Summer of Pride – LGBT Pride Events in Europe

Different people, equal rights

In 2019, the city of Sofia hosts a new LGBT Pride event. Prior to the actual Pride March, there will be LGBT activities, events, and workshops, but the exact program will be available on the organizer website soon!

The 8^th of June 2019 is the date to visit the LGBT Pride event in Sofia Bulgaria. This Eastern European country has been the setting for a few Pride events in the past years. In 2019, Sofia hosts a new Pride event!

The actual Pride Parade will take off in the afternoon of June 8 at the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia.

LGBT-friendly hotel Sofia

Bulgaria might not be the first destination that pops in your mind when searching for LGBT destinations. However, Sofia has a few interesting spots to visit for LGBT nightlife, as well as, saunas and LGBT-friendly hotels in Sofia!

Scotty’s Boutique Hotel is an exclusively LGBT hotel in Sofia. All of the staff is LGBT and the hotel caters specifically for an LGBT crown, but it’s also straight-friendly. Scotty’s is a budget-friendly hotel option with a central location.

Central Hotel Sofia is perfectly located near the city center and it’s quite popular with LGBT travelers.

In Sofia, you can also book an entire apartment for your stay. Baratero Opera Apartments are spacious and centrally located, which is perfect for attending the Sofia Pride!

Celebrate Pride in the ancient city of Athens

Athens is one awesome city trip destination that takes you back in time. In Athens, tons of interesting historic sites await you and this beautiful Greek city is very high on our personal wish list!

On top of that, you can also attend Athens Pride in June, so why not schedule your travel plans in June. This way, you can combine a visit to this great destination with some LGBT+ Pride!

Athens Pride is happening on Saturday the 8^th of June 2019.

Athens hosts a Pride Week or multi-day event, and there are a few different activities planned, like a gala ball, a drag show, and a few parties. Keep an eye on the Athens Pride website to find more events as they get scheduled!

LGBT-friendly hotel in Athens

Loads of accommodation options in Athens are LGBT-friendly. Some have a great location near the LGBT scene of the city, like the A for Athens Hotel and the Plaka Hotel Athens.

Melia Athens and New Hotel Athens are both LGBT-friendly hotels in Athens and they are both beautifully designed and decorated.

Celebrate Pride in the ancient city of Rome

For the 25th time, Rome organizes an LGBT+ Pride event in the ancient streets of this fabulous city. Since Rome should be on every traveler wish list ever, why not visit this interesting city during the Pride festival?

Rome Pride is one of the Great European Pride events. Even though they haven’t published their complete Pride calendar yet, there will be tons of events and activities you can attend in the capital of Italy during this year’s Pride event!

LGBT-friendly hotel in Rome

As we already mentioned in our article with lesbian-owned accommodation, Cavour Forum Suites in Rome is a luxurious guest house in the heart of Rome. We especially recommend this place for all lesbian travelers visiting Rome, whether you’re visiting during the Pride Event or not.

Missed out on the Cavour Forum Suites? Radisson BLU Es. Hotel is also a great choice for spending the night in an LGBT-friendly environment. Furthermore, this hotel is located in the center of Rome.

Other awesome accommodations in Rome are the Maison Tritone and the Cappuccino Guest House.

Zagreb Pride Croatia

Zagreb Pride in the capital of Croatia is the largest Pride Event in Croatia. Even though some of the other cities in Croatia organize LGBT+ events during the summer months, we didn’t mention them in this list. There’s so little information to be found about these other Pride Events. There is, however a queer feminist festival in Rijeka called Lori!

So the Zagreb Pride is definitely the most important Pride Event in Croatia!

The Pride Parade in Zagreb takes place on the 8^th of June. It consists of a Pride March and closes off with a huge celebration in the evening.

But you’re welcome to visit the city sooner, as there will be an entire month dedicated to LGBT activities in Zagreb. Pride Month in Zagreb starts the 17^th of May.

LGBT-friendly hotel in Zagreb

Spend the night in an LGBT-friendly hotel in the city center of Zagreb. Hotel Dubrovnik and the Carpe Diem are both great accommodation options!

Baltic Pride Parade Lithuania

Each year, the Baltic Pride moves to a different Baltic capital. Last year, the setting for the Baltic Pride was Riga. This year, LGBT+ people and their friends are welcome in the capital of Lithuania: Vilnius. So next year, the Baltic Pride will be held in Tallinn, Estonia. The concept of switching between cities is awesome and it’s a great reason to visit the Baltic Pride a few times, so you get to discover different cities each year!

During the Baltic Pride, you get a chance to engage in workshops and attend different performances and activities.

Aside from the main event on the 8^th of June, Vilnius organizes an entire LGBT week full of events. The LGBT+ themed week starts the 4^th of June and ends the 9^th of June.

