Gay Life in Brazil

Brazil is the next great travel frontier for gay travelers.

Rio de Janeiro, known as the 'Wonderful City' in Portuguese, the local language, is also known for being a sexual paradise and a big time party city. For gays searching for something even hotter, well, more cosmopolitan with many more options, Sao Paulo is the place to be. Sao Paulo is a huge city of 18 million inhabitants with everything to offer. Don't be surprised if a gay friend of a friend in Sao Paulo has never heard about a gay bar you were recommended to check on. São Paulo is so big and has so much to offer to the gay community that not even a Paulista (Sao Paulo born and raised) can keep track of all the gay spots in town, including bars, clubs, saunas, porn movies, parks...

But there are many other places other than Rio and São Paulo. Brazil sprawls over most of the continent and is bigger than the continental U.S. Other cities such as Salvador, Recife, Belo Horizonte and Brasilia, to name a few, have much to please gay travelers. The language can sometimes be a barrier but body language always speaks for itself and with a big vocabulary.

Plus, the distances to many Brazilian cities from the United States are no greater than they are to Europe, and travel costs in South America's largest country range from dirt-cheap to fairly moderate where as everyone knows traveling in Europe is down right expensive.

Quite a few gay travelers have become aware that Brazil's sexy and scenic Rio de Janeiro (left) has a lusty and energetic gay scene, and some others have learned about the Euro-hip sophistication and nightclub prowess of São Paulo, but several other Brazilian cities are rapidly developing cachet.

Here's a quick primer on where you'll find the most happening and gay-popular scenes throughout the country. Few of the world's cities are more captivating than Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.

Sao Paulo - is one of the world's "sexiest and most sophisticated" gay destinations. You can describe São Paulo as an incredibly forward and flirtatious city, and note that it's quite common for total strangers to strike up a conversation with visitors, whether the intention is romantic or otherwise.

This isn't a let-it-all-hang-out party place like Rio. In São Paulo, lesbians and gay men socialize on a fairly low-key level, often in the city's many trendy outdoor cafes and stylish restaurants close to Consolação/Jardins - plus a decent number of gay bars. While you won't necessarily encounter a Castro- or Chelsea-like gay playground where same-sex couples stroll hand-in-hand, you will find that residents of São Paulo accept gays and lesbians as a natural component of the urban fabric. This is a city that's equally appealing to gay singles as well as couples, and to gays of all ages. The gay scene can be rather fashion- and image-conscious, which of course suits its devotees just fine.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Rio de Janeiro is gay ground-central for many South American visitors, and it's the only real queer-visible destination in Brazil. The city is ideally suited to revelers and late-night clubbers, and it's also a better match with travelers who both enjoy and are comfortable with the tempo of a big city. Crime is an issue in Rio, although the government has made tremendous strides in recent years making the city safer.

Rio grooves to a fast, tropical beat - residents wear their lust for life on their sleeves. Gay nightclubs abound and pulse well into the wee hours of the night, and the city's beaches are infested all day long with sexy and scantily clad bodies. Comments Matthew Link, author of the Rainbow Handbook Hawaii and numerous gay-travel articles, Rio "is one city that can claim to be actually grander than its postcard images, and more glamorous than the songs written for her." The scene here is spread out among a few neighborhoods. Several hotels and inns cater to or encourage the gay market, and bars and clubs abound, most of them kicking into high gear well into the evening, and more than a few of them employing a sexy stable of go-go boys.