gay travel
gay friendly hotels in edinburgh

Edinburgh is a great destination for the gay visitor. Much of the scene is centred round the pink triangle between Broughton Street and the top of Leith Walk, each hosting a plethora of venues. Edinburgh in the warm months attracts a multitude of international tourists, so the gay scene is thriving and constantly changing, but in the winter months it can feel like a village. Lots of action happens around the hub of the Blue Moon café and three main bars – Planet Out, The New Town bar and The Laughing Duck. Amazingly CC Blooms is the only club open every night, however, there's a whole series of clubs which become gay on a particular night of the week, and around the weekend there's a bevvy to choose from. Great night clubs include CC Blooms, Vibe, Blaze, Club Ego, the Commplex (women only), Booty LUS Hous, and the Liquid Room. Cruising takes place at Calton Hill at night. Warriston Cemetry also attracts cruisers, but be warned, it can be dangerous. During the Festival Edinburgh is like nowhere else on earth. Cruising and international exchanges can happen at all times of day and night, and there’s always plenty of films, theatre, dance, music and books of gay interest to devour.

Gay friendly hotels in Edinburgh are plentiful, central and convenient. We recommend

Simpsons Edinburgh City hotel – www.edinburghcityhotel.com

Prestonfield – www.prestonfield.com

Key gay destination areas are

Broughton Street

Edinburgh’s best-known gay and gay-friendly street is full of bars, bistros and funky shops. Close to Princes Street and Waverly Station, Broughton Street is a great place to spend some time. Check out the numerous bars and cafes where you’ll be made more than welcome.

The Top of Leith Walk

Home to some of the city’s most popular gay bars and clubs – this area is pretty lively – and, slightly confusingly, is sub-divided into rows of buildings named Greenside Place and Baxters Place, so a lot of clubs may be closer together than you’d expect.

The Old Town

You’ll find several gay and gay-friendly bars scattered around the area near the University– popular pre-club hang-outs like The City Café, Negociants and Iguana, are all in this area.

The big gay event in the Capital’s calendar is Pride – an annual celebration culminating in a massive rainbow parade.
www.pride-scotia.org

For more details of gay, LGBT and ‘pink’ attractions in Edinburgh, look at citybreaks.visitscotland.com