A new study ranks Lisbon, Copenhagen and New York among the best destinations globally for LGBTQ+ people to visit. Marisa Cannon reports
A new study has revealed the world’s best tourist destinations for LGBTQ+ people.
Conducted by Emisil, a company that produces prosthetics for trans men, the study measures destinations according to their position on the 2023 Global Trans Rights Index – which ranks based on gender recognition, laws against discrimination and a low rate of hate crimes – as well as the number of queer clubs and bars that visitors can search for on Google Maps.
Top 10 queer tourist destinations
- Lisbon
- Copenhagen
- New York
- Amsterdam
- Taipei
- Barcelona
- Reykjavik
- Toronto
- Tokyo
- Paris
Lisbon scores highly as one of the world’s safest cities for LGBTQ+ people, and enjoys Portugal’s leading status on the Global Trans Rights Index with a number of headline queer events taking place across the city as well including Lisbon Bear Pride, Europride 2025 and Lisbon Gay Pride.
Copenhagen took second place, with a higher safety index than Lisbon but a smaller queer scene, however there are more queer events throughout the year such as Draghouse Copenhagen Presents and Copenhagen Winter Pride.
New York came third, mostly thanks to its number of queer venues, with 65 bars and clubs listed on the maps app, plus big-name highlights such as NYC Pride March and the Stonewall Riots anniversary. Its safety index, however, ranked third lowest on the list.
Amsterdam took fourth position as the first country on this list to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001, with gender recognition legislation first passed in 2014.
Taipei meanwhile came fifth with one of the list’s highest safety scores, with 30 queer nightlife venues available to visitors, while Barcelona was sixth, scoring well on the Global Trans Rights Index.
Reykjavik came seventh with just five queer nightlife spots but a high safety score; Toronto was eighth with a smaller queer scene again but a strong safety record.
Tokyo was ninth with more than 40 queer venues despite Japan not recognising same-sex marriage; and Paris was tenth with the lowest safety index but a thriving LGBTQ+ scene, home to Festival des cultures LGBT, Marche des Fiertés LGBT, and Paris International Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival.
A spokesperson from Emisil.com says: “Safety is an important criterion for every tourist but especially for the LGBTQ+ community. This study shows that Europe is a leading destination for queer people, but we see more and more destinations all over the world that have become queer-friendly.
“Nevertheless, It is still important to check laws and tourist tips before traveling to any country to make sure you will have a safe experience.”