It’s an understatement to say Madrid is gay-friendly. Honestly, walking through its streets, it often seems like there are more gay men than straight. Madrid is not “tolerant” or even “accepting”—it’s positively welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.

As such, there’s a lot to do for any visiting gay tourist—besides gawking at the beautiful men, that is. Whether you’re a queer lover of culture, a gay foodie, a night owl, or even just a bit horny, here are our top gay-focused activities to enjoy around the city.

Take the Madrid Gay Nightlife Tour

Chueca is where the gays go to play. The official gayborhood of Madrid has palpable gay energy flowing through its streets any day of the week, but by night is when it really puts the pedal to the metal. One of the best ways to dive into the action is on our very own Madrid Gay Nightlife Tour.

On the tour, you’ll visit three gay bars and learn a bit about the gay history of the area. Starting at one of the oldest Spanish taverns in the heart of Chueca, you’ll enjoy a traditional Spanish drink before moving on to a popular gay cocktail bar—known for its generously sized cocktails and smoking-hot bar staff. Finally, you’ll end at one of Chueca’s most popular gay bars, which straddles the line between club and bar, epitomizing what Chueca is all about in the variety of men who frequent it.

Hit the Clubs, Saunas or Cruising Bars

In Madrid, the night doesn't have to end when the bars close, as the city offers plenty of gay clubs to choose from. Depending on your tastes—and the night of the week—you might visit Delirio for a poptastic, cheesy experience, Kluster for a more tops-off circuit party vibe, Boite for something in between, Marta Cariño for a touch of class, or Chocolate con Churros and CAЯBS for a queerer environment.

If you feel the call, Madrid also has plenty of cruising bars and saunas.. The most popular saunas are Paraiso and its kinkier brother, Sauna Beach. For cruising bars, you can’t go wrong with Boyberry, Strong, or The Ring, depending on your taste in men and level of kink.

Take the Madrid LGBTQ+ Tapas Tour

Spanish food is interwoven into the very fabric of their culture, and in Madrid, it’s no exception. There are exquisite restaurants all around the city, but Chueca encompasses some of the best. Those wishing to fully immerse themselves in the Madrid LGBTQ+ experience, while still satisfying their appetites, might consider taking our very own Madrid LGBTQ+ Tapas Tour. As locals who may have been known to frequent the area a bit, we know all the best places to eat, drink, and be merry.

On the three-and-a-half-hour hetero-friendly tour, you’ll visit the best tapas bars in the area—including a contemporary Spanish tavern, a popular Galician tapas bar, and Chueca’s bustling food market. You’ll sample dishes like ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad), croquettes, patatas bravas (bravas potatoes), gilda (an olive, anchovy, and spicy pepper skewer), and chipirones (battered squid)—all garnished with a little queer history imparted by your guide.

Uncover the Queer Art Within Madrid’s ‘Golden Triangle of Art’

Madrid is famous for its big three museums: the Reina Sofia, the Prado, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza—all within walking distance of each other and collectively known as ‘The Golden Triangle of Art.' Here, you can see the works of Picasso, Dalí, and Goya, but also among the collections are works by queer artists and those with obvious homoerotic themes.

At the Thyssen, you can really learn the queer backstories of its sculptures and paintings on their Inclusive Love Tour, which dives deep into how art served as the secret language of homosexual love through the centuries.

Go for A Swim in Casa de Campo

If you’re lucky enough to time your visit during the summer months, you might be wondering where the gays of Madrid go to cool down when they’re lacking a beach. The answer lies in the many outdoor swimming pools dotted around the city. You’ll find gays strutting in their speedos at all of them, of course, but by far the most popular is ‘Piscina El Lago’ in the massive park that is Casa de Campo.

Located slightly outside the center, the park is easily reachable by taking the metro to Lago. To enter the pool area, you’ll need to download the Madrid Móvil application on your phone and book your ticket beforehand. Lago actually has two large outdoor pools, with a hilly bank by the upper pool being the popular sunning spot of the gay community—where nudity is allowed.

The park itself, Casa de Campo, is huge and well worth exploring. Just around the corner from the pool is a scenic lake encircled by restaurants, perfect for a romantic meal. There’s also a discreet cruising area located somewhere behind it—or so we hear.

Stroll Through the Iconic Parque Oeste

Retiro Park is most people’s first port—or rather park—of call when visiting Madrid, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s beautiful there, and you’re sure to see many gay couples picnicking on the grass in the summer.

However, there’s another underrated gem of a park on the other side of the city called Parque Oeste (West Park), which seems to be especially popular with the local LGBTQ+ community. There, you’ll find green banks, hidden valleys perfect for more secluded picnics, the Temple of Debod (an oddly out-of-place Egyptian temple gifted to the city), a cable car that takes you across to the aforementioned Casa de Campo, and a monument to the iconic trans woman Cristina Ortiz—better known as La Veneno.

La Veneno is something of a queer icon, having once worked in the park as a sex worker until a fateful encounter with a TV reporter propelled her into the spotlight, leading to her becoming a Spanish television sensation before her death in 2016. Her monument features a diamond-shaped plaque that reads, “Brave trans woman visible in the 90s.” Sadly, it was recently vandalized but is due to be repaired in the near future and is nonetheless worth visiting for a glimpse into Spanish queer herstory.

Have a Drink in Lavapies: A Hipster Gay Paradise

Chueca doesn’t have a monopoly on Madrid’s gay scene. Lavapiés is a more bohemian, cosmopolitan alternative to Chueca. If a queerer, less mainstream vibe is more your style, here you’ll find many pierced and tattooed types drinking in the evening on the area’s many terraces.

There aren’t any official gay bars, but you’ll find the LGBTQ+ crowd gravitating toward places like Sala Equis (an old porn cinema converted into a bar), Bar El Rincón Guay (affectionately nicknamed “Rincón Gay”), and Ciriaco Brown (a speakeasy liquor store/cocktail bar that transforms into a secret gay club on Sunday nights).

Attend Drag Brunch or Drag Bingo

Naturally, Madrid has a thriving drag scene. You’ll find drag queen shows all around Chueca on most nights of the week, with LL Bar being the most well-known venue.

However, for a fully fleshed-out experience, you can’t beat Madrid’s Drag Brunch. Taking place at Teatro Esclavo, it’s a four-hour affair featuring an eclectic array of drag queens, sexy dancers, unique gastronomy, cocktails, and mimosas. Another option is the Drag Queen Bingo VIP Brunch Table in Madrid on Saturday afternoons, offering a fun and silly time with drag queens and rambunctious games with prizes.

Stay at the Axel Hotel

All hotels in Madrid are “gay-friendly,” but one really stands proudly on its high heels—Axel Hotels. This hotel brand has locations around the globe, from Cuba to Berlin, and is the only hotel brand in the world to define itself as “hetero-friendly.”

The Axel Hotel in Madrid is just a short stroll from Chueca or Lavapiés, located in the nearby Barrio de Las Letras—a cool area where famous Spanish writers like Cervantes once called home. Its rooms have a distinctive avant-garde interior inspired by Madrid’s socio-cultural movement of the 1980s. The rooftop bar has a mini-pool and is a popular hangout for gays, whether they’re staying in the hotel or not. If you’re feeling brave, you can also make use of the “Do Disturb” signs to invite the attention of anyone who might be cruising the corridors at night.

Attend Madrid Pride

Madrid Pride is legendary! It’s the biggest in Europe and the third biggest in the world, drawing LGBTQ+ people from all across the globe year after year. Taking place around the first weekend of July, Madrid Pride is absolutely the best time to visit, as the whole city transforms to showcase just how gay Madrid really is.

For a whole week, there are concerts and events in Chueca and Plaza España, featuring all manner of DJs and gay icons. On the first Saturday of July, a huge Madrid Pride Parade marches all the way from Atocha train station to Plaza de Colón—every color of the LGBTQ+ rainbow represented in an explosion of pride. After the parade, it’s an easy walk up to Chueca, which descends into beautiful chaos with all-night street parties and club nights.

If you plan on going to a club after the festivities, be sure to buy your tickets well in advance, as you’ll find every venue full of hotties, both local and international. Everyone lives their best—and unashamedly gay—lives to the fullest in a city that embraces them at its very heart.