Delta Air Lines has been in the spotlight of the airline industry this week following a five-day-long operational meltdown that led to more than 5,000 flight cancellations and stranded passengers and their checked bags for days.
12.07.2024 - 16:30 / cntraveler.com
Ah, oui, gay Paris. Pronounce it “gay Paree” and you might be referring to the classic phrase in its archaic but quite timeless sense, that of a joyful or mirthful French capital (gay being another word for “happy” or “merry”). But for some travelers, “gay Paris” quite literally means the LGBTQ+ side of Paris, where “the love that dare not speak its name” does declare itself loudly and proudly.
There’s a museum with breathtaking art by a gay couturier in the 16th arrondissement and, in the 1st, a raucous club space with beats that last until six in the morning. There’s a legendary café in Saint-Germain that was an old haunt of 20th-century LGBTQ luminaries, and a queer bookstore with a friendly staff near a solemnly beautiful cemetery where gay and lesbian icons currently rest. And of course, in Le Marais, there’s a see-and-be-seen rainbow-decked restaurant-bar patio and a queer-owned hotel with comfortable rooms that you can call your French home.
If all that sounds up your alley, then this guide to gay Paris is for you. With a little bit of something for everyone, whether you’re a queer traveler or an ally, these hotels, restaurants, cafés, bars, clubs, bookstores, museums, and more paint a vibrant and multidimensional picture of queer communities and social scenes in Paris. (Note that we at Condé Nast Traveler use the word queer in the inclusive and expansive sense, as a catch-as-much-as-possible term to describe people, places, and ways of being that lie beyond the boundaries of straight or heteronormative lives and identities.)
To get expert recommendations for seeking out gay Paris, I spoke to a veritable pantheon of queer travel specialists for their tips and insight: Andrew Lear, historian and founder of Oscar Wilde Tours; Ginny Lunn, co-owner and director of Walking Women; Miles Mitchinson, owner of Detours, a gay adventure travel company; Joel Cabrera and Bryan Herb, the co-founders of Zoom Vacations, a luxury gay travel operator; and Matthieu Jost, the Paris-based co-founder and CEO of Misterb&b, a homesharing platform aimed towards queer people.
Drawing on the wisdom and suggestions of these experts, here is an introductory guide to gay Paris. May it illuminate a new-to-you side of the City of Light, its queer histories, and its gay—joyful! mirthful!—present.
In Le Marais, a luxury boutique hotel called Maison Proust is dedicated to the Swann’s Way author.
You’re never at a loss for a place to bed down in the French capital, but to support a queer-owned business, try Jules et Jim in Le Marais. Housed in a former processing plant, this chicly designed 23-room hotel has all the modern conveniences like a bar, a fully-equipped gym, and a gallery space. “You can’t beat the location and quality
Delta Air Lines has been in the spotlight of the airline industry this week following a five-day-long operational meltdown that led to more than 5,000 flight cancellations and stranded passengers and their checked bags for days.
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a large sporting event happening in Paris between July 26 and Aug. 11. Fifteen million visitors are expected in France’s capital for the fun and games, and you may be one of them! Or perhaps you’re waiting for the crowds to thin out before visiting.
Paris is expected to welcome 11.3 million visitors during the Olympic Games, significantly increasing its population density. This surge in visitors is spurring travel demand to international destinations, such as Italy and the United States, that harness this desire to leave crowds behind, also benefiting United Kingdom, Spain, and Greece, as well as farther destinations, such as Thailand or Japan.
This story about skateboarding in Paris is part of How Paris Moves, a series of dispatches about communities and social change in France through the lens of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
This story about swimming in Paris is part of How Paris Moves, a series of dispatches about communities and social change in France through the lens of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
This story about breakdancing in Paris is part of How Paris Moves, a series of dispatches about communities and social change in France through the lens of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
This story about biking in Paris is part of How Paris Moves, a series of dispatches about communities and social change in France through the lens of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Visitors to the upcoming Paris Olympics will soon have an easy way to save money on transportation. Uber, the popular rideshare app, will be offering an automatic 10 percent discount on rides for passengers from Paris airports between July 22 through Sept. 8. The discount applies to arrivals from both Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Orly Airport Aéroport de Paris (ORY). Passengers can also save 30 percent if they use UberX Share within the city, as long as they are matched with another rider during the trip.
I'm an American who's lived in Paris for almost three years. After all this time, I still had one thing on my bucket list: Tour the city by boat.
While athletes from around the world will flock to Paris later this month to go for gold at the Summer Olympics, this doesn't mean travelers are following suit and heading to the City of Light.
All-business class airline La Compagnie is turning 10 years old, and celebrating with roundtrip fares to Europe starting at just $2,000.
Ahead of the start of the Paris Olympics, Uber unveiled a series of new features, products and partnerships Tuesday, including a Flying Blue promotion that gives passengers the chance to earn miles throughout France and the Netherlands.