The best LGBTQ travel destinations for Pride Month 2024
As is the trend in recent years, Pride Month 2024 is both international and longer than a single month. The fact that June alone cannot contain all of the Pride events around the world is excellent news for queer travelers: whether you’re heading to a parade abroad as part of the event travel trend or you want to add some spice to your existing summer vacation ideas, you have most of the summer season and many countries to choose from. But far from just listing the most LGBT-friendly countries to visit this year, this article is aimed at showing you how to get the most out of any Pride travel plans you’re making. We’ll cover when and where some of the best Pride events are taking place, where you can head once you’ve had your fill of celebrating, and what you can do along the way.
Before we take a close look at these international Pride celebrations, here’s a list of the ones we’ll be covering:
Vienna Pride: May 25-June 9
Pride Parade São Paulo: May 30-June 2
Madrid Orgullo: June 28-July 7
San Francisco Pride: June 29-30
Christopher Street Day Berlin: July 27
Reykjavik Pride: August 6-11
Vienna Pride: May 25-June 9
Vienna will be kicking off the Pride season in Europe with a multi-week event boasting, in addition to the standard parade, a Pride Run, a family day, and, yes, even a pool party. Perhaps best of all, 2024 will welcome back a much-loved part of Vienna Pride: after a multiyear COVID-induced hiatus, Pride Village will take up residence on the Rathausplatz to offer a mix of information, activism, entertainment, and much more. And if you get tired of the Pride-themed events, there’s no shortage of museums, palaces, and history in the former Habsburg capital and in cities relatively nearby.
Vienna to Prague
One such city is Prague, just a few hours northwest of Vienna. With a bit of a harder edge than Vienna’s imperial grandeur but with a tangible “up-and-coming” streak, Prague is great for anyone wanting to continue a cultural vacation thanks to its excellent mix of outdoor summer events, clubs (techno is still very much alive!), and centuries-long history of art and architecture. On your way between these two poles of Central Europe, it’s worth making a nature-inspired stop at the UNESCO-protected Lednice Chaeau and Park, tasting some hard-to find Czech wines at Sonberk Winery, and seeing the spooky (in a cool way) sights in the small city of Kutna Hora.
Pride Parade São Paulo: May 30-June 2
Ranking only behind New York as one of the largest Pride Parades in the world, Brazil is the place to be if you want immersion out of your Pride trips. And though São Paulo’s parade takes plenty of cues from Rio de Janiero’s Carnival in terms of energy and excess in expressing its queer side, it’s paired with a strong mission, too. This year’s theme is “Social policies for LGBT+ - We want them in full and not in half”—something we can get behind too. Of course, on the off chance you tire of dancing the night away, there’s always some famous Brazilian beaches to help you recuperate.
São Paulo to Florianópolis
If the sheer energy of Brazil’s largest city takes its toll, you can also trade the city’s 12 million inhabitants for the half a million of Florianópolis just down the coast. While keeping in mind that you’re in the southern hemisphere—making it winter, not summer—the very pleasant seaside vibes are still a welcome change of pace in what’s not only one of the best places to live in Brazil but also one of the best gay travel destinations on the continent. As you head down the coast, you should make a day of it with stops at a famous coffee museum, zhuzh up your Insta (even more) in the nearly neon Embu das Artes, or indulge in iconic cuisine and liquors in Morretes.
Madrid Orgullo: June 28-July 7
Just about everyone returning from a Europe trip raves about the Spanish lifestyle, and this is particularly true Madrid: its uniquely friendly, relaxed, and cosmopolitan personality is welcomes LGBTQ travelers during Pride Month or any other time. Of course, this reaches a peak during the Pride Parade held on the second-to-last day of Madrid’s festivities: not only do marchers and floats take over Paseo del Prado, one of the city’s main boulevards, but over 2 million people come out to join in the celebration. At the end of the route is a reading of a uniquely Spanish “manifesto of freedom, inclusion, and diversity.”
