| Don't cry for OutUK's Adrian Gillan, as he heads south for a full-on summer of macho Latinos in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. | |
| Roll-over Rio! Boys in the know fly three extra hours south to Buenos Aires where the mighty River Plate empties its load into the Atlantic Ocean and passions flare in a land of Polo and Tango, still sore with memories of Juntas, Falklands and financial despair. | |
| Buenos Aires is one of the most gay friendly cities in the world with plenty to do and see. The age of consent is 18 for all persuasions here, but BA itself is generally relaxed about sexuality - they celebrate full-on same-sex marriage here. Spanish-speaking Argentina, though officially Catholic, doesn't suffer from the same religious hang-ups you'll find around many parts of the world. |
Guests at Lugar Gay Guest House. |
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And rest-assured, this friendly nation certainly love their Brits: the relationship between our two countries goes
back centuries and the odd war or football match is hardly going to unsettle that.
First things first: for Europeans and North Americans at least, Argentina is silly cheap. You can stay in a fab hotel inexpensively and eat out royally with wine quite cheaply. Naturally, do still keep an eye on your wallet, but - with police on every corner - you're probably safer here than you are back home. And you'll certainly be warmer in a southern summer that spans November to March, especially amidst humidity which bubbles up frequent refreshing thunderstorms. | |
| The 3 million inhabitants of central BA bustle about its American-style grid street system with wide avenues and tall Deco thirties scrapers. And, States-style, there is also one psychotherapist for every thirty of the population - Freud has seen off the Pope. That said, the people themselves, and much of the colonial architecture, are unmistakably European: essentially a heady mix of Spanish and indigenous, with a large scoop of Italian thrown in - as you'll tell from the local district names, mamma-mia cadences and sizzling pizzerias. They also famously like their meat - with or without a pulse. |
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Which brings us onto the gay scene.
The queer quarter mainly spans the Recoleta, Barrio Norte and Palermo Chico districts just north east of the city centre, and falling into two distinct clusters where it's easy to combine a couple of bars with going onto nearby clubs. A word of warning: Argentineans eat around 11pm, hit the bars around 1am and will rarely enter a club until after 2am. You will need your early evening 'disco nap' if you are to last the course. EATINGMaricafé - Café, Bar & LGBT BookStore is a not to be missed sight in Buenos Aires. They celebrate Pride all year round with some of the most spectacular Pride cakes you'll ever see and taste with loads of different flavours and colours all of them that truly celebrate every aspect of Pride. | |
FELIZA is also worth considering if you want something to eat. It's a bar, restaurant and cafe with an extensive menu found on Avenue Córdoba.
BARSGay video bar P E U T E O is located in the gay-popular Palermo Soho district of Buenos Aires. Expect good music, fun videos and sexy dancers. Peuteo is known as a "hetro friendly" gay bar which serves pizzas, nachos, a full drinks menu and draft beer. Many of the younger crowd here uses this venue as a starter bar before a big night out. |
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If it's just drinks and snacks you are after in a gay bar then there's Work Bar which is found on Gurruchaga;
Puticlú which is on Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear.
Going later in to the night Fiesta Jolie Gay Party which takes place every Wednesday and is billed as the event for LGTBQI+ people that adds an extra Saturday during the week! Gay night club Fiesta Ma.Cho is always a popular choice and Contramano opens Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 until 6 in the morning and gets a good crowd. | |
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The other main bar-club cluster is to be found just north at the junction of
Avenida Cordoba and the street called Gascon.
The main style haunt is definitely Sitges on Cordoba itself, is a well loved Glam Disco Bar. It is open Weds-Sun from 10.30pm and - reaching far back, bar beyond bar - is packed with pre-club posers propping up walls or lilted at one of the tables. |
The LGBTIQ+ Pride March starting from the Plaza de los dos Congresos Photo: Iro Bosero, CC BY-SA 4.0 Wikimedia Commons |
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Rheoba @ Human Club on Av. Cnel. Marcelino E. Freyre has many good reviews
and some regard it as one of the best clubs in Buenos Aires with a number
of regular themed nights.
Many are just itching to get down GLAM, back on Cabrera again, and open Thurs-Sat from 1am. GLAM has one dance floor playing all the latest tunes, two bars, a pleasant patio where you can actually talk and a dark room upstairs where there isn't much talking. Cheap, the place gets very crowded on Saturdays, not least because some use it is a springboard onto the other club in the area - Amerika, back on Gascon. Ah, Amerika: the biggest gay disco in BA, open Sat 1am-8am, and a bizarre experience. The truth is that it has a very mixed clientele, with lots of straight lads looking for easy girls and free booze - as it has an open bar policy once you have paid your entry! There are two dance floors - the main one with house music, the other one above with Latin music - and three bars. With capacity 5000, they really cram punters in, so much so you often practically get pushed around, rather than actually going where you want to. There's little respite in the heaving dark room above where only the most experimental 'straight' boy might dare stray. Bears Club is a space where both bears and their friends can share a good time and feel comfortable. The emphasis in terms of "bearish" characteristics is placed on body mass, rather than hair or beards. Kisses are very common, but "bear hugs" are even more common. OUT AND ABOUTBut there are many other ways to meet men and have sex in BA. Zoom Gay Cruising Bar has video booths to watch a broad range of gay movies, a drinks bar, Lounge-Labyrinth and some good music in a pleasant atmosphere. Boys Bar is a Gay night club and cruising bar for men only which is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and most holidays. Zafiro Friendly Lounge is a Cruising bar that also has glory hole cabins, Cruising Area, Darkroom, fantasy tunnel and a smoking area with it's own bar available for smokers' greater comfort.To let off more steam, try HomoSapiens the largest gay sauna in Buenos Aires where you'll find a bar, projection room with comfortable armchairs, darkroom, intimate cabins for relaxation, wet sauna, dry sauna, showers and massage tables. They also provide a towel, soap and shampoo as well as lube and condoms. Alternatively, there's A Full Sauna near Cordoba and Callao. Open Mon-Thur 12pm-3am and Fri-Sun 24 hours, it has a gym, dry sauna, wet sauna, massage, sun beds, bar, Jacuzzi, labyrinth, cabins and lots of saucy vids screening. Talking of which, porn cinemas are very popular here - especially at lunchtimes and just after work! If you want to just watch the films and meet some guys then try the 4-screen Cine ABC open every night until 6am. | |
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Heading outside? San Telmo's Plaza Dorrego Antique Fair is awash with queers on
a Sunday morning, looking for fleshy boyish bargains.
The city's green Reserva Ecológica, between the likewise cruisy Puerto Madero docks and the River Plate, gets busy daily with wildlife of another sort. |
Plaza de Mayo during LGBT Pride. Photo: Beatrice Murch, CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons |
BEDNear the San Telmo Market, the Farmacia and Palacio, Lugar Gay is the only gay men-only hotel in town, with spacious rooms, hearty breakfasts and hosts who do everything to make your stay special. Lugar Gay is very much as much an LGB community hub as it is an hotel, offering a range of activities. You haven't really arrived until you've tried their Gay Tango classes which are held here every Sunday 5pm-7pm.Buenos Aires Gay Pads is a holiday apartment rental service especially for LGBTQI+ travellers coming to Buenos Aires. They have many different options available.
Revised September 2024. |
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