These are the best cities for gay men seeking “spontaneous encounters” in real life

A new study has compiled a ranking of cities in Europe and North America for gay men seeking to cruise and connect with other guys in real life. These are the cities that offer a variety of uninhibited cruise clubs, gay bars, bathhouses, and parks with a reputation for cruising action.

The ‘Global Gay Cruising Index’ was compiled by German website Erobella.

The researchers looked at the number of facilities (clubs, bars, bathhouses, and open-air cruising sites) each city offered and assigned them marks out of ten for each. They adjusted their figures depending on the population size of each city.

The top four slots were all taken by European capitals. London took the number one position, scoring 29 out of 40. It scored a perfect 10/10 when it came to parks and other open spaces (parts of Hampstead Heath in North London continue to be busy in this respect). Other notable locations include Pleasuredrome Spa Bar in Waterloo, the Lord Clyde in Deptford, and Vault 139 in central London.

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Coming in second place was Berlin, Germany (26/40). The city has a reputation for its raunchy clubs and leather scene. It also hosts the annual Folsom Europe festival.

Taking third place was Paris, France (25/40), which also offers plenty of clubs with backrooms and several gay bathhouses, such as IDM Sauna and Euro Men’s Club.

The Spanish capital Madrid took fourth place (23/40), again scoring highly for its bathhouses. This was followed by Barcelona (18/40).

So what about North American destinations?

North America destinations scored a little lower. New York City took sixth place with a score of 15/40. It managed 10/10 for its range of gay bars, but less highly for its cruisey parks and bathhouses.

In fact, this highlights what the study says was a marked difference between US and European destinations.

“This divide is not coincidental – it stems from deep-seated historical, cultural, and political developments dating back to the 1980s.”

Lead researcher, Brenda M. Jensen, points to how authorities in the US acted to shut down sex venues, including bathhouses, when HIV arrived in the early 1980s. Such closures did not happen in most of Europe, allowing bathhouse culture to flourish.

“While the virus spread globally, responses in the U.S. and Europe diverged sharply. In the United States – especially in hotspots like San Francisco and New York – fear-driven and moralistic policies led to the closure of gay bathhouses.”

“In contrast, most European countries adopted a more pragmatic approach. Instead of closing saunas, they were repurposed as centers for education and prevention.”

After New York, the rest of the top ten was made up of Vienna (13/40), Hamburg (11/40), San Francisco (11/40), and Toronto (11/40).

The only city outside of Europe and North America was Sydney, Australia, scoring 10/40. Surprisingly, Amsterdam — once considered the queer sex capital of Europe — only scored 9/40 on this index.

You can check out the full table of results below.

Hookup apps fail to match the “charm” of real-life encounters

Besides the impact of HIV, we all know that the commercial gay scene has seen a vast reduction in size since the turn of the century. The internet has provided different ways for LGBTQ+ people to connect. Some estimates coclude that London has lost 50% of its gay venues since 2000, and the figure across the whole US is not dissimilar.

Another factor impacting how men arrange encounters was the advent of hookup apps such as Grindr and websites like Sniffies. We asked Jensen about this impact.

“Digital platforms like Grindr have undeniably transformed cruising, creating new hybrid forms of connection,” she told GayCities. “Yet the essence (and charm!) of spontaneous, physical encounters remains deeply rooted in real-world spaces. These places carry the rhythms of queer history, community, and desire in ways no app can ever replicate.”

“While many European cities continue to allow such spaces to thrive, the poor ranking of North American cities in the index signals not just a shift in behavior, but arguably a fading of queer public presence itself,” she concluded.

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