There's more to queer Europe than gay Paris. Until recently there was no good guide that catered to gay and lesbian tastes and needs. With Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe, gay and lesbian travelers can get the lowdown on transportation and lodging, sightseeing and shopping, food and nightlife. But there are also such issues as comfort levels and cultural expectations, finding gay-owned or gay-friendly establishments, meeting fellow gay travelers, and fraternizing with the locals.
If you're heading to Paris, you might want to know about the rustic gay restaurant that looks like a French farmhouse (complete with dog napping in the corner). Frommer's includes the sightseeing standards, plus extras like the Erotic Museum, Proust's hometown of Illiers-Combray, and Le Marais--the heart of gay Paris. You'll find gyms and bookstores, plus stores that specialize in chocolates, club wear, and gourmet foods. There's a full section on bars--gay, lesbian, and mainstream--as well as cabarets, supper clubs, dance clubs, sex clubs, gay saunas, and leather shops.
There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek cleverness here, with chapter headings like "London: The Queen's at Home," "The Czech Republic: Coming Out of the Past," and "Greece: Where It All Began." There's also sensitive and useful information about what's accepted where, from hotel reservations to public displays of same-sex affection. For anyone who's here and queer but wants to be queer and there, this is the guide to take. --Stephanie Gold
Product Description
Europe is a gay adventure just waiting to happen. Written in a fun, frank, and fabulous style by four travel writers who know all the ins and outs, Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe is the first queer guide to Europe to include coverage on all aspects of your trip--from how to get there to how to get around, from where to stay and dine to where to shop, from what to see and do to where to work out, from where to sip a cocktail to where to cruise.
No matter what your budget, you'll find candid reviews of the best hotels and restaurants--mainstream, gay-friendly, and all-out gay. Are you looking for a plush suite with silk-covered walls and baroque paintings at the Hôtel Costes in Paris, a pleasant room with hand-hewn beams at the Hotel Bernardi-Semenzato in Venice, or an atmospheric room with bondage hooks and a galvanized steel cage at the Black Tulip in Amsterdam? Feeling hungry? You can choose from French haute cuisine, British pub fare, German comfort food, Spanish tapas, Greek specialties, and more.
Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe also offers the dish on queer sights (do you know where Oscar Wilde died and where he's buried, where there's a Homomonument, where there's a Gay Museum?) , neighborhoods, and beaches, plus all the top attractions. The guide also shows you where to shop for everything from antiques to clubwear to toys and sends you to the best venues for the performing arts. And, of course, it gives the lowdown on what to do after dark--bars and cafes, discos, saunas, and more.
If all that weren't enough, there are also fun little features like A Queen's English (on British gay slang), The Queer Quiz (on British gays), and A Toast for the Boys (on where to find toast--not what you think it is--on your way home from the clubs in Athens).
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