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This Australian city rates higher than Sydney globally with LGBTQIA+ travellers

While Sydney is synonymous with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, new international research has revealed that a different Australian city actually ranks higher among LGBTQIA+ travellers.

While Sydney is synonymous with Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, new international research has revealed that a different Australian city actually ranks higher among LGBTQIA+ travellers.

The LGBTQIA+ Travel Index by global luggage storage experts Radical Storage rated the top travel destinations for LGBTQIA+ travellers in 2025, according to the number of queer bars and queer-friendly hotels as well as legal rights and local public opinion.

Melbourne trounced Sydney as Australia’s top destination for LGBTQIA+ travellers, ranking 19th, tying with Madrid and Frankfurt, compared to Sydney at 27th place on the global list, equal with nine other cities, including Copenhagen and Milan.

W Melbourne WET bar
W Melbourne’s WET Bar – one of the city’s queer-friendly hotels.

Melbourne received an overall score of seven out of 10, ranking higher than Sydney with better-rated LGBTQIA+ bars and queer-friendly hotels.

In total, Melbourne has 186 hotels listed as LGBTQIA+ friendly.

However, Sydney, which hosted WorldPride 2023, has the widest choice of queer-friendly hotels at 188, ranking in 14th place globally.

Cis female couple walk on Sydney beach for 2024 Gay Travel Index of most welcoming countries for LGBTQIA+ travellers.
Cis female couple on Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia. Image: Shutterstock

Overall, Australia scored an average rating of 90 out of 100 for LGBTQIA+ legal protection and a 62 out of 100 score for public opinion, putting it on par with Germany and above the study average of 53.

Globally, New York City is considered the best destination for LGBTQIA+ travellers out of the 106 countries surveyed, followed by Los Angeles and London.

NYC has the most queer-friendly hotels in the study at 478 and also has one of the world’s highest LGBTQIA+ populations.

Washington, DC will host WorldPride 2025. Image: Ted Eytan for Capital Pride
Washington, DC will host WorldPride 2025. Image: Ted Eytan for Capital Pride

Bangkok, Miami, San Francisco and Osaka all tied for fourth place with Washington, DC (host of WorldPride 2025), Mexico City, Paris and Barcelona rounding out the top 10.

Bangkok (where Thailand’s Marriage Equality Act is now in effect) and Orlando have the highest volume of LGBTQIA+ bars, while Lisbon holds the distinction of having the highest-rated queer-friendly hotels.

Chile was found to have the best legal rights for LGBTQIA+ people with a perfect score and Norway has the best public perception of the LGBTQIA+ community.