Madrid to Lisbon
If Eurotrippers say that Spain is one of the best places to travel in Europe, next-door Portugal somehow only ups the ante. Leaving aside the fact that Lisbon has the ocean to offer in the peak of summer, it’s also bursting with color, knitted together with intimate streets, and is somehow even more laid-back—a welcome change from the grandeur of Madrid. Plus did you see Poor Things? We stan Emma Stone. The village of Caceres, with its traces of overlapping Roman, Arab, Jewish, and Christian history, reflects Pride’s vision of diversity and lies between Madrid and Lisbon, as does Merida, once the capital of Roman Lusitania and now a history buff’s dream. Or just lighten up and take full advantage of your private Daytrip driver—the village of Palmela is at the heart of the renowned Portuguese wine country and so offers ample tasting opportunities.
San Francisco Pride: June 29-30
What would any article about gay travel be without mentioning San Francisco Pride? Even despite recent decades of gentrification, “the Beacon of Love” lives up to its reputation the last weekend of June; this year’s festivities will be led by Billy Porter and an admirably intersectional panel of Community Grand Marshals. Can’t make it to this summers San Francisco Pride Parade? Not to worry—Daytrip’s steadily expanding US operations will be there to help you plan any gaytrip, whether its to the Folsom Street Fair in September or any of the year-round queer and kink events in the Bay Area.
San Francisco to Sacramento
Okay, so Sacramento may not come to mind when it comes to vacation destinations, but hear us out. The capital of California is in the ultra-lush Sacramento Valley, giving it the highest number of trees per capita of any city on Earth as well as an ever-present and well-developed waterfront. It’s also one of the original nodes of the farm-to-table movement, meaning there’s no shortage of excellent, high-quality restaurants to take in (and maybe do a little hobnobbing in). Finally, to get from San Francisco to Sacramento means heading straight (well, maybe not quite) through Napa Valley, making stops at wineries along the way almost a given. We think that makes the “City of Trees” the perfect place to prolong a post-Pride getaway.
Christopher Street Day Berlin: July 27
Call it Pride, call it Christopher Street Day, they both commemorate the Stonewall Uprising: the Stonewall Inn is located on Christopher Street. And as you might expect from the city that hosts Berghain, all-weekend parties, and more than a few radicals, Christopher Street Day (CSD) Berlin is something between a concert, a be-in, and a protest—just as Pride ought to be. Better still, this July’s CSD is just the finale of a full month of Pride activities.
Berlin to Cologne
Believe it or not, Berlin may not be the German LGBT+ epicenter: Cologne, the country’s fourth-largest city, is actually the country’s biggest gay city. It has its own Pride celebration shortly before Berlin’s CSD, but the city’s “Bermuda Triangle”—roughly bordered by the downtown Heumarkt, Rudolfplatz, and Belgian Quarter—also forms a year-round gayborhood. Along the way, you can visit the architecturally diverse Postdam (complete with phallic observatory), the ultra-quaint village of Hildesheim, or the calming Imperial Abbey of Corvey.
Reykjavik Pride: August 6-11
Compared to the sun and skin of Pride in places like Brazil or Spain, Iceland may not compete even at the height of the summer season. Instead, it goes for the full-saturation approach: in a country of less than 400,000 inhabitants, Reykjavik Pride claims to attract something like 100,000 participants to its weeklong festival. With the standard parade complemented by intimate workshops, house parties, and opportunities to volunteer.
Reykjavik to Blue Lagoon
Iceland isn’t huge in either population or land area, but it begs to be explored. The top Insta-friendly destination for any visitor to Iceland is the Blue Lagoon—not a typical sauna, perhaps, but a more natural and visually striking way to vibe and relax. On the way are other natural wonders like the placid but mysterious Kleifarvatn Lake and the bubbling, venting Krysuvik landscape.
Why Daytrip’s private car service works for queer travelers
Traveling while queer can sometimes be an uncomfortable experience even in countries with welcoming attitudes toward the LGBT community. From simply being the subject of uncomfortable stares on public transit to more invasive issues like ID checks at airports, taking traditional transit options may not be the top choice for some (to say nothing of intersecting issues like sustainable travel). That’s one reason why we here at Daytrip are proud of our private car service helmed by handpicked drivers. Not only do you have your own space that takes you door-to-door in comfort, each driver is thoroughly interviewed, background-checked, and trained in Daytrip values—ensuring anyone of any orientation will feel welcome and well looked-after as you explore the destination of your choice. It’s our way of saying happy Pride Month this June and all year round!
