Gay Barcelona – Your Complete LGBTQ+ Travel Guide in 2024
Barcelona sizzles with energy that extends far beyond its world-famous architecture and tapas. With sun-kissed beaches, beautiful people, and incredible nightlife, this welcoming city tops many lists of Europe's best LGBTQ+ travel destinations.
Overview – Barcelona has long been a hub of LGBTQ+ culture, known for its openness and inclusivity. The city's Gaixample district—a play on the word "gay" and the "Eixample" neighborhood—is the epicenter of LGBTQ+ life in Barcelona, filled with bars, clubs, shops, and more. Beyond Gaixample, Playa de la Mar Bella is Barcelona's most popular gay beach with a nudist section and beach bar, Chiringuito BeGay, which is a must. For the best gay nude beaches, however, we prefer Balmins or Playa del Muerto in Sitges, which is just 40-minutes by train.
Where to stay - While there are no shortage of luxury 5-star hotels in Barcelona, we love to support gay hotels while traveling. They're also a great place to meet fellow travelers from all over the world and get insider tips on the best gay bars and restaurants from locals at the front desk. We've stayed numerous times at heterofriendly Axel Hotels with two locations in Barcelona's Gaixample neighborhood.
First up, Axel Hotel Barcelona is the original gay hotel in Eixample and offers the best location to explore the area's LGBTQ+ nightlife. Amenities at this adults only hotel include a rooftop bar and pool, restaurant, spa, fitness center, and multilingual staff to cater to your every need. Rooms are stylish and come equipped with free wifi, air conditioning, in-room safe, minibar and daily housekeeping. Options include city double, premium and superior rooms. They also offer single traveler rooms which often sellout quickly.
Another gem by the Axel, Two Hotel Barcelona also offers a rooftop pool and bar along with fitness center and steam room. Other amenities at this adults only property include a restaurant, coffee shop, business center and helpful multilingual staff always willing to assist with luggage storage, restaurant reservations, and travel tips.
On our last visit, we stayed in a city double room with a modern and open design. Like its sister property, rooms come equipped with free wifi, air conditioning, in-room safe, minibar and daily housekeeping. Again, room categories include city double, premium and superior options. They also offer single traveler rooms. In peak summer season, this hotel is often sold out on weekends, so we highly recommend booking early.
For our last pick in Gaixample and our luxury hotel recommendation, Hotel Claris reigns supreme and is very popular with well heeled LGBTQ+ travelers. The central location, amazing spa, and rooftop pool and bar are all highlights. Rooms options range from superior to executive to incredible suites depending on your budget and preference.
Things to do - While Barcelona offers endless opportunities to enjoy its food, culture, and beaches, there are a few highlights the first-time and even returning traveler must see.
Of the city's 9 UNESCO world heritage sites, a self-guided tour of Casa Batlló is one of our favorites. Enjoy a timed entry and go at your own pace while listening to the informative audio guide to learn about each space in this unique architectural masterpiece by Gaudi. Don't miss the roof terrace to see the mythical-looking chimneys and famous ‘Dragon’s Back!’
For the postcard perfect view of Barcelona, head up to Park Güell to marvel at more of Gaudi's impressive works. To maximize your time, opt for a skip-the-line guided walking tour which lasts approximately one hour with free time to explore at your leisure afterwards.
Finally, to complete the Trifecta of Gaudi's masterpieces, no visit to Barcelona is complete without seeing the symbol of the city, the famous Sagrada Família. While you can reserve skip-the-line timed tickets, we recommend taking the fast track guided tour to learn about the many stories and intricate details surrounding the largest Catholic church still under construction in the world.
If you are planning to visit all three icons of the city, Casa Batlló, Park Güell and Sagrada Família, we recommend the Complete Gaudi Tour to save time and money. On this small group morning tour, you begin with a pre-reserved timed ticket at Casa Batlló before heading to nearby Casa Milà (La Pedrera) to view it from the outside. Next, you head up to Park Güell with skip-the-line tickets before taking an included air-conditioned transfer to Sagrada Família where the tour ends.
Where to eat and drink – From chic eateries showcasing innovative Catalan cuisine to relaxed tapas bars where the sangria flows freely, trendy Eixample is a playground for gay foodies. Grab an outdoor table at any of the lively restaurants to enjoy tasty people-watching combined with delicious food.
🌟 Pro tip - Dinner time in Spain is from 9-11pm. As such, Barcelona's bars typically get lively after midnight, so plan your exploration accordingly!
Vereda Bar is a hidden gem, offering a cozy and stylish retreat for LGBTQ+ locals and travelers alike. Known for its friendly atmosphere and natural wines, it's the perfect spot to unwind after a day of exploring.
