Entertainment*
WANDERLUST

Travel Trends: What’s Hot In 2013

By Dan Allen January 23, 2013 at 8:00am
It’s a big gay world out there, and choosing where to head on your next vacation isn’t always easy. So we’ve scoured the globe to bring you ten of the best destinations for the coming year, along with a few of our picks for the top things to do once you get there. Bon voyage!    

10. Bogotá

bogota Why now: Hot on the heels of being named a UNESCO City of Music, the Colombian capital is celebrating this year with the first Bogotá International Music Festival. Same-sex couples may get the right to marry in June, and Bogotá is firmly at the forefront of the country’s exploding gay culture. Where to stay: The luxurious and well-situated JW Marriott Bogotá Where to eat: The wild, eclectic and fun Andres Carne de Res Where to drink: Longtime gay mega-club Theatrón Side trip: The Caribbean’s warm and zesty Cartagena Image by lornapips CLICK THROUGH FOR THE REST OF OUR TOP TRAVEL PICKS FOR 2013.

9. Los Angeles

la Why now: Through the end of March, the Los Angeles County of Art Museum is presenting Robert Mapplethorpe: XYZ at LACMA, while the Getty Center is showing In Focus: Robert Mapplethorpe, its own collection of works by the famed gay photographer. Where to stay: Until the new Ace opens this fall, stick with The Standard Where to eat: The 2 Michelin-starred Providence Where to drink: Pretty-peopled West Hollywood ultra-lounge ELEVEN Side trip: The sun-baked modernism wonderland of Palm Springs Image by maveric2003

8. Berlin

berlin Why now: Despite a multi-billion dollar new airport that’s reluctant to open, the German capital’s magnetism as an international destination continues to grow. This year its important Schwules Museum, the world’s first dedicated LGBT museum, will double its size with a move to new digs just south of the Tiergarten. Where to stay: The cool and convenient Casa Camper Where to eat: The American gay-owned farm-to-table goodness of Little Otik Where to drink: The pink fur-walled kitsch-tastic saloon Roses Side trip: Arty Leipzig, hailed by some as the new Berlin Image by katherineprice

7. Singapore

Singapore Why now: A slew of slick new sights like the Marina Bay Sands casino and the lush Gardens by the Bay complex have added to lure of this super-clean, super-future Southeast Asian city-state. Early this year its Supreme Court is expected to finally overturn its archaic colonial anti-gay law. Where to stay: The perfectly situated and hip-ly luxurious Naumi Where to eat: The deliciously reimagined classic Singapore magic of Immigrants Gastrobar Where to drink: The mixed and friendly DMYK (Does Your Mother Know) Side trip: The sprawling Asian melting pot of Kuala Lumpur  

6. London

london Why now: With the craziness of last year’s Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee now behind it, London’s supercrowds are gone, and hotel and flight deals to the always-hot British capital are far easier to come by. Where to stay: Industrial-chic East End dynamo The Hoxton Where to eat: Soho’s stylish but straightforward 10 Greek Street Side trip: The eternally musical and ridiculously gay-friendly Manchester Image by atomicpuppy68

5. Austin

austin

Why now: The Texas capital’s iconic SXSW music and film festival in March seems to get gayer every year, and its Pride (this year on September 7) is one of the coolest in the U.S., with queer superstar Peaches appearing last year. Where to stay: The hip bungalow-boutique Hotel San Jose Where to eat: “Japanese farmhouse” and sushi palace Uchiko Where to drink: Upscale lounge bar Rain Side trip: Up and coming gay mecca and undiscovered gem, San Antonio Image by StandUPP

4. Rio de Janeiro

rio Why now: With the World Cup scheduled for next year in Rio and the lead-up already underway to the 2016 Summer Olympics, this is likely your last chance for a while to visit the saucy Brazilian playground before total travel mayhem ensues. Where to stay: The beach-close and very hip Mar Ipanema Where to eat: The loungy and samba music-filled Rio Scenarium Where to drink: The upscale Saturday super-club The Week Side trip: The incomparably cool, colossal and captivating Sao Paulo Image by s.t.a.r.k.

3. Marseille

marseille2 Why now: Not only is the spunky southern French port city a European Capital of Culture this year, it’ll also host the continent-wide Europride in July. Where to stay: The ultra-trendy but reasonably priced “urban kibbutz” Mama Shelter Where to eat: The classic bouillabaisse expert Miramar Where to drink: The Old Port mainstay L’Endroit Side trip: The sunny and ravishing seaside gem Nice  

2. Stockholm

stockholm Why now: The gorgeous and gay-loving Swedish capital is near the top of must-go lists every year, and in 2013 it will finally see the opening of the long-awaited ABBA Museum. Stockholm was also just voted global Style Capital by Logo TV’s NewNowNext.com, and until the end of March, the Museum of Far East Antiquities is hosting Secret Love, a groundbreaking show featuring more than 20 contemporary queer Chinese artists. Where to stay: The sleekly-designed urban island oasis Hotel Skeppsholmen Where to eat: The über-hip and Michelin-starred F12 Where to drink: The stylish summer floating deck bar Malarpaviljongen Side trip: Lovely Malmö, which in May will host the 2013 edition of the deliciously campy Eurovision Song Contest  

1. Amsterdam

amsterdam

Why now: This year the New Golden Age dawns in the gay-friendly Dutch capital, with the magnificent Rijksmuseum reopening in April (following a decade of renovations), and the Van Gogh Museum doing the same a month later. Amsterdam’s main contemporary art repository, the Stedelijk Museum, also just reopened in September after an eight year overhaul, and the city’s revolutionary Homomonument just celebrated its 35th birthday.

Where to stay: The luxurious, historic, and canal-side Pulitzer

Where to eat: The naturally fantastic breakfast, lunch and high tea at Gartine

Where to drink: The lively, friendly and central Queen’s Head

Side trip: Fashionable Antwerp, which will host the third World Outgames in August

Image by Rob Marson

 

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Once Monthly Annually

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated

More in Entertainment*

Latest*