7 Ports where you can walk to the gay village from your ship
The avenue Passeig de Gràcia within walking distance of the Eixample gayborhood is full of amazing Gaudí architecture. ©MeetMeOnBoard
There’s something really nice about ports where the ship docks close to stuff you want to do. In each of the destinations below, assuming you can walk up-to 2 miles (which I find is barely enough to burn off buffet breakfast) you could walk to the gay village for lunch.
Of course, if you take a river cruise in Europe, you’ll be in the heart of town almost everywhere you stop, and that’s another story.
Meanwhile, 7 big ship ports include:
- Barcelona, Spain
. This gay-popular European port features several different piers, but even the furthest out are still reasonably walkable to the gayborhood known as Eixample. Here’s an excellent map for the Port of Barcelona
, and a map of Barcenlona’s Eixample gay village. Distance to closest pier: less than one mile.
- Note from Mark: Barcelona is known as the #1 pickpocket capital of Europe. Dale and I have never had an issue with this in all of our travels but when we were looking for a gay restaurant in the gayborhood, a hunk walked up to us and asked if he could help us find something and within seconds Dale’s iPhone was missing. This is a good reason to have insurance. What lesson did we learn? Keep your eyes on your valuables and not biceps.
- Boston, USA . This city is full of historic Americana charm, and if you’d like to be charmed by gays and make your own kind of history, the South End area is the place to be. It’s about 2 miles from the pier. Here’s a GayCities map —the pier is located on the right at Reserve Channel.
- Copenhagen, Denmark. It’s approximately 2 miles from the Copenhagen cruise terminal to the city center, which is where most of the gay bars are. I found this city to be full of eye candy and friendly people! Here’s your map of the Copenhagen port area , and a GayCities map of many Copenhagen gay diversions.
- Montreal, Canada . Le sigh. Home to some of the most progressive people on earth, Montreal is a must-see for gay travelers. Its gay “le Village” is popular and can be very fun. You could also try their Bixi Bikes sharing program for getting around—a concept Montreal helped pioneer. Here’s a Montreal cruise terminal map , and a gay Montreal guide.
- New York City, USA . My straight girlfriends who’ve lived in the city joke that all the men in NYC are gay, so the whole thing is sort of a big gay village. Of course, that’s not quite accurate. But the city has multiple gay-popular areas. From the cruise terminal, the walkable gay-zone is Hell’s Kitchen, and you could walk to Chelsea if you’re in for a longer stroll. Here’s a map of the NYC cruise terminal area.
- Seattle, USA. Slipping onto the list at almost exactly a two-mile walk, Seattle’s Capitol Hill gay village is a fun diversion from your ship (provided you’re at the Bell Street Pier, and not Smith Street). There’s much to see an do on the way and if you map the right route you’ll pass by diversions like the Space Needle or the flagship Nordstrom store. Here’s a map of Seattle’s main cruise ports , and a map of the Seattle gay village of Capitol Hill.
- Vancouver, Canada . The Canadians threw a huge party in 1986—a World’s Fair—and one of the great legacies of the event is the stunning Canada Place facility with its “five sails” roof, which serves as the main city’s cruise port. It is smack in the middle of town. (There is a secondary port which isn’t half as fun or convenient). From Canada Place, it’s a pleasant one-mile walk through downtown to the David Village gayborhood—and a map of that area is here.
Almosts…
Other great cruise cities with ports that are just a bit further include San Diego, where the gay village is about 3 miles away, Philadelphia, where it’s about 4 miles away, San Francisco, where you’ll walk 4.7 miles. In the Caribbean, you could really stretch those legs with a 5-ish mile walk from the ship to the gay beach in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Condado area, and taxi your way back.
