The 10 Best Gay Beaches in the World — Ranked by Someone Who's Actually Been There

There are beach guides and then there are beach guides written by someone who has actually stood on the sand, felt the water, and lived the experience firsthand.

This is the second kind.

I've been lucky enough to hit some of the most iconic gay beaches on the planet — and a few hidden ones most people don't know about yet. Here are my top 10, ranked globally, with the honest details you actually need to plan your trip.

Rio Side-Tie Swim Brief

1. Ipanema Beach (8th Posto) — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

If there's one gay beach on this list that belongs in a category of its own, it's Posto 8 at Ipanema. This stretch of sand in Rio de Janeiro is legendary, and for good reason. The bodies, the energy, the backdrop of the mountains, the way the whole scene just hums with confidence and community. It's one of those places where you arrive as a tourist and leave feeling like you belong.

Go on a Saturday. The crowds are bigger but the energy is completely different, almost festive. Grab a coconut water from one of the vendors and just take it in before you do anything else. Posto 9 nearby is also worth knowing, slightly more mixed but still very much part of the gay beach culture in Rio.

Wear something bold. But the classic sunga will make you fit in more.

2. Playa del Amor, Zipolite — Oaxaca, Mexico

Zipolite is one of Mexico's best kept secrets and Playa del Amor is its crown jewel. A nude-friendly, deeply laid-back beach on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, this is not a party beach. It's a liberation beach. The kind of place where you exhale fully for the first time in months.

I've been four times. Every single time I leave feeling reset in a way that's hard to explain until you experience it yourself. The crowd is mix of mexicans from various cities, and international nudest. I noticed, often times this would be primarily be the germans and french. The vibe is completely judgment-free, in fact, those who come with negative energy will find it hard to make friends and fully submit to the magic of the beach. The sunsets are genuinely some of the best I've ever seen anywhere in the world, there is a point, everyday where everyone walks to the ocean and wait for the sun to give its final goodbye of the day and then applaud when it dips away. Once the sun is gone, an entirely new type of fun begins.

Stay at least a week. A couple of days is not enough.

3. Sitges Beach — Sitges, Spain

Sitges is Europe's answer to a gay beach town done right. Just 35 minutes from Barcelona, this small coastal city has one of the most established and welcoming gay beach scenes on the continent. The main gay section sits toward the far end of the beach, you'll know it when you see it.

What makes Sitges special beyond the beach is the town itself. The bars, the restaurants, the narrow streets at night, it's a full experience, not just a day trip. Go during the week if you can. Weekends in summer are packed but weekdays have a more relaxed, local energy that's harder to find at most popular gay destinations.

Carioca

4. 12th Street Beach — Miami, Florida

South Beach's 12th Street Beach is one of the most iconic gay beaches in the United States and it earns that reputation every single time. The stretch between 12th and 14th on Ocean Drive is where the community congregates, and the people watching alone is worth the trip.

Miami heat is serious. Go early, get your spot, and plan to take a midday break before coming back for the late afternoon golden hour. That's when the energy shifts and the beach genuinely becomes something special.

5. 17th Street Beach — Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale's 17th Street Beach is quieter than South Beach but that's exactly why it works. Less chaotic, more community, the kind of beach where you actually end up talking to people instead of just watching them walk by.

Fort Lauderdale as a whole has become one of the best gay travel destinations in Florida, and 17th Street is the heart of it. Combine it with a night out on Wilton Drive and you have a genuinely great gay Florida weekend without the South Beach price tag.

6. Hollywood Beach — Chicago, Illinois

Chicago doesn't come up in most gay beach conversations and that's exactly why it deserves a spot on this list.

Hollywood Beach on the North Side is where Chicago's LGBTQ+ community spends its summers, and if you've never experienced a beach day in Boystown's backyard, you're missing something genuinely special. The energy is neighborhood, not tourist. These are locals who actually know each other, showing up consistently all summer long with the kind of community warmth that bigger, more famous beach destinations often can't replicate.

It's Lake Michigan, so yes, it's fresh water, not ocean. But on a hot Chicago summer day with the skyline in the background and the right crowd around you, none of that matters. Hollywood Beach has its own magic and the gay community here has made it entirely their own.

If you're visiting Chicago for Market Days or any of the summer Pride events, add a beach day here. It completes the experience in a way most visitors don't expect.

It's less overtly gay-designated than 12th Street or 17th Street but the community is absolutely there — and the vibe is significantly more chill. Great option if you want the Florida beach experience without the full circus.

7. Praia do Abricó — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

While Posto 8 gets the headlines, Abricó is Rio's nude beach and it deserves its own entry. Tucked away at the end of Recreio dos Bandeirantes, it requires a bit more effort to get to — which is exactly why it feels like a discovery when you arrive.

Smaller, more intimate, genuinely clothing-optional and entirely judgment-free. If you're in Rio and want a beach experience that feels removed from the tourist circuit, Abricó is your answer. Go on a weekday for the most peaceful version of it.

8. Mar Bella Beach — Barcelona, Spain

This is the Barcelona beach I keep coming back to mentally, the one just beyond the main tourist strip that the locals actually use. Mar Bella has a designated nudist section and a strong LGBTQ+ presence, particularly toward the northern end near the chiringuito beach bars.

What sets Mar Bella apart from the more famous Barcelona is exactly what you'd expect , fewer tourists, more locals, a more relaxed pace. Rent a sunbed, order something cold, and spend a full afternoon here. It rewards patience.

9. Playa de la Concha — San Sebastián, Spain

A slightly different kind of gay beach experience, less scene, more beauty. La Concha is widely considered one of the most beautiful urban beaches in Europe and while it's not exclusively gay, the city of San Sebastián has a strong and welcoming LGBTQ+ community.

If your travel style leans more toward culture, food, and scenery alongside the beach, San Sebastián belongs on your list. The pintxos alone are worth the trip.

10. Flamengo Beach & the Lagoons — Florianópolis, Brazil

Florianópolis, locally called Floripa, is one of Brazil's most beautiful destinations and criminally undervisited by international gay travelers. The island has over 40 beaches, a thriving LGBTQ+ scene, and some of the most stunning natural scenery in South America including the famous lagoons that sit between the dunes and the Atlantic.

Praia da Joaquina and the surrounding lagoon area are must-visits, the combination of the beach, the sand dunes, and the lagoon water is genuinely unlike anything else on this list. The gay scene in Floripa is centered around the Lagoa da Conceição neighborhood, which is where you want to base yourself.

This is the beach destination I'd put on your radar if you haven't been. It has everything, beauty, community, culture, and a pace that feels distinctly Brazilian in the best possible way.

A Few Honorable Mentions Worth Knowing

• Mykonos, Greece — Super Paradise Beach is iconic for a reason. Expensive, crowded in peak season, but an experience worth having at least once.

• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — Playa Los Muertos and Mantamar beach club are the heart of one of the best gay beach towns in the world.

• Gran Canaria, Spain — Maspalomas beach and its famous dunes are a bucket list gay beach destination, particularly during Pride and Carnival season.
  

The Bottom Line

The best gay beaches in the world have one thing in common — they're places where you can show up fully as yourself without a second thought. The sand, the water, and the sun are a given. That feeling of complete freedom is what makes them worth traveling across the world for.

Pack your best swimwear. Show up with confidence. The rest takes care of itself.

Planning an LGBTQ+ beach trip? Visit amirmorris.com for personalized gay travel consultation and itinerary planning.