Beyond famous hotspots like Brighton and Berlin, these are some of the most accepting places for LGBTQ+ travellers to visit.

Belgium came in at third place on the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index (after Malta at #1, and Iceland at #2), and #9 on the Asher Fergusson list. Astonishingly, same-sex activity was legalised here in 1795, and it was the second country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage back in 2003, after the Netherlands.

While Brussels is sometimes regarded as a little buttoned-up, locals say its LGBTQ+ scene is second to none. The main hub of its queer scene is located on curving thoroughfare Rue De Marche au Charbon and its surrounding streets. Popular bars include historic spot Le Belgica, trading since the 1980s; Station BXL; and quirky bar Homo Erectus, home to drag artist Paula Roid.

“We’re far ahead in terms of LGBTQ+ rights, whether it concerns queer parenthood or trans-identity,” Roid said. “Our queer artistic scene includes Kitsch and Cheap at The Agenda, a must-see non-binary bar, and Playback, which opens the doors of so-called straight places in order to raise awareness of our community.”

Few people realise that same-sex relations were legalised in Mexico back in 1871. And even though Mexico City legalised same-sex marriages back in 2010, and the country’s final state legalised same-sex unions in 2022, the country makes only #42 in Asher Fergusson’s travel safety report due to issues around adoption and hate crimes.

However, for more than 60 years, the Pacific coast resort town of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Jalisco has been an LGBTQ+ destination. In fact, by some estimates, roughly one-third of all tourists to the so-called “San Francisco of Mexico” are members of the LGBTQ+ community.

As Omar Eduardo Rivera Aguayo of the Mexican LGBTQ+ rights organisation Yaaj said: “In a country with one of the highest rates of hate crimes against the sexual diversity population, Puerto Vallarta stands out in an act of rebellion and acceptance as one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations in the world.” Aguayo recommends the “iconic” cobblestoned gay-bourhood called the Romantic Zone, adding there are “more than 40 bars and hotels exclusive to our diverse community,” including long-running Palm Cabaret, which has hosted tribute shows to queer icons.

A respectable #21 on the Asher Fergusson report, Australia’s newly crowned largest city is home to the country’s first-ever purpose-built LGBTQ+ space, Victorian Pride Centre, which opened in 2021 (and houses the queer bookshop Hares & Hyenas).

The state of Victoria is regarded as the country’s most progressive, with Melbourne home to one of Australia’s first queer political organisations, Daughters of Bilitis (Australia), formed in 1970. Key annual events include the Midsumma Festival and Melbourne Queer Film Festival (founded in 1991). Areas like Windsor, Fitzroy and St Kilda are all LGBTQ+ hubs, the latter home to the Prince Public Bar, a queer haunt since 1937. An essential newer opening is Beans Bar.