Gay Friendly Vancouver

If you've got an appetite for a diverse travel destination with a laidback attitude and a high capacity for fun, it might be Vancouver that you want to put on your travel plate. And if you've got an appetite for adorable people with a friendly attitude, the Vancouverites are certain to be the people with whom you want to surround yourself. There is both clean and naughty fun around every corner of Vancouver's clean and welcoming streets, and you'll find that the gay scene here is exciting, interesting and filled with surprise.

The natural setting of Vancouver is certainly conducive to having an enjoyable time during your stay in the area. With its green spaces, great clubs and beautiful ocean, Vancouver offers everything you could dream of if you were planning to a vacation based on the beauty of the surrounding area. While the surrounding mountain tops might be snow capped, in terms of Canadian weather, Vancouver is one of the most temperate places you could choose to visit. Summers are warm, sunny and beckoning while winters are rainy but mild. Speaking of those snow-capped mountains, the Coast Mountains are on the city's door step and offer endless entertainment from hiking and biking to skiing in the winter. While you may not recognize them by their name, The Coast Mountains are home to the famous Whistler Mountain Resort and the Grouse Mountain Resort.

Vancouver combines the best of various worlds - it is urban yet small-town friendly, green, clean and safe. In fact, the city is so green that you will want to make sure you don't litter (not that you would) - but people here take the environment seriously.

When you visit Vancouver, you enjoy a bustling metropolis filled with diverse ethic groups. Vancouver hosts pockets of different cultural groups which are peppered throughout the city. These ethnic neighborhoods compliment with Canada's naturally tolerant attitude to create a place where all people are truly welcome.

Although Vancouver overall is very gay-friendly, the neighborhood known as the gay district is definitely Davie Village. Also known as or Davie Street, this area is in the West End and is surrounded by Burrard, Denman, and Jervis Streets. In this district, you will find a number of gay-owned restaurants, shops, hotels, and other services, not to mention the designer clothing boutiques which are a big draw for travelers coming to Vancouver. The Davie Village area is also a residential neighborhood where many gay couples live. The oldest bathhouses in the city are in this area and the now infamous Little Sister's Book and Art Emporium, a gay and lesbian bookstore, is also located in this area. If you're looking for gay Vancouver, you're looking for Davie Village.

When in gay friendly Vancouver -you'll notice that Davie Village hosts a number of gay events and festivals that you may want to attend. First and foremost - Vancouver's annual Gay Pride Parade is heartily celebrated here. Additionally, the Davie Street Festival (held around the same time as the Pride Parade) takes place, offering more events and fun things to do. The entire village is closed to car traffic and a general feeling of party prevails throughout both of these events. Besides these festivals, look for Rapture Pride featuring wild dance parties and The Out on Screen Queer Film Festival. In the winter, take part in Altitude: Out on the Slopes. This week-long gay event involves a day of dancing and skiing in Whistler, one of the best places to ski.

Where to Stay - Gay Friendly Hotels in Vancouver

We hate to make this more difficult than it has to be - but really - most hotels in Vancouver will be quite gay-friendly. Canada legalized gay marriage several years ago and even prior to then - gay travel has always been popular here. With that gay friendly attitude - you can expect great courtesy no matter where you go.

That being said - there are a number of hotels that are especially known for being gay-friendly. Since Vancouver is so popular with the international travelers, you will notice many boutique hotels, each offering gorgeous rooms and outstanding service, and several of which are specifically gay-friendly.

If you're interested in enjoying one of these European-flavored boutique hotels, you might want to consider the Pacific Palisades as your place of lodging. The hotel hosts gay marriage ceremonies on a regular basis so you'll find that there's an air of celebration here most of the time. Other hotels which are specifically known for being gay-friendly lodging places include the Nelson House Bed and Breakfast, - and if you prefer to pack light - try the men-only, clothing-optional Park Ridge.

If you're not quite sure where you want to stay and you plan to check out the hotel options upon your arrival in Vancouver, you should make your way to the West End. Davies Village is the neighborhood which will have the most offerings in terms of gay hotels, but the entire West End neighborhood offers much to choose from in terms of gay-friendly lodging. Here, you'll find the Empire Landmark Hotel (Vancouver's tallest hotel), the Inn at False Creek, and the Marriott Residence Inn Vancouver, all of which are top choices for gay Vancouver travelers. There are also several budget options in this area so you can certainly select something which is right for both your style and your pocketbook.

Davies Village and the West End aren't the only places in the city where you'll find gay friendly hotel options, of course. Vancouver is filled with interesting and eclectic neighborhoods, including a large Chinatown, the historic Gastown, the trendy Commercial Drive - which incidentally is very popular with the lesbians - and the waterfront Kitsilano. Any of these places would be excellent for accommodations depending upon your particular travel preferences. With such an accepting attitude prevalent throughout Vancouver, you should leave your options open to more than just gay-specific lodging.

What to See and Do in Gay Friendly Vancouver

You certainly won't be bored in Vancouver. The nature surrounding the city is beautiful, and if you've got any adventure in you - you'll want to be outside as much as possible during your visit to Vancouver. You can go skiing or swimming or hiking or kayaking … the abundance of outdoor options is almost overwhelming. But if it happens to be a bad day or you're simply tired of working on that tan, there are also plenty of indoor options in Vancouver. There are museums and galleries and theatre options galore. Vancouver is also know for its high end shopping and its unique local stores.

