Where your people go out

London Soho is the classic heart of queer London, with bars side by side around Old Compton Street, while Vauxhall, Dalston and Clapham each have a scene of their own. Expect historic pubs, drag cabaret, late-night clubs and queer bookshops.

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv is one of the most LGBTQ+-welcoming cities in the Middle East. Its queer life spreads across bars, beach parties and big one-off nights rather than one neighborhood, and Pride in June turns the whole city into a celebration.

New York From the Stonewall Inn in the West Village, birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, to the bars of Hell's Kitchen and Brooklyn's queer scene, New York has a place for every crowd.

Berlin Schöneberg, around Nollendorfplatz, has been Berlin's queer neighborhood for generations, while Kreuzberg and Neukölln bring a younger, alternative scene. Berlin is known for long club nights and a relaxed, come-as-you-are spirit.

Paris Le Marais is the center of LGBTQ+ Paris, with bars and cafés around Rue des Archives and Rue Vieille du Temple, plus cabarets and queer parties across the city.

Amsterdam Amsterdam's queer life clusters around Reguliersdwarsstraat, Zeedijk and Warmoesstraat, and the city celebrates Pride every summer with its famous canal parade.

Madrid Chueca is Madrid's LGBTQ+ heart, a compact neighborhood of bars, terraces and clubs that comes alive late. Madrid Pride is one of the biggest in Europe.

Barcelona The Eixample district, nicknamed the Gaixample, is home to most of Barcelona's LGBTQ+ bars and clubs, and Sitges is a short train ride down the coast.

Sydney Oxford Street in Darlinghurst is Sydney's famous queer strip, while Newtown and Erskineville offer a more alternative scene. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the world's best-known LGBTQ+ celebrations.

Toronto Church and Wellesley, known as the Village, is the center of Toronto's LGBTQ+ community, with bars, cabaret and community spaces along Church Street.

Manchester Canal Street and the Gay Village are the heart of queer Manchester, and the city hosts Manchester Pride every August bank holiday weekend.

San Francisco The Castro is one of the most famous LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in the world, with SoMa, the Mission and Polk Street each adding a scene of their own.

Melbourne Melbourne's queer life spreads across Collingwood, Fitzroy, St Kilda and Prahran, mixing classic pubs with queer-run bars and community groups.

Sitges A beach town south of Barcelona, Sitges is one of Europe's best-known LGBTQ+ destinations, with bars and cabaret packed into a few streets near the seafront.

Los Angeles Queer LA runs along Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, where the city's biggest bars and clubs sit a few doors apart, while Silver Lake and Los Feliz hold the laid-back east side scene around Sunset Boulevard. Downtown's Historic Core has its own cluster of bars and drag rooms, and LA Pride and WeHo Pride fill the calendar every June.

Chicago Northalsted, long known as Boystown, is the historic heart of queer Chicago, with a dense strip of bars and clubs along Halsted Street. Andersonville, further north on Clark Street, is the quieter home of lesbian bars, bookshops and neighbourhood taverns, and the Chicago Pride Parade draws the city together each June alongside Northalsted Market Days in August.

Montreal Le Village, around Rue Sainte-Catherine Est between Saint-Hubert and Papineau, is one of the largest gay villages in North America, home to drag cabarets, rooftop clubs and karaoke bars. Queer life also spills onto Boulevard Saint-Laurent and into the Plateau and Rosemont, and Fierté Montréal brings a week of festivities every August.

Lisbon Lisbon's queer nightlife centres on Príncipe Real, where the city's classic bars and clubs cluster, and on the narrow streets of Bairro Alto just downhill. A newer, more alternative scene has grown around Arroios, Graça and Intendente, and Lisbon Pride, with its Arraial Lisboa Pride street party, is the summer highlight.

Rome Rome's best-known LGBTQ+ strip is Via di San Giovanni in Laterano, the so-called Gay Street in the shadow of the Colosseum, with more queer bars and bookshops in Monti, Pigneto and San Lorenzo. Muccassassina is the city's long-running gay club night, and Roma Pride takes over the centre every June.

