Even though there are cities I love deeply and go back to again and again, sometimes I get a hankering for some variety. Some of us weren’t made for destination monogamy.
But there are things I don’t want to give up—places to meet locals, affordable eats and cultural attractions. You can’t really trade Paris for Cleveland, as lovely as Cleveland can be at the right time of year.
Whether your travels are motivated by dancing, cruising or dining, here are some recommendations for new places to visit that might just replace your favourites.
If you love Berlin, Germany, try Bogotá, Colombia
With its wide main streets and bulky modern buildings, Berlin has got big bones. The city of 3.6 million is one where you’ve got to move around to explore what you love. It’s about an hour and a half walk between the gay nightlife hub of Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg and the queer hub of Rio-Reiser-Platz in Kreuzberg. Then it’s another hike to the attraction-filled Mitte. Bogotá, with a population of 7.1 million people and sporting equally modern architecture, puts an hour’s walk between the posh gay-friendly entertainment zone around Parque 93, where you’ll find the fancier hotels, and the gay nightlife district of Chapinero. Then it’s another hour to the historic centre, where many of the cultural attractions are. Yes, you’ll probably want to rely on Uber, taxi or public transportation in both cities.
Enough about geography. The crucial commonality gay visitors will find between Berlin and Bogotá is the over-the-top horny nightlife. Berghain (Am Wriezener bhf, Berlin) and Theatron (Cl. 58 #10-32, Bogotá) are two of the world’s biggest nighclubs—and two of the queerest; Berghain is gay friendly, with a gay sex club in the basement, while Theatron is full-on gay but straight-friendly. Yet sometimes the real fun is in the many quirky hole-in-the-wall bars, many of which welcome cruising. Think Mutschmanns (Motzstraße 30, Berlin) versus Club Punto 59 (Cra. 13 #59 24, Interior 6, Bogotá). For travellers motivated by sexual adventure, both cities deliver.
If you love Provincetown, Massachusetts, try Saugatuck, Michigan
No, Lake Michigan is not the North Atlantic, and Saugatuck is definitely more gay-friendly when compared to Provincetown’s outrageous queerness. But both are summertime small-town destinations that attract LGBTQ2S+ people from broad geographical areas (New York and New England for Provincetown; Michigan, Illinois and Indiana for Saugatuck). They are both places to let your guard down, see how other gay tribes live, spend all day in your bathing suit and stop taking yourself too seriously. If you get laid, you get laid; if not, have another kiki.
Both destinations are outdoorsy, with beach-going and pool parties as key ingredients in their appeal. If you always book at the Boatslip (161 Commercial St., Provincetown) for its all-in-one room-pool-party convenience, then the Dunes Resort (333 Blue Star Hwy., Douglas, Michigan) will scratch the same itch, with a pool that draws locals on the weekends and an indoor-outdoor nightclub-bar, which hosts tea dances in the summer.
If you love San Francisco, California, try Lisbon, Portugal
Though Lisbon, with a metro population of about three million, is more restrained and old-world than kooky San Francisco, which has a metro population of about seven million, they’ve both got rolling hills and stunning water views that make them postcard destinations. Both cities also have historic cable cars and streetcars as part of their public transportation mix and are excellent jumping-off points for tours of wine country (Setúbal, Tejo and Alentejo in Portugal; Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley and Livermore Valley in California).
Though the Castro district is certainly packed with venues catering to gay men, like in Lisbon, many of San Francisco’s coolest places are mixed—sexuality is fluid, right? Drinking in the streets of Bairro Alto, like visiting the clubs on Polk Street and South of Market, provides the pleasure of letting you guess who might be available for serious flirting and who’s only teasing.
But Lisbon can also match San Francisco’s penchant for what’s macho and beefy. For those who don’t like to leave the Castro—and don’t like the guesswork—Lisbon’s Principe Real is home to gay haunts like the bear-oriented Bar TR3S Lisboa (R. Ruben A. Leitão 2A, Lisbon), the cruisy and leathery Woof X (R. Manuel Bernardes 2b, Lisbon) and the even cruisier Bar Cru (R. de São Marçal 170, Lisbon). All are good Euro substitutes for places like SF Eagle (398 12th St., San Francisco), Powerhouse (1347 Folsom St., San Francisco) and Hole in the Wall Saloon (1369 Folsom St., San Francisco).
If you love New York, New York, try Mexico City, Mexico
Chaos and bustle and too many choices are your thing. You want to boast about seeing the hottest art exhibitions and eating at the trendiest restaurants before anyone in your peer group even knows they exist. You want to sip lattes in coffee shops frequented by models, actors and TikTok influencers. And no matter what time of day you go looking for someone on the apps, you want them to show up at your hotel room in the next 20 minutes. Many lovers of New York City, which has a population of 8.4 million, have already taken a shine to the Mexican capital, which has a metro population of more than 22 million.
Instead of hitting the Whitney Museum of American Art (99 Gansevoort St., New York), you’ll want to make at least two stops: Museo Jumex (Blvd. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 303, Granada, Ciudad de México) and Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo (Av. P.º de la Reforma 51, Polanco, Ciudad de México).
For those who frequent Barracuda Bar (275 W. 22nd St., New York), you’ll find a similar boisterousness (and more cruising) at TOM’s Leather Bar (Av. Insurgentes Sur 357, Hipódromo, Ciudad de México). Bears who like Boxers NYC (37 W. 20th St., Chelsea, New York, and two other locations) might find kindred spirits at Nicho Bears and Bar (Londres 182, Juárez, Ciudad de México).
If you love Bangkok, Thailand, try Taipei, Taiwan
Some of us like to wander around narrow neon-lit streets, heading down alleyways and sticking our noses through doorways to see what’s happening inside. It’s hard to compete with the wackiness of the ever-changing gay bars of the Si Lom Road area of Bangkok—one day a place has strippers, the next it’s a drag club and all the sex workers are working three doors down. Just walking around at night in the city of 10.7 million people is a real show.
Taipei’s Ximen district, anchored by a landmark eight-sided structure known as the Red House, comes close. On any given weekend you can bounce from G-Paradise (No. 47, Lane 10, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City) to the leather-y Commander (No. 41, Lane 10, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei City), or just take in all the socializing on Chengdu Road itself.
Taipei, a city of about 2.6 million people, also gives Bangkok a run for its money when it comes to affordable eats. Yes, we know. From the food courts at Terminal 21 Asok shopping mall (88 Sukhumvit Soi 19 [Wattana], Sukhumvit Rd., North Klongtoei, Bangkok) to the booths of the Patpong Night Market (61, Thanon Patpong 1, Suriya Wong, Bang Rak, Bangkok), your tastebuds will never be bored in Bangkok. But if Taiwan’s street food isn’t delicious enough for you, head to Taiwan’s tallest building, Taipei 101 (No.45, City Hall Rd., Xinyi District, Taipei City), to check out its food court.