Menu highlights include plenty of seafood and fresh local produce. We recommend trying a few dishes from the daily specials board in addition to the regular menu. Most are perfect for sharing too. Whether you're having a romantic meal for two, catching up with friends or meeting new ones, Vereda Bar guarantees a fabulous night out.
For a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or an afternooon coffee pick me up, we also love Honest Greens. They have a few locations throughout the city, but we prefer the easy walk to the one at Plaça de Catalunya.
A few of our favorite items include the classic hummus to share, the Piri Piri chicken plate, and Ben's sweet potato fries. We're huge fans of this concept and the food. We always make a stop when in Barcelona or Madrid.
Where to find gay nightlife – From laid-back gay bars serving up stiff drinks to flamboyant drag shows, Eixample's nightlife caters to every flavor of queer culture. For the best gay bars and clubs in Barcelona, read our full review here.
When to go - For warm and sunny weather in the 70s and 80s, beach (and rooftop pool!) season is the best time to visit from June through September. For sightseeing with fewer crowds, we recommend shoulder season from late March through May or October through early November.
For the best gay events, March/April kicks off event season with Matinee Easter Weekend. In June/July, a series of festivals and events culminate with the massive parade highlight Barcelona Gay Pride. For the self-described biggest international gay festival, don't miss Circuit Barcelona in August, including a water park gay party of epic proportions.
How to get here – Located 12 kms (7.5 miles) southwest of Barcelona, El Prat Airport (airport code: BCN) sits on Spain's stunning coastline and offers incredible views on arrival and departure. It's the second busiest airport in Spain and how most international visitors arrive to visit Barcelona as well as nearby Sitges. Trains and local busses service both Terminals 1 and 2 depending on budget. Your hotel can also book you a taxi or ride-sharing apps like Uber and Bolt are also available. We recommend reserving in advance when possible as no cars were available for us on a rainy day. As an alternative, we ran for the A1 bus which is direct from the city center to El Prat Terminal 1. The cost is currently €7.25 (approximately $8 USD) for the 35-minute trip. Thankfully, you can tap to pay with your phone which greatly speeds up boarding!
In addition to El Prat, high speed trains are available from Barcelona Sants station to Madrid and even Paris if you have the time. It's a beautiful and relaxing 7-8 hour journey. Local trains and buses are also available for other destinations in Spain.
Travel Resources
Travel Insurance – Don’t forget to add global travel medical insurance that covers you while traveling outside of your home country. We recommend and use Safety Wing. They offer plans for travelers, digital nomads and expats. If you're already abroad, no worries. Safety Wing makes it easy to purchase insurance even if you are already abroad.
Most health coverage in the U.S. or your home country, for example, does not cover you outside of the U.S. or your home country. As such, it’s extremely important to protect yourself from out-of-pocket costs due to a medical emergency. We learned this the hard way which you can watch on YouTube: Our First Trip to the Emergency Room in Mexico. To learn more about Safety Wing, check rates and availability.
Hotel Discounts – Book with Booking.com to save 10% or more on over 100,000 hotels with Member Prices. We regularly find better prices as a member and love the free room upgrades when available. Join for free!
Travel Experiences – Discover authentic, unforgettable experiences and explore the world with Viator, a TripAdvisor company. We consistently use Viator in our travels, and they offer excellent customer service when needed.
Pro tip – When we visit a new destination, we like to see what tours are available from local providers. We suggest you sort or filter the results by rating versus recommended for you to find the best tours in the area.
Car Rental – Should your travel plans call for hiring a car, we use rentalcars.com to search the best prices among the major car rental companies. With flexible rentals, no hidden fees, and price match guarantee, we feel confident booking with them. Just make sure to book with your Chase Sapphire Reserve for extra protection like primary car rental insurance.
Virtual Private Network (VPN) – Enjoy unrestricted access worldwide, enhanced privacy, and complete security while on the go. More specifically, ExpressVPN hides your IP address and encrypts your network data so no one can see what you’re doing. One click, and you’re protected. In addition, ExpressVPN defeats content restrictions and censorship to deliver unlimited access to video, music, social media, and more, from anywhere in the world. For CNET's Best Overall VPN and our favorite for travel, we strongly recommend you add ExpressVPN to all of your devices.
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Hi gorgeous, and welcome to our LGBTQ+ travel blog! We're Andy and Trai, a gay couple traveling the world with PRIDE 🌈 …and our rescue dog, Pattie!
After meeting in San Francisco in 2018 and later moving to Chicago, we decided to quit our jobs in 2021, sell everything, and become Two Gay Expats. For over two years, we explored the best of gay Mexico while waiting for our house, Casa Cangrejo, to be completed in Tulum. We got married at The Beach Tulum in 2020 and became Mexican permanent residents in 2022.
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