Vancouver is a neighborhood oriented city. Start your activity search in the West End, where you will find the upbeat energy of a downtown center combined with the trendy fun of the gay community. The neighborhood is popular for it's shopping, dining - and of course it's people-watching. Visit Robson Street for the designer clothing boutiques. Head over to the Granville Island Public Market in False Creek for more eclectic market-style shopping - and make your way to Main Street or Kitsilano's West Fourth if you really want a place where you can exercise the credit cards.

WHICH WAY TO THE NUDE BEACH?

In Vancouver you can find a beach just about everywhere you turn. Whether you're looking for a stretch of sand to spread out and relax with a good book, an outdoor court to spike a volleyball, or a catwalk to strut your stuff, Vancouver's got it all.

Secluded Wreck Beach - a six-kilometer strip of sand that curves to form a perfect ocean swimming beach - is Canada's first and largest, legal, clothing-optional beach. It's also one of The Out Traveler's top five nude beaches in the US and Canada. Located adjacent to the University of British Columbia campus, Wreck Beach can only be accessed by a flight of steep stairs down the side of the UBC bluffs, or by a long walk from Spanish Banks Beach. On summer weekends, as many as 14,000 people flock to the beach. Vendors' Row, located down the middle of the beach, offers snacks and refreshments. Washed up logs make perfect natural backrests for sun worshipers (a feature unique to many Vancouver beaches). Wreck Beach enthusiasts are a loyal and protective bunch who take their right to "bare" arms, legs and everything else quite seriously. Time your visit for July 5 and take part in the annual Wreck Beach Bare Buns Fun Run!

If you're actually just looking for swimming, kayaking and other water activities, Jericho Beach, Spanish Banks, and English Bay Beach are all common traveler choices. And if water sports aren't your thing (we mean swimming and rowing!), consider rollerblading in Stanley Park, hiking at Vancouver Island or simply walking around the city.

If you want to soak up more than just the sun, consider taking in some culture. Head to The Vancouver Aquarium, Science World, the Vancouver Art Gallery, HR MacMillan Space Centre, or the Museum of Anthropology to see the displays that capture the interesting Vancouver life. If you want to shop and check out galleries as well as performers, head to Granville Island under the Granville Street Bridge. This former industrial dump has been transformed into a public market and arts center, with artists and shoppers aplenty. Be sure to check out Chinatown (which is the third largest Chinatown neighborhood in all of North America) - offering a unique cultural experience - or explore the architecture of the Gastown historic district.

Dining in Gay Friendly Vancouver

It's very hard to describe Canadian food. Each region of the country has its own distinctive flavours, but in general the cuisine is heavily influenced by international cuisine. British Columbia offers an endless selection of delicious seafood, thanks to its proximity to the ocean, much of which is flavoured by the influence of the Asian population in the nearby community.

Vancouver attracts many of the more innovative chefs of the world - in fact Food and Wine Magazine named Vancouver one of the Top 10 dining cities in the world in 2009. You can find dishes and restaurants featuring ethnic foods from around the world, seafood, steak houses - there is really something for everyone!

Stroll through Davie Village and you'll see plenty of cafes and restaurants, all of which are gay-friendly and many of which are gay-owned and / or gay-operated. The West End offers everything from fast food to fine dining, from American to African. Korean, French, Mexican, Mediterranean and as we said - plain old American food - can be found in this area, so if you're looking to find something that will catch your attention with its unique qualities, this is the place to go restaurant browsing. Davie Village Cafe and The Bagel Cafe are popular places for grabbing a quick bite and getting adjusted to the Davies Village scene.

There are a few restaurants in Vancouver which are widely recognized as the gay hot spots. Belgian Fries on Commercial Drive and Capers on Robson are popular casual places. The Boathouse, Delilah's, Diva at the Met and the Giraffe are all popular fine dining gay spots. Sejuiced is a favorite for gay vegetarian diners, although vegetarian entrees can be found at nearly every Vancouver restaurant which might tempt your taste buds.

Outside of the gay-specific places, you have a plethora of choices. Get true China-style Dim Sum in Chinatown. Stop off for some tapas in the early evening at one of the Gastown bars. Hit one of the more than fifty dining spots located on Commercial Drive. Park your packages beneath a late lunch table after shopping on Robson Street. Or just grab a snack from the local market or the beach-front vendors to eat while you're walking around seeing all there is to see.

If you really want to get a taste of the cuisine of Vancouver, consider heading to the city at the beginning of the year for the annual Dine Out Vancouver festival. Over 150 of Vancouver's restaurants participate in the event which takes place over the course of two weeks, and participants can enjoy three-course meals from any of these restaurants at highly discounted prices. This is an excellent way to really taste your way around Vancouver travel!

For a complete list of our favorite gay friendly restaurants in Vancouver, click on the "Restaurants Tab" on the City Directory found on the left side of this page.

Check out other deals in Sacramento
Sac Hotel Test
Jeff's Deal $1
Eddie's Deal $50

Check out other deals in Miami
National Hotel
Delux Room $(50-15)
King Room $(100-2)
Master Suite $(500-8)