Lisbon Gay Travel Guide 2025

Upcoming Events in Lisbon

|  19 – 27 September 2025
Queer Lisboa – International Queer Film Festival: one of the biggest annual LGBTQ film festivals in Europe regarding the number of screened movies.
@ Cinema São Jorge (Avenida da Liberdade 175)
|  10 – 13 November 2025
Web Summit 2025: huge annual international internet technology conference.
The attendees are explicitly welcome in Lisbon's gay bars.
@ Arena & FIL

Accommodation Tip

Gay Guesthouse. From 130 €
Gay men's guesthouse in a 18th century building, completely restored in 2014. Modern climate-controlled rooms and suites and a garden with swimming pool.
Located in a small quiet side street next to the Bairro Alto.
Very friendly and helpful staff. Excellent guest reviews.
@ Travessa André Valente 21
Lisbon 1200-024

About Lisbon and its gay life

Since the 1990s Lisbon (Lisboa) became one of the new hot spots for travellers in Europe. It was European Capital of Culture in 1994, in 1998 the World Expo was held in Lisbon and in 2004 the European Football Championship.

Vivid, small and steep historical streets, modernised areas, an extensive nightlife till early morning and a fresh breeze from the sea even in hot summers make Lisbon a pleasant place for relaxing, sightseeing and going out altogether.

Lisbon's gay scene also became very European. Especially in the Príncipe Real area and in the old Bairro Alto quarter you can find a very visible gay life at night. In Bairro Alto it is pleasantly difficult to say which bars are gay or gay-friendly or hetero-friendly or whatever.

gay couple at the beach

Annual gay highlights and big events in Lisbon are the Bear Pride in May, the Marcha do Orgulho LGBTI and Arraial Lisboa Pride in June, the film festival Queer Lisboa in September and the huge technology conference Web Summit in November.

Close to Lisbon you can also spend your time at the beach, whether you like your beaches busy or quiet. South of Lisbon there is a long, popular beach at Costa da Caparica. Coming from Lisbon by car or bus (take the metro to Praça de Espanha, then the bus to Costa da Caparica), first there are the family and conventional beaches. The further south you go, the trendier and more nudist the beaches and the clientele become. In summer, the beaches are connected by a small train – for the gay beach get off at beach 17 or at beach 19 which also has a gay-frequented bar and some cruising in the dunes. After sunset the beach and the dunes are rather unsafe and empty. The last train back leaves at 7 p.m. (More info and photos)