a global perspective, Barcelona is currently one of the most (if not the top) gay destination on Earth. Perhaps most famous for its architecture, Barcelona is home to many masterpieces by ahead-of-his-time Antonio Gaudi. His unfinished masterpiece cathedral La Sagrada Familia is the symbol of Barcelona and the most popular destination in the city, with its phantasmagoric spires, curves, and angles. Don’t forget old Pablo! Yes, Picasso’s official museum is here, in the town of his childhood, and you’d better not come to Barcelona without visiting it! The Afternoon Barcelona Artistic City Tour includes both admission to the Picasso Museum and visits to Gaudi' s famous buildings Paseo de Gracia Avenue, Sagrada Familia Cathedral more! Mu Las Ramblas pedestrian-only street at heart city, filled sidewalk entertainers, vendors, shops, cafes. The Olympic Port, built for 1992 games, entertainment complex restaurants shops beneath massive towers stunning modern architecture. Gay people Barcelona enjoy rich integrated life, split between two areas, beach. Because decades tolerance, life hasn’t been forced into one specific area, as most cities. But many chic bars cafes popular folk be found Eixample district near Universitat subway stop, along Calle Casanova. Barcelona’s Metro efficient, cheap, easy navigate, and can get you within five blocks of any museum or gay establishment in city. Another good way familiarize yourself with the city is to take a Private Barcelona Sightseeing Tour. Thirty minutes from the city by train is Sitges (pronounced SEET-jis), where Barcelona beach life flourishes in the summer. A destination in and of itself, Sitges has been hailed as the “New Ibiza,” with an abundance of gay hotels and guesthouses, world-class clubs and bars, and even a nude beach or two. The main beach in the center of town is mixed, the place to see and be seen. Out of town beyond the L’Atlantida Disco, a twenty minute stroll along the railroad tracks will bring you to two nude beaches, the farthest of which is almost exclusively gay. A working knowledge of Spanish is very helpful in Barcelona, though the locals primarily speak Catalan, a sing-songy blend of Spanish, French, and Italian. Most younger people speak at least some English, as does almost everyone in the tourism industry, but all the local gay publications are in Catalan or Spanish, so it can be hard to find out what’s going on. Sitges is an exception. It seems easier to communicate in English here than back in Barcelona.
Gay Barcelona Bars, Restaurants and Clubs
A collection of dozens of bars frequented by chic, gay Barcelonans (and chic, straight folk, as well!) can be found along Calle Casanova between Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes and Carrer Arago, and down its cross streets two blocks in either direction. This district is locally referred to as “Gaixample.” A few popular highlights are Dietrich Bar. With several rooms and a nice dance floor, it is almost always packed with gorgeous young Catalans. Punto BCN is Barcelona’s largest gay bar and attracts a good mix of locals and tourists. Medusa usually looks like a photo shoot for Prada, and is worth at least walking past to gaze in through the big picture windows at the pretty-boys sulking inside. Next door, Zelta’s provides a slightly less intimidating environment and offers early-evening dancing. Further a-field, leather fanatics can check out La Base, or the Barcelona Eagle. Dance clubs are more scarce, and usually vast, expensive, and incredibly stylish. Don’t try to get into a club in Barcelona looking anything less than your best. One you’re all gussied up, check out Metro, the biggest and most popular gay disco in the Gaixample, with its dual dancefloors and separate darkroom. Club Arena maintains four separate danceclubs within several blocks of each other and the cover charge to one gets you entry to all four. Arena Classic is the largest. Arena Madre is the oldest, with the largest darkroom of any of the Barcelona discos. Arena VIP attracts a more mixed crowd and tends to be less snooty, despite its name. Arena Dandy is adjacent to VIP and offers a more intimate atmosphere. Out closer to the Ramblas is wickedly-popular Club Salvation, a hard-to-find gem hidden in a dungeon-like basement. The two dancefloors are jam-packed with gorgeous locals, and the ever-present darkroom hides behind a partition. It’s quite easy to blast right through your budget whilst dining in Barcelona. Castro sits in the Gaixample, with minimalist industrial décor and an eclectic menu which sometimes features kangaroo. G Café, in the same area, is referred to as “Gay Gaudi,” since the décor is reminiscent of the fantastical designs of the famous architect. Both bar and café, it serves food until 3am on weekends. Venus Delicatessen is beloved in the gay community for its bohemian flair and local art exhibitions. They serve up a multi-cultural mélange of deli foods like couscous, moussaka, and chili con carne. Sitges This tiny beachside fishing village has been taken over by Europe’s gay population and now sports no fewer than twenty gay bars! Among the more popular is B Side with chic décor and go-go boys. It’s open all year, a rarity in this town that only comes to life during the summer. Mediterraneo Bar, one of Sitges’ largest, sports a modest dance floor.