LGBT-friendly hotel in Vilnius

Radisson BLU Royal Astoria Hotel is a great choice to spend the night, as it is located in the city center, close to the action. Radisson Hotels are LGBT+ friendly and offer great quality!

The Stikliai Hotel and Hotel Pacai are also excellent choices in Vilnius!

Pride by the Mediterranean Sea

Sitges is an all-time favorite for LGBT travelers and it’s a true LGBT hotspot. There’s even a Gay Sitges App you can download on your mobile phone. For the tenth time, a Pride event is being organized in the beach town of Sitges.

The first of June, Sitges Pride opens with a big party, followed by 10 days of Pride Parties and activities. There’s a foam party, a boat party, and multiple pool parties.

At the Gay Pride Village, 5 days of Pride fun are guaranteed. It’s a custom built mini-village with food stands, activities and a large stage for artist performances.

The Main Pride Parade in Sitges will happen on the 9^th of June 2019.

LGBT-friendly hotel in Sitges

The official Pride Hotel in Sitges is the Iberosol Antemare. This hotel is for adults only and since it’s the official Pride Hotel, it might already be fully booked.

Another option is the Casa Rainbow, La Santa Maria, or Parellades Hostal.

Strong in Diversity

Zurich Pride is celebrating their 25^th anniversary in 2019 and they’re planning a massive celebration for that! The LGBT Pride festival is the largest LGBT+ event in Switzerland and it’s so worthy of your time! So if you plan on visiting Switzerland this summer, plan your travel dates accordingly!

Pride Week in Zurich lasts for 2 full weeks, starting the 1^st of June and ending the day of the Pride Parade. During the Pride Festival, many activities and festivities will be scheduled.

The actual Pride Parade takes place on the 15^th of June and everyone is welcome!

LGBT-friendly hotel in Zurich

Switzerland is a tolerant and open-minded country where LGBT are accepted widely. So each hotel you book will be happy to have you, LGBT or not!

Ladys First is a hotel in the center of Zurich that focuses on women! Yes! Who would have thought that? Men are welcome too 🙂 It’s located in the city center.

Hotel Alexander is another LGBT-friendly and centrally located accommodation option.

Motel One Zurich is a very budget-friendly option for travelers who like to spend their money elsewhere. However, this place is beautiful and centrally located!

EuroPride Host 2019: Vienna!

In 2019, Vienna is the host of the EuroPride Festival. For the 19^th time, Vienna organizes an annual Pride Parade and this year it promises to be bigger and better than any other year! Vienna was already the host for EuroPride in 2001 and it proved to be a big success. This year, the city expects over a million visitors for the EuroPride, so you won’t ever feel lonely during Pride Week!

With a motto ‘Visions of Pride’, Vienna invites all visitors to think about their personal vision of things in life, especially their pride.

The Pride Week in Vienna actually lasts 2 weeks. It starts on the 1^st of June until the 16^th of June. During these 2 weeks, people can visit the Pride village at the Town Hall Square where tons of activities are organized. The big bang of the actual Pride Parade or Rainbow Parade takes place on the 15^th of June 2019.

LGBT-friendly hotel in Vienna

Finding LGBT-friendly accommodation in Vienna isn’t difficult and LGBT are welcomed everywhere. For recommendations, we suggest staying at the Radisson BLU Style Hotel in the center of Vienna or the NH Wien City.

When visiting Vienna, we stayed in the Kunsthaus Apartments Vienna, which has regular promotions in order to make your stay affordable.

Want to save your budget for other stuff? Check out the Wombat’s City Hostel.

Break the silence and suppression of homosexuality

Ljubljana Pride in the capital of Slovenia has been a thing since 2009 and the event keeps growing each year. The capital of Slovenia is not only planning an LGBT Pride Parade, but they have an entire Pride Month in mind. Activities during Pride Month include a lesbian picnic, a bisexual meetup, concerts, parties, workshops, and loads of other Pride-related activities.

In 2019, the Ljubljana Pride is scheduled for 22 June 2019

LGBT-friendly hotel in Ljubljana

In Ljubljana, the Best Western Premier Hotel Slon is an LGBT-friendly choice. Hotel Cubo is also LGBT-friendly and it’s praised by travelers.

For budget travelers, the Kva Hostel is a beautiful hostel in the city center. Turn Hostel is, if possible, even more beautiful and a backpacker favorite!

Visibility and Diversity in the Bay of Biscay

This Pride takes place in Bilbao in the Bay of Biscay in the North of Spain. The Pride Event in Bilbao lasts for a long weekend from the 21^st until the 24^th of June 2019.

During the weekend, you can attend art exhibitions, movie screenings, and live music events. There’s also a Rainbow Market where you can buy market crafts and street entertainment.

The actual Pride Parade is happening on Saturday the 23^rd of June 2019, starting at 17h. After the Pride March, a big party is held at the Muelle de Ripa.

LGBT-friendly hotel in Bilbao

Hotel Miro is an LGBT-friendly accommodation in the city center of Bilbao. Also located in the city center, NH Collection Villa de Bilbao is another great accommodation option.

Also, check out the Cosmov Bilbao Hotel and the Gran Hotel Domine.

Celebrate Pride in Helsinki

Helsinki is another Scandinavian Pride destination and LGBT can expect a warm welcome in any Scandinavian country. Finland is no exception to this open-minded atmosphere.

Helsinki hosts a Pride Week each year. This year, Helsinki Pride Week is planned for 24 June until 30 June 2019. Last year, 90 LGBT activities and events were organized during Pride Week in Helsinki. 2019 will be no different and there will be a new abundance in activities and festivities. Keep an eye on the Helsinki Pride website to find out more about the different Pride Events as they get scheduled.

The highlight of Pride Week is, of course, the Pride Parade and a Park Fest Party on the 29^th of June. Last year, over 100 thousand people attended Helsinki Pride. This year, will you be one of them?

LGBT-friendly hotel in Helsinki

As Helsinki is a very LGBT-friendly destination, you won’t have any trouble to find LGBT-friendly hotels in the city. These are our recommendations:

Hotel Klaus K is an explicitly LGBT-friendly hotel in Helsinki. The hotel offers beautiful rooms, luxury suites, and special art rooms as well.

Hotel Katajanokka is an experience hotel, set in a former prison. This hotel looks cool and stylish.

Hotel Finn, Hotel Indigo, and Hotel Helka are all explicitly LGBT-friendly hotels in the city center of Helsinki. They’re all part of the Gay Travel Finland list with LGBT-friendly accommodation in Finland and the We Speak Gay Community.

If you want your budget to stretch a little further in Helsinki, we can also recommend these LGBT-friendly hostels in Helsinki: Myö Hostel and Yard Hostel Helsinki, both of which are located in the city center.

Suomenlinna Hostel is a beautiful and relaxed hostel, located on a small island in front of the Helsinki shore.

The ultimate French Pride Event

In France, there are a dozen Pride Events you can attend during the months of May, June, and July. We feature the Paris Pride Event in this article, but you can find the other event dates on the GayPride France website.

The Paris Pride Festival tends to be a huge success each year. Party date for 2019 is the 29^th of June 2019!

LGBT-friendly hotel in Paris

Paris has quite a few LGBT-friendly hotels to offer for Pride visitors. First of all, D’Win Hotel has an exquisite location and it’s affordable. Hotel Elixir has a central, but quiet location and beautiful rooms.

To experience the cozy charm of the city of love, try Hotel Le Petit Chomel. If you want to bathe in luxury, Hotel The Peninsula Paris is the one for you! You can also get luxury and a swimming pool in the Hôtel du Rond-Point des Champs-Elysees.

Would you rather spend your money on other stuff? Have a look at the Campanile Paris and the Hôtel de Sévigné.

Join the Pride Movement in Ireland

Dublin LGBT Pride takes place in June each year. Starting off with an entire Pride week from 20 to 29 June and ending with a huge LGBT Pride March on the 29^th of June 2019. During Pride week, other events are organized, like a 5K Pride Run and various performances and speeches.

The Dublin Pride Parade will start marching at 14h on the 29^th of June. There will be music and parties going on until 2 o’clock the next morning.

As one of the largest yearly events in Dublin, the LGBT Pride event is bound to be successful. So if you want to walk together with tens of thousands of LGBT and their allies, Dublin is waiting for you to join the forces!

LGBT-friendly hotel in Dublin

Dublin offers a wide array of LGBT-friendly accommodation near the city center and near the Pride action! These are some of your best choices for LGBT-friendly accommodation in Dublin: The Temple Bar Inn, Blooms Hotel, and the cool Generator Hostel.

The largest Pride event in Northern Italy

Milan Pride is the largest LGBT Pride event in the North of Italy. Last year, over 250 thousand visitors attended the Pride Parade in Milan and this year they’re even expecting more visitors.

Pride Week in Milan starts the 21^st of June and ends on 30 June. The Pride Square will be open to visitors from the 27^th of June until the 29^th. Usually, during Pride Week, visitors can attend workshops, movies, theater performances, parties, and other LGBT activities, like Miss Drag queen or Mister Gay North Italy.

The actual LGBT+ Pride Parade with the Pride March is held on the 29^th of June

LGBT-friendly hotel in Milan

If you plan on spending the night in Milan, try the LGBT-friendly Ibis Hotel in the center of Milan.

In the city center of Milan, the Locanda Pandenus Brera is a traveler favorite. Moscova Luxury B&B is an ideal choice if you want to be pampered and Castello Guest House looks amazing!