Gay la

Go for a scenic walk or bike ride around the Silver Lake Reservoir. End your day at Roosterfish Bar, an LGBTQ hotspot every evening, or have dinner at Gjelina, known for its creative farm-to-table dishes.

Downtown LA (DTLA)

Downtown LA (DTLA) recently experienced a revival and became a more vibrant place among LGBTQ community centers.

Howe­ver, before moving, it’s essential to understand what makes this place unique.

Housing 

The housing market is one of the most competitive in the country. The re­nowned Sunset Strip in West Hollywood is home­ to two iconic live music venues – The Roxy The­atre and The Viper Room.

It has been home to the Pride community for years, and it was one of the first neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area to embrace the gay community. You can check out all the tours that Bikes and Hikes LA offer here.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is another must see attraction for many visitors to LA, with travellers eagerly seeking out their favourite artists star so they can snap a selfie alongside.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is located on Hollywood Blvd from Gower to La Brea and on Vine Street from Sunset to Yucca.

Los Angeles, CA 90029

If you’re looking for something a bit more laid-back but still with plenty of energy, Akbar is your place. Plus, the jukebox is always on point. This is definitely a must-see attraction for the foodies!

Address: 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036, United States

Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier

Venturing a little out of the city limits, Santa Monica and Venice Beach are two of the must-see places within the greater Los Angeles area.

Santa Monica is a coastal city west of downtown LA, and is most well known for the Santa Monica Pier – which comes complete with its own amusement park and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

And just three miles down the coast is Venice Beach – a gorgeous wide sandy beach, and home to Muscle Beach – which as we mentioned above is a firm favourite with the gays.

As WeHo is actually an autonomous city, this high percentage technically makes WeHo the gayest city in the world!

WeHo is home to a large number of gay bars and gay clubs, as well as many LGBTQ+ owned and friendly businesses, such as bookstores, shops, restaurants, and cafes.

We loved strolling through WeHo, shopping, or sitting enjoying a cup of coffee and seeing so many other LGBTQ+ couples going about their day, and engaging in PDA with no second thought because they were in a gay city!

Gay-Friendly Hotels in LA

As previously mentioned, Los Angeles is a very gay-friendly city, and as such LGBTQ+ travellers will be warmly welcomed in pretty much every hotel that they choose to stay in.

Where did we stay in Los Angeles?

During our visit to Los Angeles two hotels came highly recommended for the purposes of our visit – one located in North Hollywood, close to Universal Studios, and then other in the heart of Hollywood (which has since closed so we can’t recommend it anymore).

The Garland

The Garland was our home for our first 4 nights in Los Angeles, and we were very warmly welcomed and well looked after during our stay here.

The Garland brands itself as an “urban oasis” and we can see why – the hotel is built within seven lush acres, yet is still within easy access from some of the iconic landmarks and attractions for which Los Angeles is famous, such as Universal Studios and the Hollywood Sign.

We loved the large outdoor pool, perfect to cool off at the end of the busy day sightseeing, and the onsite restaurant ‘The Front Yard’ – a casual and relaxed dining venue – was ideal for unwinding and enjoying a meal without having to venture out of the hotel.

Gay-friendly hotels in WeHo:

When it comes to choosing a hotel in Los Angeles, given the scale of the city location tends to be the deciding factor for most people, based on where they plan to spend most of their time, or depending on the attractions they want to visit.

For LGBTQ+ travellers, given that West Hollywood is the epicentre of gay Los Angeles, many choose to stay here, and there are plenty of gay-friendly hotels to choose from in this gay city.

Petit Ermitage

Petit Ermitage is a beautiful 4-star hotel located close to WeHos vibrant gay nightlife scene.

This is something that might come as a shock to European visitors who generally arrive to the nightclub at this time!

The Abbey Food and Bar and Chapel at the Abbey

The Abbey is a staple when it comes to the gay nightlife scene of WeHo; it has even been described as the most famous gay bar in the world – thanks to being featured in various TV shows.

The Third Street Promenade boasts a wide variety of shops and stores where one can shop till they drop.

The Bungalow is a pub that anyone visiting Santa Monica should not miss out on – it’s got an easy-going attitude and offers ocean views.

Exploring Gay Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a vibrant city with a rich LGBTQ-friendly culture and numerous events, nightlife spots, bars, restaurants, and artistic venues.

According to INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, Los Angeles is among the cities with the worst traffic jams in the world.

As a result, owning a car is almost essential unless you live close to work or public transit lines. Over the decades, the establishment underwent several name changes, including Redheads, Reds, and Redz Angelz. Nothing speaking to you?

The Metro system, including buses and trains, provides some relief, but many find it insufficient for daily commuting without a car.

Cost of Living 

Living in LA is expensive.

7. Cherry Bombe

With a long-term goal to establish a brick-and-mortar home in LA’s West Hollywood, the team at Cherry Bombe has been curating events for the lesbian, queer, trans, non-binary community for the last few years.

Let us know!