A Parisian may try to induce you, but France has so many things to offer aside from its capital Paris. While Paris offers many scenic arrondissements as well as stylish cosmopolitanism, visit the south for a great experience of rustic France, where seaside cities bear sun-worn legacy and exclusive extravagance.
Amongst the country’s numerous old towns listed by UNESCO, you will find immaculate squares overflowing with youthful liveliness. Further than the city get away is straightforward; pass through famous vineyards and medieval fortresses prior to finding the serenity of the Mediterranean Sea and white sand dreams.
Gayer than you may predict, all larger cities of France host a yearly Gay Pride festival from May to mid-July, with gay-friendly people making sure a welcoming and inviting atmosphere all year round. Keep on reading to see some of the gay-friendly destinations besides Paris.
Track the winding coastline east of the Mediterranean; you will soon see the very welcoming and gay-friendly Nice city. A few minutes away from Monaco and Cannes, the favourite hotspots of celebrities, the gay-friendly city provides an equally graceful reprieve, with linear thinking and practical dining, lodging, and nightlife.
Gay travellers and visitors will instantly fall captivated by the friendly, warm locals as well as the colourful and vibrant social scene relaxing in the all-time sunshine on Sardinian-styled streets. A nice focal point lies in Old Nice, wherein meandering roads come lined with intensely and brilliantly coloured facades hosting more than 600 boutique shops alongside cosy art galleries, eateries, and gift stores.
For gay travellers who love shopping, heading to Avenue Jean Medecin with ventures into the popular and most cherished gold square close to Avenue de Verdun and Alphonse Karr for expensive luxury brands is the best way.
For an educational experience, you can visit the most popular market located at Cours Saleya for the most excellent selection of produce, crafts, and flowers made by locals. The market is open daily except for Mondays as well as public holidays.
Gay Nice becomes better and bigger as the years go by, with cafes, cocktail bars as well as restaurants the basis of the gay scene. Saturday and Sunday are when gays come alive, peaking in the Place du Pims square and Old Town’s Rue Bonaparte, where the utmost attention of the Nice gay bars as well as gay-owned companies can be discovered.
Nice beaches offer the ideal places to socialize prior to leading into the many coastal towns for lazy liquid lunches amongst new friends and buddies.
The best and amazing beaches of Nice, Castel Plage and Hi Beach are stylish meeting places for combined crowds, whilst St. Laurent d Eze and Cocoa Beach stay the most common hangouts for gay.
Clothing is secluded on this beach; however, both have restricted amenities; therefore, keep in mind to bring some food, water, and a baguette together with your daring suit.
Montpellier is one of the preferred and favourite cities in France, not only because of the 300 days of good weather yearly but due to the fact because it exudes a lively and youthful dynamic vibe that you cannot experience in other cities in France.
Maybe it is due to the university bringing the normal age down to below 25 for 50% of the population; however, not like the average city in the U.K., you will not see groups of gals and lads off their faces on alcohol binges on a weekend night. Many civilized young individuals eat and drink as well as socialize on alfresco with their buddies.
Montpellier is indeed a relative tenderfoot as opposed to its ancient neighbours’ places like Beziers, Aries, and Nimes. At this point, this is one of the fastest-growing cities in France, with a bold new architecture that has been added carefully to its medieval bones.
The Gay Pride is considered the second biggest event in Montpellier. This is a one-of-a-kind event, and this allows the city to grab the title of South’s gay capital. This is chosen as the most favoured city to long amongst the French populace. The city lies only a few minutes to the shoreline from the center of the town and radiates quiet town vibes in its harbour-side suburbs, residential boulevards, and parks.
Montpellier comes alive and colourful at sundown when bistros become filled with clients seeking drinks. The big student population relieves into night-time revelries with different festivals, concerts, as well as street parties.
Known as France’s food capital, Lyon doesn’t need persuasion to drop by. Discover this gay-friendly place in its premeditated setting on the Presqu’ile, that looks like an island between the Saone Rivers and Rhone, a very colourful and lively trading place since the Roman eras.
UNESCO lists the whole of Old Town; however, the mainstream of nightlife and commerce lies in the northern portion. Partygoers out there searching for gay activities in the area must try the popular Croix Rousse slopes. It is also worth dropping by on the road running corresponding to Cordeliers and Places de Terraux, where gay restaurants, clubs, bars, sex clubs, and as well as sauna.
This place is also the root for Gay Pride, also called the Fierte festival, celebrated in June yearly. Other notable events take account of TIGALY, a worldwide gay sports event celebrated over Easter, Face a Face (two queer movie festivals celebrated in March and November), and Ecrans Mixtes.
A renowned base for Algeria, Spanish, Vietnamese settlers, and U.S. and U.K. expatriates, astonishingly, Lyon today has a French population minority. Thus, Lyon city caters to the population who speaks English better than other places in the country, with a massive selection of stores, bards, and associations that makes dispensations and indulgences for visitors and foreigners.
