Home > Destinations > Europe > Spain > Madrid > Planning a Trip > Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers
Bookstore Travel Talk - Our Message Boards Tips and Tools Book a Trip Deals and News Trip Ideas, Activities, Lifestyles Hotels Destinations Frommers.com Home
Frommer's - The best trips start here. Frommer's - The best trips start here.
Sign up for our FREE Newsletters! Win a FREE Trip
  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS

Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers

In 1978, Spain legalized homosexuality among consenting adults. In April 1995, the parliament of Spain banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Madrid is one of the country's major gay centers. The action is mainly located in the castizo quarter of Chueca between the Gran Vía and Calle Genova. Clubs here range from the relatively sedate to the downright outrageous, and there are also a couple of gay-theme bookshops. The tiny Plaza de Chueca bustles with outdoor cafe life in summer and is a good spot for impromptu encounters.

To learn about gay and lesbian travel in Spain, you can secure publications or join data-dispensing organizations before you go. Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe covers Madrid (as well as on Barcelona, Sitges, and Ibiza, other key gay rendezvous places).

On the magazine front, Our World, 1104 N. Nova Rd., Suite 251, Daytona Beach, FL 32117 (tel. 904/441-5367; www.ourworldmag.com), is devoted to options and bargains for gay and lesbian travel worldwide. It costs $35 for 10 issues. And Out and About, 995 Market St., 14th Floor, San Francisco, CA (tel. 800/929-2268; www.outandabout.com), is noted for its "straight" reporting on the best gay or gay-friendly hotels, gyms, clubs, and other places, with coverage of destinations throughout the world. Aimed for the most upscale gay male traveler, it costs $49 a year for 10 information-packed issues and has been praised by everybody from Travel + Leisure to the New York Times.

Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com), is an excellent online successor to the Out & About magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide.

The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA), 4331 N. Federal, Suite 304, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33308 (tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.com), encourages gay and lesbian travel worldwide. With around 1,200 member agencies, it specializes in networking travelers with the appropriate gay-friendly service organization or tour specialist. It offers a quarterly newsletter, marketing mailings, and a membership directory that is updated four times a year. For an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses, go to their website and click on "Members."

Travel agents who are IGTA members will be tied into this organization's vast information resources.


Back to Top


Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.


  Email This Article Email Print This Article Print Get Frommer's RSS Feed RSS
Frommer's Madrid, 2nd Edition Frommer's Madrid, 2nd Edition

Author: Peter Stone
Pub Date: January 23, 2007
Price: $17.99

Buy Now!
Related Titles:
Frommer's Barcelona Day by Day, 1st Edition
Frommer's Barcelona, 2nd Edition
Frommer's Mediterranean Spain with Your Family, 1st Edition
Sponsored Links: What's This?
You Never Know What's Out There. That's Why There's AIG Travel Guard.
Add Frommers.com RSS Feed  Add Frommers.com RSS Feed (What's This?)
Add Frommers.com Deals & News to Your Web Site
Add to My Yahoo!     Add to My MSN     More RSS Readers
Add Frommers.com Podcast Add Frommers.com Podcast (What's This?)
Home > Destinations > Europe > Spain > Madrid > Planning a Trip > Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers