Traveling queer: how we're celebrating Pride
Malcolm Broström
Sustainability and inclusion
Making slow travel mainstream means making it mainstream for everyone. Designing and executing trips for anyone who is marginalized by a recognized protected characteristic takes a bit of extra care. Byway offers accessible trips for those with disabilities, and is working with experts to refine and expand this process. We are engaged with policies around rail travel in Britain and beyond, keen to campaign to make overland journeys more economically accessible to those most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. We want our approach to flight-free to become the norm. To bring everyone along with us on the journey to sustainability in travel.
With June kicking off Pride Month in the UK, we’ve been thinking about how we can better support our community of LGBTQI+ travelers. We understand that being an LGBTQI+ traveler adds its own complexities to planning. What are the local attitudes? Will I be able to hold hands with my wife on the train from Kraków to Berlin? What is the best place for us to celebrate Pride? What is the safest and most scenic way to get there?
We want to answer these questions for you, so that you can focus on the moments of joy that make a vacation special. Time spent with your chosen family after a wild swim in the Black Forest. Your favorite aperitif ordered at that little bar where you shared your first kiss in Bordeaux. Getting the lighting just right so you’ll never forget this golden hour ride through the Alps with your lover.
We strive to ensure our LGBTQI+ travelers are well catered to on the trips that we offer, surface the best experiences for our LGBTQI+ travelers, and ensure our travelers feel reassured that our expert team will be on hand throughout their trip. Crucially, this requires centering and amplifying the queer community, by responding to feedback from our LGBTQI+ travelers, and collaborating with LGBTQI+ experts within the Byway team.
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Partnership with Equaldex
As part of our anti-discrimination stance, we are now working alongside Equality Index. Equaldex is a verified, comprehensive and global crowdsourced knowledge base for public opinion and legal data on LGBTQI+ rights. Alongside better surfacing information to customers, our partnership with Equaldex also means we can ensure our policies and practices are backed by the most reliable data.
By integrating Equaldex into our trip-building tech, we are able to better surface places and experiences that are welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQI+ travelers. As well as integrating into our trip-building tech, we’ve also launched Equaldex data on all our destination pages, allowing explorers to choose the right destination for them and their loved ones. In addition to online itineraries, Byway’s sales team can plan even more custom trips for same-sex couples seeking a sparkly and sun-filled honeymoon.
Best places for LGBTQI+ travelers
Norway leads the pack overall for Byway regions with an 87/100 rating for legal equality and public opinion on LGBTQI+ rights. For Central Europe, Slovenia stands out as an option with legal support of LGBTQI+ equity at 82% and public support for LGBTQI+ people increasing to 55% in last year’s surveys. Triglav National Park features Lake Bled and its lesser-known counterpart Lake Bohinj within the Julian Alps, making it the perfect place to explore nature off the beaten path of its Austrian and Italian neighbors.
5 Top Byway Destinations for LGBTQI+ Travelers to Feel Confident, According to Equaldex
Norway: legal index 87, public opinion index 87
Spain: legal index 100, public opinion index 67
Denmark: legal index 93, public opinion index 69
Germany: legal index 100, public opinion index 62
Netherlands: legal index 90, public opinion index 66
Where to be cautious
There are still countries that hold negative public opinions about LGBTQI+ people, and where same-sex relationships and behaviors are not legal. In countries like Morocco, same sex behavior is still punishable by imprisonment and a fine. In Türkiye, there is state-enforced censorship. Hungary’s parliament recently outlawed public gatherings and depictions of visibly LGBTQI+ people, including Pride gatherings. Even the UK has fallen to 22 of 49 countries on ILGA-Europe's Rainbow Map, which ranks based on laws impacting LGBTQI+ people.
5 Destinations LGBTQI+ Travelers should use caution, according to Equaldex
Morocco: legal index 8, public opinion index 15
Türkiye: legal index 35, public opinion index 35
Albania: legal index 62, public opinion index 28
Bosnia: legal index 60, public opinion index 38
Hungary: legal index 60, public opinion index 41
The culture of a country is not its current government. If anyone knows that in 2025 it’s me—I’m a US passport holder from Texas. I love visiting home. I’ve taken my partner to the Fort Worth Stockyards, Dollywood, and Nashville. We two-stepped, honky-tonked, and yeehawed our hearts out—and were met primarily with kindness. Of course, I did have to brush the dust off the ol’ accent a bit.
Top trips for LGBTQI+ travelers
To celebrate Pride month and the launch of our Equaldex integration, I’ve curated some trips that are special to me as a lesbian and gender-nonconforming person. All of them feature a mix of history, exuberance, and beauty for our LGBTQI+ travelers to indulge. Have a gay gallivant around the UK toward Mariah Carey’s Brighton Pride performance of a lifetime. Traipse through France like Collette, with sapphic abandon. Find your favorite fiesta vibes in Spain before crashing at one of Axel’s LGBTQI+-centered hotels.