Discovering the entire city could not be simpler thanks to the modern high-speed TGV trains that connect the city to its capital and the amazing trams, buses, and trains operating in the area. Hire bikes with your partner from many locations in Lyon, with safe-to-follow and straightforward bike roads winding in the suburbs and Old Town.
Ride the bicycle to discover Fourviere hill to the east, and park in the grand public square popular called Place Bellecour to stroll with ease down the pedestrian Rue de la Republique. Here, you can find a long line of the oldest as well as most amazing buildings in the city.
Bordeaux is located on the west coast of Nouvelle Aquitaine, a birth right port city. Totally refurbished and restored in current years, Bordeaux is the sixth biggest city in France and the most popular due to its vivacious squares bordered by more than 300 world heritage structures and many suburban wineries.
Fill the day in the city with a journey to the opulent theatres, museums as well as churches. You can also take a thrilling journey in the wine regions learning about rich estates like Lafite and Chateau Margaux as well as Mouton-Rothschild.
Romans ruled this place in sixty B.C. and going into the eighteenth Century in accordance with Victor Hugo; today, the place is considered a wine region completely, with the business producing 14 billion euros yearly. Aside from tasting wine, there are other reasons why many visitors flock to Bordeaux, particularly for gay guests who’ll find the place both open-minded and liberal with a massive student population as well as tranquil café culture.
Visit the city’s gay sight, where a reasonable number of clubs and clubs for gays reside. The amazing point for the city is the Bordeaux Gay Pride held in June, happening in Place de la Republique. You also need to witness the amazing Cinemarges LGBT movie festival happening yearly, with screenings and events running throughout the year.
Find new gay friends on the white, fine sand next to the Atlantic Ocean on the area’s best gay-friendly beaches. Try Plage de la Lagune, Plage de Montalivet Vendays or try the dunes on the most popular Le Cap Ferret.
Another best gay travel place in France in Toulouse. Going south inland, you will be welcomed by the friendly and very sophisticated city of Toulouse. A good place developed in pink block only northern part of the Spanish Border Cosmopolitan as well as gaining from the warm sun of Mediterranean.
This beautiful city oozes downbeat cleverness and superiority and provides streets filled with regional bars, restaurants as well as international bards. Ville Rose, commonly known as the Pink City, hosts a big and very welcoming community of gays and the utmost number of venues for gay in France, on both sides of gay clubs, gay bars, and saunas.
A lot of gays flocked to this city to celebrate and witness the very colourful Marche des Fuertes, a yearly gay pride celebrated in June when the city transforms into a big rainbow-colored street party. Having a modern portion as the business hub and center of aviation, the city is a legacy town which embraces its history in the application of the Occitan language.
This old town hosts impressive and magnificent churches as well as massive public spaces that all come fondly conserved by rich and wealthy control. The UNESCO or United Nations Heritage Site called the Canal du Midi offers the ideal path in the city, which runs 150 miles past Toulouse’s most excellent museums, monuments, boutiques, and a whole lot more.
Marseille is also one of the best gay travel destinations in France; this is one of the country’s port cities. This southern treasure sits between Nice and Montpellier on the coast of the Mediterranean. While commonly taken for granted in preferred of the more abundant cities, this place is considered a multicultural center, providing a saltier, grittier type of Provence.
The crime rate is higher as opposed to other gay-friendly cities in France; Marseille is indeed an edifying heavyweight with firm gay credentials. This city previously hosts the European Capital of Culture and EuroPride and stays keen to exceed itself, which hosts a good collection of open-air shops or markets in its African-French quarter and different significant sights in the aged port area or also known as Vieux Port.
This is a very established city with an assorted mix of gay-friendly saunas, bars as well as clubs leaning toward the cruisey part of things. Marseille has more than two decades of history; the gay scene in the city can feel a bit old at times. However, the local strength and courage of escapades will pull you in, specifically if you are into rough and hardy sailor types.
Invite your gay friends or partner to spend days in the city wining as well as eating at port side terrace restaurants as well as bistros, strolling past exceptional architectural acts on the way to the best gay beach, which is the Mont Rose Beach.
Monte Rosa is a very popular place amongst gay travellers in France and residents. This is a nudist beach as well as a popular cruising destination with stony private areas as well as unbelievable views.
Are you gay and want to explore some of the gay-friendly places in France? We highly recommend visiting Marseille. You will surely have a very busy day with your partner visiting the best gay cafes, restaurants, bars, and clubs. It should also be noted that there many gay-friendly hotels are available in the area.
France has a lot of things to offer to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. On the other hand, if you are a gay traveller in France or you love to travel around the world with your partner and want to make the most out of your visit to France, we highly recommend going to some of the mentioned gay travel destinations. This will surely make your vacation or holiday memorable, and who knows, this is the chance to find a partner should you visit the place alone.
