PARIS - FRANCE
For the last 7 years, a revolution has come up in the peaceful elegant and bourgeois Parisian sky. Paris which is the world’s most visited city has now become one of the world’s most openly gay cities. This was the first European capital to elect an openly gay mayor in March 2001, who was incidentally re-elected with 57% of the votes in march 2008. Gay Pride March in June 2008 was attended by nearly 700,000 people. In a France which is becomming rather conservative, Paris remains the city of freedom and tolerance.
Paris now has one of the biggest gay scenes in Europe with over 300 gay venues to visit including hundreds of excellent restaurants and bars. Most are concentrated in the central district called "Le Marais" which is an ideal base for your holiday. Not only are you situated in a friendly openly gay area, but you are close to Notre-Dame, place des Vosges, Pompidou Center and the Louvre. In these historic narrow streets, so typical of Paris, are most of the cities gay and lesbian bars, restaurants & fashion shops. Boys can start discovering Le Marais by visiting Open Cafe at the crossroads of two main streets, rue Des Archives and rue Sainte Croix de la Bretonnerie.
Girls will prefer another crossroad in south Marais between rue Du Roi de Sicile and rue Des Ecouffes. Here you will find three of the main lesbian bars in Paris and the only female dedicated sex-shop. Not far from here you will enjoy the former gay district of Les Halles or Montorgueil. Famous in the70's and 80's the area has kept lots of rainbow venues and is a great place to saunter through stopping for a coffee or a glass of wine in one of the street cafes. As with most of Europe, since the beginning of 2008, all public venues are non-smoking.
There is only one officially Gay hotel in Paris. But don't worry, almost every hotel in Le Marais District warmly welcome lots of gay & lesbian guests. Same sex couples won't have an issue when checking in to their double bedded room here.
We have many hotels in the La Marais district to recommend. Just call Jo on 0207 183 0253 or e-mail and ask for a quotation giving your preferred dates of visit as well as details of how rooms you need.