World's top Gay destinations

Whether you like to go on Cruises or spend the week at a sunny resort , whether you like to travel alone to where all the hot guys are or spend a romantic getaway with your partner; there is something for everyone in the world of Gay travel. From San Francisco to Sydney, New York to Naples there is something for everyone and you shall never be bored or alone for that matter. Get out there and see all the world has to offer with these top destinations.

The restored Art Deco-style blocks of South Beach (the part of Miami Beach south of 22nd Street) attract gay and straight alike.

Nightlife in South Beach goes late, so an afternoon siesta will be in order. Many typically do that on the beach.

Twist (1057 Washington Avenue) is a must for any gay South Beach visitor. Late-night intrigue and a packed dance floor are what make this cocktail and dance bar such a kick. It's fun to wander the maze, where an international crowd shows up nightly, and it's surprisingly easy to find a private space to chat. The atmosphere here is friendly and relaxed, and the bar team exceptional.

The stylish Score (727 Lincoln Road) is a cocktail bar and dance club, with terrace seating in front, on the cruisy Lincoln Road Mall. Their Sunday t-dance is well-attended. Behind Score, Laundry Bar (721 North Lincoln Lane) combines bar life (both gay and straight) with laundry life, so it's a busy spot.

Halo Lounge (1625 Michigan Avenue), a contemporary boutique smoke-free environment, offers plush seating and jazz lounge music.

Palace (1200 Ocean Drive) is another must visit. It's famed Ocean Drive's only gay bar and restaurant, situated right across from the gay beach (look for the flags). The Palace is open from 10 a.m. till 11 p.m. (till midnight for drinks), slightly later on weekends. D-Bar, a quiet bar tucked way inside Palace, is great for meeting up for a date, and there's a discreet side entrance from the street.

A weekend venue, Seven (685 Washington Avenue) is the city's gay Latin dance club, with meringue and house music keeping the beat.

If you are not a nightlife type of guy and just like to enjoy a good meal, watch the boys, and enjoy a relaxing time then Miami has all of that as well with fine eateries and Hotels over looking the fine area beaches. For more information on Gay Miami go to go to www.gogaymiami.com .

Montreal's Gay Village (The Village, French, Le Village gai or simply Le Village) is located on Saint Catherine Street East, downtown, centred on Beaudry metro station, in the Ville-Marie borough of the city. The Village runs approximately from Berri Street to De Lorimier Street, a distance of nearly two kilometres, making it the largest in North America in terms of scope of the complete area.

There is so much to do in this city, bars, strip clubs with some of the sexiest young men on earth, fine Gay restaurants and much, much more. You will constantly be amazed by the city's charm and uniqueness that you may not want to leave.

Then there is Toronto which is just as much fun if not more at times with it's fun people and exciting nightlife.

Toronto is home to the first fully recognized same-sex marriage in North America, and same-sex couples have come here to tie the knot since June 2003. But it's the city's sexual openness-- not just gay marriage-- that distinguishes Toronto.

It's Queerdom's Golden Gateway! Perhaps there's nowhere else in the world that gay people so freely call home.

If you trace the history of this foggy, windy peninsula you'll realize it was invaded by gold miners, peopled by soldiers returning from wars, and then descended upon by Haight-Ashbury flower children propounding free love. Today, this legacy translates into an accepting populace proud of the past and embracing its present diversity.

The city has been ladled over some 49 hills, offering great views from many a crest; you'll either have enviable quadriceps or asthma before your sojourn is through. Parking will inevitably land you a ticket, but public transportation on the MUNI (via subway, rail, bus, or cable car) and BART make life easy.

London continues to attract millions of tourists each year, drawn by he metropolis's inimitable sights, spectacles, shopping, and nightlife. People queue daily to ride the London Eye, a huge state-of-the-art Ferris wheel with viewing pods, boasting breathtaking, 360-degree views of the city. Trafalgar Square, where Nelson's Column stands, is now a pedestrian-only zone, making your trip to visit the famous National Portrait Gallery all the more enjoyable. And Notting Hill, with the nearby Portobello Road Market, is filled with designer clothes, antiques, and retro goods (be warned: it's packed at weekends).

The gay venues range from long-running pubs with oak and wood trimmings and long-legged bar stools to up-to-the-minute Euro-style restaurants. The cruise scene is thriving with an array of bars and saunas.

Last year's smoking ban in all public places led many venues to open terraces and outside smoking areas, some roofed and some with halogen fires to keep puffers warm on cooler nights. A new trend called "smurfing" -- smoking with strangers and flirting in enclosed areas -- actually made me want to light-up a cigarette.

The world famous London Palladium is housing the first-ever Queer-tastic Variety Show on August 10, 2008. Expect well-known talent and some surprises from the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Divine David, Simply Barbra, John Barrowman, Wau Wau Sisters, Frankly Scarlet, Mommie Queerest, Justin Bond a.k.a. Kiki, and Pam Ann. You can be one of the first to receive a VIP invite if you email queervariety@yahoo.co.uk. Another exciting theater event is the opening of Gone with the Wind, a musical based on the famous film. It's directed by the Trevor Nunn and has just started previews. Visit Gwtwthemusical.com for more info.