Letícia Fracalossi
Trip 1: A Big Queer Tour Around the UK
Although the UK has had its recent issues with equality legislation for LGBTQI+ people, it still comes in with a score of 69/100 on the Equality Index. While public opinion has dropped with only 56% of people in the UK supporting equality for queer people—the legal rights score 82/100 overall. The UK has a rich queer history, and offers some fascinating spots to seek out among the beautiful country.
London: Across Russell Square, past the Brunswick Centre, you’ll find the UK's first and oldest LGBTQI+ bookstore— Gay's the Word —nestled on Marchmont Street. Founded by gay socialists in the '70s, it hosted meetings for Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners during the miners' strikes in the '80s, as seen in the 2014 movie Pride.
Leaving Central and heading toward the East End to Highbury Fields, learn about the Gay Liberation Front’s first demonstration against police violence in 1970. A short hop over to Dalston will find you at Dalston Superstore —a great club venue also known for its daytime offerings, providing an important space for LGBTQI+ people who don’t feel like a night on the town.
You can finish the day at new(ish) and social-media viral La Camionera —a lesbian- and trans-owned lesbian bar that hosts community events, has its own lesbian bar cat, and isn’t in a basement (if you know, you know).
York: Anne Lister, the subject of the BBC’s Gentleman Jack, was a lesbian legend and avid diarist, with over 27 volumes recording her life and love of women found in her home Shibden Hall many years after her death. Across from the station and down the River Ouse stands Holy Trinity Goodramsgate Church where she (illegally) married Ann Walker in 1834 - perhaps history’s first recorded lesbian wedding.
The church was given the UK’s first LGBTQI+ memorial Blue Plaque dedicated to their relationship. Just off the famous Shambles, you can also find York’s only independent LGBTQI+ bookstore, The Portal. Grab a volume to get sucked into and find a cozy spot along the city walls.
Edinburgh: Nestled next to Craigmillar Castle, University of Edinburgh’s College of Medicine was the academic home of military surgeon and avid public health reform advocate, James Barry. After years of pioneering obstetric medicine and campaigning for better care of prisoners, James died in London, leaving instructions not to prepare his body for burial. These were ignored, and it was discovered that James was assigned female at birth, so is now largely regarded as the first transgender man to graduate from University of Edinburgh in 1812.
After taking in the architecture and history at the University, it's an easy swing back into the city center’s Pink Triangle on Broughton Street. Between the beautiful Mansfield Traquair and St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral sits The Street - a café, nightclub and Fringe Venue that has been home to Edinburgh’s queer community for over 20 years.
Glasgow: Glasgow is a personal favorite. A gem of arts, culture, and beauty. After taking in the skyline views at Southside’s Queen’s Park, head over to Category is Books, Glasgow’s only independent LGBTQI+ bookstore. Founded by two trans folks who grew up under Section 28, they run community events as well as sell books and fun stickers and pins made by local artists.
A bit farther out of town via local bus you’ll find Pollok Country Park, which offers an abundance of fresh air, a house and gardens, the Highland Cattle Park, and free LGBTQI+ tours at the Burrell Collection museum.
Finally, perhaps the star in Glasgow’s queer crown, Glasgow Women’s Library. Housed in a beautiful building just beside Bridgeton station, the library is the only museum in the UK dedicated to women’s lives, history, and achievements. Many of those women are lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, and gender nonconforming. The library’s archives hold the UK’s first lesbian zines like Sappho and Arena 3 - key to the Women’s Liberation Front and the Gay Liberation Front (and my PhD thesis). They also house over 200 events per year for artists, activists, readers, learners, poets, and travelers.
Manchester: Manchester is famous for Canal Street, the heart of the city’s thriving LGBTQI+ scene and Gay Village. Manchester hosts one of the largest Pride celebrations in the UK as well as Sparkle, a transgender celebration weekend in July. Walk the Queer Heritage Trail, established by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2003 and marked by rainbow mosaic tiles dotted around the city, to discover the activist history of the area.
Brighton: Brighton is home to the UK’s biggest Pride festival, founded in 1973 and drawing names like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and Dua Lipa. Walk along the famous pier or visit one of the over 12 museums in Brighton to learn more about the rebel history of the queers of Brighton and Hove.
Ben Guerin
Trip 2: Sapphic Sojourn through France
France is a country proud of its revolutions. The 2024 Olympics, hosted in Paris, saw controversy over what was perceived as a queer version of The Last Supper. Oscar Wilde famously lived in Paris for a time. 71% of French people think that France is a “good place” for gay and lesbian people to live, and 72% of LGBTQI+ people feel safe being open.
Lesbian and queer women, especially, have always had a foothold in France. Collette, Gertrude Stein, Djuna Barnes, and even Julie d’Aubigny - the bisexual sword-fighting icon to whom Chappell Roan paid tribute at the 2024 VMAs - all inspire the women of the world who love women to flock to France.
Rouen: While Joan of Arc’s gender presentation and sexuality have long been a point of historical contention, Rouen continues to be the geographical point of lesbians’ claim to her as a kindred spirit. Visit Rouen Castle and Ouen Abbey to pay tribute to the immortalized queer rebel at the site of her imprisonment and abjuration.