Milan Milan's LGBTQ+ life centres on Porta Venezia, where Via Lecco fills with bar crowds spilling onto the street every evening. Clubs and queer nights are spread across the city, and Milano Pride brings a month of events in June, with the MiX Festival of queer film every September.

São Paulo São Paulo's LGBTQ+ scene runs through Consolação, around Rua Frei Caneca and Rua Augusta, and into the República area near Largo do Arouche and the Copan building. The São Paulo Pride Parade on Avenida Paulista is one of the biggest Pride events in the world.

Rio de Janeiro In Rio, LGBTQ+ life starts on the beach, at the rainbow-flag stretch of Ipanema facing Rua Farme de Amoedo and along Copacabana, then moves to bars and clubs in Ipanema, Copacabana, Botafogo and the Centro. Rio Pride fills Copacabana beach every year, and Carnival is a huge moment for the community.

Mexico City Mexico City's LGBTQ+ heart is Zona Rosa, where Calle Amberes and the streets around it are packed with bars and clubs, while República de Cuba in the Centro Histórico keeps a classic cantina and drag scene. Every June the Pride march runs down Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo.

Warsaw Warsaw's LGBTQ+ bars and clubs cluster in Śródmieście, the city centre, around Żurawia, Wilcza and the streets near Plac Zbawiciela. The Parada Równości, Warsaw's Equality Parade, marches through the centre every June.

Bangkok Bangkok's LGBTQ+ nightlife centres on Silom, where Silom Soi 4 is lined with bars and drag shows and Soi 2 is home to the big dance clubs, with more queer spots in Ari, Ratchada and Chatuchak. Bangkok Pride brings a colourful parade and festival to the city every June.

Vienna Vienna's queer life runs through the 6th district and Naschmarkt area, with bars and cafés spread between Mariahilf, Neubau and the inner city. The Regenbogenparade on the Ringstrasse every June and the Life Ball tradition give the city one of Europe's warmest Pride seasons.

Munich The Glockenbachviertel, around Müllerstrasse and Gärtnerplatz, is Munich's LGBTQ+ quarter, a walkable cluster of bars, cafés and clubs. Christopher Street Day in July is the big summer moment, and the Oktoberfest's Gay Sunday at the Bräurosl tent is a tradition of its own.

Cologne Cologne is often called Germany's gay capital: the Bermuda Triangle around Schaafenstrasse and the streets near Rudolfplatz are packed with bars, and the Heumarkt area adds more. Cologne Pride (ColognePride / CSD) in July is one of the largest in Europe, and Carnival in February has its own queer nights.

Hamburg St. Georg, around Lange Reihe just behind the main station, is Hamburg's LGBTQ+ neighbourhood, with cafés by day and bars by night, while St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn bring the clubs. Hamburg Pride takes over the city centre every August.

Brussels Brussels' queer heart is the Saint-Jacques quarter, around Rue du Marché au Charbon and Rue des Pierres, a few steps from the Grand-Place. The Rainbow House on Rue du Marché au Charbon is the community hub, and Belgian Pride marches through the centre every May.

Prague Prague's LGBTQ+ bars and clubs cluster in Vinohrady, around Náměstí Míru and the streets between Vinohradská and Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad, with more in Žižkov and the New Town. Prague Pride in August is one of Central Europe's biggest.

Dublin Dublin's queer scene is compact and central, around George's Street, Capel Street and the Liberties, with historic pubs, drag nights and a strong community side through Outhouse on Capel Street. Dublin Pride fills the city every June.

Washington DC Washington's LGBTQ+ life started in Dupont Circle and now spreads along 14th and U Streets, Logan Circle and Shaw, with Adams Morgan and the Navy Yard adding more. Capital Pride every June, and the city's long political and activist history, give the scene a character of its own.

Seattle Capitol Hill, around Pike, Pine and Broadway, is Seattle's LGBTQ+ neighbourhood, a dense mix of bars, queer cafés, drag and community spaces. Seattle Pride and the Capitol Hill street parties every June are the summer highlight.

Atlanta Midtown, around 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue, is the centre of LGBTQ+ Atlanta, with more bars in Cheshire Bridge, East Atlanta and Decatur. Atlanta Pride in October, and Atlanta Black Pride over Labor Day weekend, are two of the biggest in the South.