Much is made of tolerance in Amsterdam, but Amsterdammers don't just tolerate, they celebrate things that elsewhere are prohibited. Europe's gay capital is sexy, raunchy, rational, and fun.

The city's lifestyle may disorient at first, but before long the sex in the bars, the sexually explicit window displays, soft drugs for sale in boutique shops, and that distinctive smell coming from many doorways -- plus the pot plant starter-kits among the tulip bulbs -- will seem completely natural. For now it's all still quite accepted and legit; and why not, you may soon wonder. Amsterdammers take it all for granted, and they welcome visitors with enthusiasm.

Boston's gay life has toned down a bit over the years but there is so much to do in this wonderful and gay friendly city. Boston is a world class city in itself who prides itself on tolerance. There are a good amount of bars and plenty of restaurants in Beantown as well as many other fun things to do from plays to catching the Red Sox play. Then there also is P- Town for the perfect weekend getaway.

Gay life in the Big Apple is electric, offering pleasures catering to most kinks, eateries that'll stump even the cognoscenti, and myriad nooks for encounters -- fleshly and cultural

So infinite is the variety of this city that it's impossible to include here all the gay establishments. What follows are some of the best-known gay spots and those most currently "happening."

Both first-time and veteran visitors to New York will find the Gay and Lesbian Community Center (208 West 13th Street) a good place to get oriented. There are frequent lectures and discussions by noted New Yorkers in the arts, academia, and politics. Check here for visitors' welcome packages and recommendations by an amiable staff.

A number of New York publications cater to queer fancies. The weekly NEXT contains a detailed roster of daily specials and is a reliable resource for not just bars and parties, but the thriving escort scene in the city. Edge New York is another great resource of what's currently what.

Going by concentration, the Chelsea area -- especially along Eighth Avenue -- is ultra queer. The Hell's Kitchen area (especially in the mid-40s between Eighth and 10th Avenues) is not far behind in its lavender-ness. But note that New York's gaiety is not limited to "Chelsea Heights"; be it the East Village, Midtown, or Uptown, there are tricks and treats galore.

Chicago is a national urban treasure that's buzzing with gay life-- as well as breathtaking architecture, first-rate art, sports, and incredible eateries. And Chicagoans are some of the nicest, most approachable folk you'll ever meet.

Even without a car-- maybe especially!-- getting around the "Windy City" is, well, a breeze. The historic "L" (the trains operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, or CTA) is easy to navigate and operates 24 hours. You can get free maps, and a seven-day CTA pass costs $20 (available from vending machines at the airports, Union Station, and from stores around town-- CTA passes of other durations are also available).

The gay scene is concentrated in the East Lakeview area, or "Boystown," conveniently on the CTA's Red Line (both the Belmont and Addison stations are right in the heart of it all). The 22 Clark and 36 Broadway bus also run here. Things are happening in the streets around West Belmont, North Halsted, North Clark, and Broadway, with most places just a short walk of each other. The lakeside lawns where Lincoln Park meets Belmont Street are a popular gay sunning spot, as are the sands of Hollywood Beach, further north.

Buenos Aires is becoming a popular gay travel destination. Is probably one of the most open-minded cities in Latin America. It has also an European feel, but very cheap because of the crisis. The guys are very hot, a mix of Italian, some Spaniards, German, French, English.

"This isn't a let-it-all-hang-out party place like Rio. Rather, in Buenos Aires, lesbians and gay men socialize on a fairly low-keyed level, often in the city's many trendy outdoor cafes and stylish restaurants - plus a decent number of gay bars. While you won't necessarily encounter a Castro- or Chelsea-like gay playground where same-sex couples stroll hand-in-hand, you will find that residents of Buenos Aires accept gays and lesbians as a natural component of the urban fabric."

In recent years there has been huge progress with several anti-discrimination and gay rights laws being passed. In 1996 measures forbidding discrimination on the basis of amongst other things sexual orientation were introduced, making Buenos Aires the first Spanish-speaking city in Latin America to do so. In 2002 same sex civil unions were approved in Buenos Aires.

The magical and majestic "golden city" of Prague, in the newly recreated Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia) has come of age as a world-class gay hotspot. The uninhibited Czechs legalized homosexuality way back in 1961, and today there's a thriving gay scene, with easily approachable young men. With its spectacular sights and inspiring combination of old and new, this tolerant city situated on the Vlatava river offers a mesmerizing mix of splendid architecture, from the medieval era to the centuries when Prague was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, to the baroque excess of the Hapsburgs and the gilded age of the 19th century, when Prague gloried in its wealth and culture. Mercifully, the city escaped destruction during World War II, and though the Communist era was an architectural low point, the financial constraints of the Soviet-era revisionists prevented wholesale damage to the wonderful old structures that sat waiting to be renovated when the Czech and Slovak peoples finally broke free in 1989.

Since those heady days of the "Velvet Revolution," Prague has been at the center of a cultural and financial facelift that promises a better future for this still somewhat edgy society of over 10 million people. Despite low wages and difficult adjustments to a market economy, the city's shop-lined streets and crowded restaurants bustle with activity. The Czech crown's favorable exchange rate (currently about 35 to the US dollar) makes traveling affordable to Westerners.