Nice: Rue de Bonaparte may be the best-known LGBTQI+ area in Nice, Rue Delille is the unofficial lesbian haunt. Visit Librairie Vigna for Sapphic and Feminist literature before heading to lesbian-owned Hacienda Bar y Cocina for tacos and cocktails served into the wee hours.
Cannes: The luxurious, campy vibes that the LGBTQI+ community would be hard-pressed to pass up aren’t the only thing Cannes has to offer us. Neither are the unbeatable views nor the bougie drinks you might enjoy while spotting the actual bourgeoisie on the beachfront. Visit during the famous film festival to see the Queer Palm, the queer film spotlight of the awards since 2010 and honor the most cutting-edge queer filmmakers of our time.
Paris: Paris has always been for lovers of all genders, shapes, and fancies. Early 20th century Paris was known as a safe haven for lesbian and gender nonconforming women. Walk through the 6th arrondissement - or “lesbian left bank” - past the homes of Gertrude Stein, Janet Flanner, and Natalie Barney.
The modern queer Marais district is where you can find lesbian and feminist club, La Mutinerie, before having a nightcap and midnight snacks at Palestinian lesbian bar, Dirty Lemon. I always enjoy grabbing a coffee and browsing feminist literature in French I can’t quite read at Violette and Co while nursing a well-earned hangover the next morning.
Trip 3: Drag & Disco en España
Spain isn’t only a refuge for British sunseekers in the summer months, nor just a place to find particularly good vibes via the literally magnetic Es Vedrà, Ibiza. It is, and has been, a dichotomy of queer liberation and Catholic ideology. Despite heavy opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, Spain became the third European country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2005 - almost a full decade before the UK.
It’s no wonder, then, that Spanish cities play host to some of the most numerous and thriving LGBTQI+ owned cafés, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops in Europe - including Axel hotels, featured in this trip so that you know you’ll be welcome when you finally get off the dance floor and head for bed.
San Sebastián: Always ahead of its time, San Sebastián has been welcoming LGBTQI+ travelers since the 1970s. Visit the Miraconcha district to see the beautiful architecture in what was the historic center of queer nightlife in the city before heading to the Basilica of Santa María del Coro to see a statue of the city’s namesake and queer icon, Saint Sebastian - immortalized as a figure of sexuality and resilience by artists in the 19th century and used as a figure of hope during the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Bilbao: Host to the annual Zinegoak LGBTQI+ film festival, Bilbao has a fabulous queer arts and nightlife offering in the Old Town and the San Francisco Quarter. Enjoy a quiet cocktail at Pavoneo before heading for a louder night out at Pub Badulake.
Madrid: Proud of its Pride, Madrid has tons of locally run activities specifically catered to LGBTQI+ people. A quirky and (optionally) sober daytime offering is Get Your Guide’s LGBTQI+ Tapas Tours around the queer Chueca district. In more traditional gay-evening fashion, Black & White is the place to catch a legendary drag show.
Barcelona: After a stroll through the Jardins de Joan Maragall and Laribal, visit La Federica to see exhibitions by local queer artists and catch some LGBTQI+ music and performance in English and Spanish. For something a bit spicier - Candy Darling, is a mega-club named after the famous trans actress, featuring food, burlesque, disco, and drag to your heart’s content.
Jason Leung
Pride mini trips:
Short on time but big on queer energy? Take a quick getaway to some of the EU’s best Prides. Whether you’re in the mood for protest or celebration, Europe has something to offer in the summer months.
Berlin: Berlin Pride or “Christopher Street Day” - named for the street where NYC’s Stonewall Riots took place - is a parade and celebration that happens every year in late July. Their motto, “never silent again,” encompasses the loud and proud attitude of the LGBTQI+ community in the city. Pro tip: catch the anti-capitalist and trans-inclusive Dyke* March for some activist demonstrations, typically the Friday before CSD on Saturday. This year’s dates are July 25 and 26!
Stockholm: The largest Nordic Pride festival, Stockholm Pride is a member-governed, nonprofit organization supporting the safety of LGBTQI+ people since 1998. They host Young and Family-specific sections of the festival for those between the ages of 13 and 25 and for queer families with young children! This year’s parade is on August 2.
Rotterdam: For a shorter (and less sweaty) gay getaway outside of normal Pride season, try Rotterdam Pride. Running from September 19, with the main parade on the 27th, the city will host a week of performances, exhibitions, and events curated by local artists and activists under the motto “inclusive, progressive, and proud.”
Serena Repice Lentini
Whether you’re the kind of person to throw the first brick or disco ’til morning - Byway can help you get there, flight-free & liberating. We know lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, third-gender, Two-Spirit, and queer people have always been here - and always will be. With the dedication and expertise to empower queer travelers to venture onto paths unknown, with safety and equality in mind, Byway is here to make your next adventure full of wonder.