Seven is a popular spot with live music. Girls can head to Maripili or the nearby Punto G. Most Sitges bars open around 11pm, but if you’re coming off the beach and need a drink, you can brave the El Horno (it doesn’t mean what you think it means, it’s Catalan for “The Oven”). It opens at 5pm with a popular happy hour, outside of which the bar caters mostly to the leather crowd with its unique darkroom inside the old brick oven for which the joint is named. Parrot’s Pub, a few blocks up from the beach, is open all afternoon for cocktails and flirting. When you need to get your dance on, L’ Atlantida is a beachside dancery outside of town with a mixed crowd which is primarily gay on Tuesdays. Organic and Trailer are the packed, popular mainstream gay clubs, and on summer weekends there isn’t a place in all the world with a party scene this intense and celebratory. XXL is where the leather crowd heads, though its dance floor and darkroom do attract some mainstream gay boys when the other clubs are just too packed. Because Sitges is so small, there are no exclusively gay restaurants. But gay folk favor El Cellar Vell for authentic Catalan cuisine, Al Fresco for fine dining (call early for r eservations), and the Al Fresco Café for light lunch fare near the beach. A newcomer, the Beach House Café and Restaurant, offers traditional English breakfasts and a multicultural, eclectic menu.
Gay Friendly and Gay Barcelona Hotels
Hotel Axel is a luxury gay and lesbian hotel located in the heart of Barcelona's Gayxample area, within walking distance from Las Ramblas and the Gothic district. Gay guesthouses are the choice for many visitors to Barcelona, and they are typically small, inexpensive, and modest. Agua Alegre is patronized almost exclusively by gay visitors, and is centrally located halfway between the Ramblas and Gaixample. Pension Eos is a newcomer to the scene, smack dab in the middle of Gaixample. If any guesthouse could be more centrally located, it would be the appropriately named Absolut Centro, a few blocks further from the Universitat Metro station, but less than 20 steps from the most popular bars.
If you'd rather stay in a gay-friendly mainstream hotel, we recommend Regente, Hotel Palace Barcelona, the Catalonia Duques de Bergara Hotel, Apsis Atrium Palace, Condes de Barcelona Hotel, Hotel Montecarlo, Hotel Rialto, Hotel Claris, or the Balmes Hotel. Browse and compare all Gay-friendly and gay Barcelona hotels.
Most visitors to Sitges rent apartments for the duration of their stay. These are typically arranged through a gay-friendly apartment service like Sitges Apartamentos. Several gay-friendly guesthouses exist, among them Hostal Termes and Antonio’s, which also offers apartment and studio rentals. But if you have to have a hotel, the Hotel Liberty is popular with gay tourists.
Call an edirp.com gay travel specialist at 1-888-EDIRP-EZ (1-888-334-7739) or (214) 520-0345 (U.S.) to book any of the hotels mentioned above. Any hotels with links may be booked via our secure online booking system.
Barcelona Gay Pride and other Gay Events
Pride in Barcelona is a huge event, with debates and symposiums (all in Catalan or Spanish, of course) and the awarding of Pink Triangles for gay heroes and Pink Boobies for gay opposition. The event culminates in a massive parade which ends in a street party that rocks until the wee hours. It usually takes place on the nearest Saturday to June 28, and reservations should be made well in advance if you want a gay hostelry.
Carnival is HUGE in Sitges, really the only thing that happens in the town outside the summer. It brings with it massive gay circuit parties, and usually spans the third weekend in February. Hotel reservations should be made at least a year in advance. Festa Major is a village-wide celebration, second only to Carnival, and though it is not specifically a gay celebration, thousands of gay tourists use it as an excuse to party extra-hard. It is normally the last full week of August.
Travel guide by Benjamin Starr, a travel writer who claims the entire world as his home. When he's not at home, he can sometimes be found at a residence in Dallas, Texas. To contact Ben, email him at benjaminstarr@sbcglobal.net.
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