Gay Travel
          in Mexico!

Even though Mexico is largely Catholic and machismo it’s surprisingly welcoming to LGBT gay and lesbian vacationers. Homosexuality is legal in Mexico and large gay communities, which flourish in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, have made sure that anti-discrimination laws are in place and respected. PLUS, you can get married now in Mexico.

For years Puerto Vallarta has been a top choice for LGBT travel. But there are other spots as well to be considered in Mexico. 

Mexico City seems to be trying to win some kind of award for being the most liberal city in Latin America. In fact, Mexico as a country has won an award: gay Destination of the Year by the PlanetOut Travel Awards, which recognize gay-friendly tourist destinations. Past winners have included Barcelona and Buenos Aires.

According to Mexico City blog DFinitivo, the world’s largest city has been  actively courting the gay travel dollar, and the Secretary of Tourism for DF has joined the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association to prove it. Gay travelers will be welcomed with specialized maps outlining areas of interest for nightlife, cultural events and more. They are not trying to make money off the gays, but just do whatever they can to be welcoming. Mexico City  recently became the  first major city in Latin America to legalize gay marriage!

The lure of Mexico City is irresistible. The most populated metropolis in the world boasts colonial mansions and excavated pyramids alongside fabulous museums and galleries, all shadowed by the concrete and glass of modern development. Above all, the city is exciting, sometimes intimidating, always bewildering and boldly alive.

The main attractions in Mexico City are centered in a few distinct areas, including the Zona Rosa, the Historic Center (the Zocalo area), Alameda Park, Chapultepec Park,and the “Zona Sur”, or Southern Zone. Additionally, the adjoining neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma are trendy areas with good restaurants and cafes, nightlife, quality architecture, and, home to more gays than elsewhere in the city.


When you think of Acapulco, you probably don’t  think  gay. With sunny Pacific beaches wedged between clean waters and craggy mountains, Acapulco is popular with gays and straights alike.

Gay bars and clubs in Acapulco (as opposed to other Mexican cities) tend to be almost treacherously flamboyant and tacky places where people throw good taste to the Pacific port breeze while partying. Don’t expect anything that feels refined or upscale, as that’s not what Acapulco is about. You’ll find, more so than in American gay bars, that strippers are an almost ubiquitous fixture in Acapulco.

Lots of beautiful men that would would say even rivals the likes of Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema. There is a cruisey area called  “the rocks“, where sunbathers fling off their Speedos and go au natural! Around sunset can be very cruisy. In the last year, Acapulco has seen  a new infusion of luxury accommodations, as well as a growing gay scene, Acapulco is once again showing up on the itinerary of gay globetrotters.

Puerto Vallarta is the number one gay tourist destination in all of Mexico. Sitting on one of the world’s most beautiful natural bays, Puerto Vallarta is welcoming, friendly and enchanting. The Zona Romantica, located on the south end, is very quaint and very gay.  You will see rainbow flags and couples holding hands. There is a huge gay beach and it’s popular and busy year round.

Puerto Vallarta is a lively small city of red tiled roofs and cobblestone streets, roosters, donkeys and iguanas, friendly locals, expatriates and fun loving tourists. Nestled between the brilliant Banderas Bay and the lush tropical forests of the Sierra Madre mountains on the west coast of Mexico west, Puerto Vallarta is known for its long sandy beaches, beautiful ocean and mountain views, handsome men, happening nightlife and its many fine restaurants. Whether sunbathing at the popular gay beach, sailing on one of the gay cruises, bike riding along the Cuale River, whale watching on sun drenched Banderas Bay or dancing the night away at one of your favorite local gay bars, there is something for you to adore and fall in love and Discover gay Puerto Vallarta!

GUADALAJARA is said to be perhaps Latin America’s most underrated gay urban getaway.  Gay travel writer Andrew Collins  says its, “friendly, culturally rich, and affordable city of Guadalajara, the second-largest metropolis in Mexico, which somewhat to my surprise, has a remarkably vibrant gay scene.

I’d long heard about the elegant buildings and churches that make up the city’s historic center, the stylish shops and cafes of the fashionable suburb of Tlaquepaque, and the easy proximity to the beloved town of Tequila, home to the Sauza, Jose Cuervo, and numerous other fine distilleries. Indeed, there’s much to see and do in Guadalajara and the surrounding region.

But I hadn’t known that the city has nearly two-dozen gay bars as well as gay-friendly colonial B&Bs and plenty of welcoming restaurants and cafes, the majority of them within easy walking distance of the central Plaza Tapatia.”

 Can I just say, Guadalajara has some HOT MEN! Just a few hours from Puerto Vallarta, many travelers to the area try to include both of these cities on their iternerary.

Graceful mansions and towering churches, old homes coverted to B&B’s and a couple dozen gay bars and clubs. Some have called this town the San Francisco of Mexico. Everything from swanky lounges and intimate hot spots to big multi-level discos. Most everything is just a stroll from  the downtowns Plaza Tapita.

1.5 million people live within the city limits and nearly 5 million people reside in the metro region, Guadalajara feels more laid-back and manageable than most cities its size.


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