Gay travel and new year… it’s hard to believe we’re already in the second month of 2023. Our social feeds have been filled with pictures of friends on exotic trips and international vacations, and all this to say we’re ready to start planning our next adventures! But as part of the LGBTQ+ community, we don’t want just any type of travel experience. We love gay travel adventures.
What is gay travel? Travel from a queer perspective! We all know LGBTQ+ folks have the best taste, so you can rest assured that wherever the gays travel, we know we can expect a warm welcome and inclusive hospitality.
Quiiky Travel presents an alternative to your average travel experience. They’ve designed a different kind of tour specifically with LGBTQ+ travelers and their allies in mind. Check out a spectrum experiences in Italy almost as diverse as you are, and discover LGBTQ+ Italy like a local!
Here is our list of the top 10 trending Gay Travel destinations, including, but not limited to those in Italy!
#10 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Key West, Florida, USA
Visit The Florida Keys and Key West and immerse yourself in the world of writers like Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway, and more. It won’t take long for you to understand why this has become one of the most popular gay travel destinations for generations. From queer-owned and operated guesthouses like Island House or Alexander’s Guest House, to popular bar/guesthouse/pools where you can spend the night away with the boys, there’s no shortage of ways to have fun in Key West. And that’s not even including all the incredible experiences waiting for you out on the water: like snorkeling, kite surfing, and kayaking among the natural mangroves.
#9 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Puglia, Italy
One of the top gay travel destinations in Italy is in Puglia. Quiiky offers a fabulous gay tour of Puglia, inviting guests to experience one of the most acclaimed gay travel destinations on the planet. You’ll be captivated by the old Trulli architecture, have the opportunity to explore some of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Ancient Baroque proofs will take your breath away, and if that’s not enough, you can spend your afternoons chilling out on the pristine beaches, many of which are known as gay or LGBTQ+ beaches, on this beautiful town that’s nestled between two seas. Let the fun begin!
#8 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Sydney, Australia
Maybe we’re all just trying to live out our Priscilla, Queen of the Desert fantasy? Sydney is on most all Gay Travel-holics bucket list. And no, you don’t automatically have to trek up the Harbor Bridge, but you sure can if you love a great view! Whether they’re looking for a taste of Australia’s best beaches, a view of the iconic Sydney Opera House, or amazing food and nightlife, there’s so much to explore Down Under. Plus, the annual Gay Sydney Mardi Gras attracts LGBTQ+ folks from all over the world in a celebration you can’t miss!
#7 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Lake Como & Milan, Italy
Milan is a place of LGBTQ+ adventure, where you can immerse yourself in the local LGBTQ+ Italian life AND appreciate some of the most famous artworks known to mankind. Take a walk in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest queer personalities in Italy – and the world’s! – history, and with Quiiky’s LGBTQ+ tour dive into the mostly untold history of his queer personal life.
If you’ve got the time in your trip, make sure to visit Lake Como and enjoy one of the most stunning views in Italy. If you’re a fan of romance, this place is for you.
#6 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Rome, Italy
Rome is one of the most quintessential Gay Travel destinations out there! Everything queer travelers could crave is within you reach here: incredible food, LGBTQ+ history that stretches back to ancient Rome, visionary art and culture, fashion, theater, and so much more. Quiiky offers Gay Travel experiences including a tour of the Vatican Museums focused on an LGBTQ+ perspective, a tour through Homosexuality in Ancient Rome, a way to explore Oscar Wilde’s Rome, and The Other Side of Rome, which takes you to some popular locations on Rome’s outskirts.
#5 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain
Find a queer Gay Travel oasis off the coast of Spain in the Gran Canary islands. Long a much-visited destination by Europe’s queer community the islands are filled with picture-perfect beaches, warm climates all year round, and beautiful palm trees and classic architecture. Worried about where to stay? Worry not, because almost every hotel on the island is known to be inclusive to LGBTQ+ travelers, and there are quite a few optoions for resorts that are exclusively LGBTQ+.
#4 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Florence, Italy
It’s in Florence where Renaissance-artist Donatello chiseled one of the most iconic male forms in all of history: the David. It’s no wonder that for generations, Florence has been a mecca of LGBTQ+ Gay Travel for visitors both inside and out of Italy. Florence is home to many fabulous museums where you can learn the history of Florentine Renaissance art, from Donatello to Cellini, and get a taste of gay life in Renaissance Florence.
Consider visiting the Accademia Gallery to see works from a few of the most famous painters of Renaissance. To name a few, Cimabue, Giotto, and Botticelli, the painter of the ‘Primavera’ (‘Springtime’). If you’ve always been in awe of the masterful sculpture of ‘David’ by Michelangelo, you can find it here! His natural nude perfection will take your breath away. His expression seems focused on some danger ahead, and his muscles are primed to spring into action. In the Medici neighborhood, you can learn about the legendary family’s reputation as ‘gay-friendly’ art patrons while visiting their original home and their funeral chapel, where Michelangelo carved some of his greatest sculptures.
#3 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Aspen, Colorado, USA
Calling all ski bunnies! This winter one of the top gay travel destinations for the queer community is Aspen, Colorado. Its slopes have been a haven for the mega-rich for decades, but you may not know that it’s also a growing destination for LGBTQ+ travelers. If you ski or snowboard, or love snowshoeing, or if you just love to hangout in a spa and meet up with friends for the apres ski, you’ll find a reason to love Aspen. Plan your trip around Aspen Gay Ski Week, where you can mix and mingle with Gay Travelers from all over the world and take part in events all throughout town.
#2 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo, Mexico
One of the most beautiful places in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, Isla Holbox is a burgeoning Gay Travel destination you won’t want to miss. Closed to vehicle traffic, this quaint and natural paradise is the perfect place to feel remote and disconnected from your work life while connecting with those around you, and a global queer community of travelers. Many all-inclusive resorts are welcoming to LGBTQ+ travelers, and you’ll have no shortage of options to explore if you’re into nightlife and incredible Mexican food. Of course, if all else fails, you can spend the afternoon soaking up the sun at the beach!
#1 Trending Gay Travel Destination: Taormina, Sicily, Italy
It comes as probably no surprise that the number one top gay travel destination is Taormina, Sicily, in Italy. It may be peaking in popularity thanks to one Miss. Jennifer Coolidge saying “These Gays are trying to murder me!!”, but actually Taormina has been a refuge for Italy and Europe’s queer community for generations. Known as the pearl of the Mediterranean, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, many queer artists like Wilhelm von Gloeden flocked here to find escape and inspiration in the natural landscape and energy of the local LGBTQ+ people.
