Valencia, Spain, is getting ready to host the 2026 Gay Games, and tourism boosters are already preparing to put the city’s best face forward, with the hopes of enticing some of the estimated 8,000-12,000 attendees to return again and again.
The Gay Games includes 33 venues, 22 of which are government-owned and all but a handful are in the city limits. Besides the competitions themselves, the games play host a number of social gatherings. The Gay Games Village, similar to the Olympic Village, will be located in the expansive, modern, and iconic Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) buildings.
For Queer visitors, the city has it all — from world-class beaches, nightlife, and restaurants to centuries-old culture and a rich history.
Historic city
With a population of nearly 800,000, Valencia is Spain's third largest city, after Madrid and Barcelona. It has played a pivotal part in world history. It was in Valencia in 1488 when Christopher Columbus first approached Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand to ask for Spain’s backing to find a new route to Asia. Portugal had already turned him down, but by 1492 the Spanish royals were more receptive to Columbus’s sales pitch. At that time, Spain was finally overcoming centuries of Muslim domination. Feeling more optimistic about their country’s future, Isabella and Ferdinand greenlighted Columbus’s famed journey.
Modern times saw the beautification of the city following the flood of 1957, which took at least 81 lives. The city decided to divert the river so it flowed outside of downtown. Almost 12 miles of the old riverbed were transformed into parkland, with the crown jewel being the aforementioned Ciudad de las Artes buildings, which look a little like the Sydney Opera House. The sprawling and stunning complex is made up of six unique buildings, including a hands-on science museum, a concert hall, and Europe’s largest aquarium. A little further down the riverbed, you will find the Gulliver playground, built to resemble the storybook character being held down by ropes. The kids get to play the Lilliputians as they climb and slide over him.
The historic center of Valencia used to be surrounded by a wall. Two massive, ornate entry gates remain and have become very popular tourist attractions. The Torres de Quart offers great views of the old city and the new riverbed park. The other gate tower, Torres de Serranos, offers similar views, was used to hide and protect art during the Spanish Civil War. Both gates were sometimes used as jails; a bell on the side was used to signal when a prisoner escaped.
Valencia’s main cathedral, Catedral de Valencia, has the so-called Holy Grail, a chalice that dates back to Jesus’s time that may have been used at the Last Supper. Jewels were added to the bottom of the cup, opulence wouldn’t have been characteristic of Jesus’s life as a humble carpenter. Just a short walk from the cathedral is the Iglesia de San Nicolás, sometimes called Spain’s Sistine Chapel, with its meticulously restored ceiling paintings.
Mercado Central, a nearly hundred-year-old indoor market in the heart of the old city, is jam-packed with stands selling locally produced and harvested fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish. It is the very traditional way the Spanish bought what they needed in the days before refrigeration, so freshness had to be a priority.
Nightlife
The Gay-popular Russafa neighborhood, adjacent to the historic old town, is packed with bars and restaurants. Some could be considered Gay-friendly, while others are hetero-friendly. The bars and businesses come alive starting around 7 p.m. and many keep going well into the morning if they still have customers. The nearby main street, Gran Vía, hosts larger disco dance spaces.
Some of the more Gay-popular bars include La Bella de Cádiz, Franky Four Fingers, Comics, and La Boba y El Gato Rancio in Russafa; the cruise bar Homens (close to the central station), El Cafetín, and Trapezzio in El Carmen (downtown); and The Muse, the stop before Deseo 54, the popular weekend Gay disco that doesn’t open until 1 a.m. and keeps the party going until 7:30 a.m.
Gay-owned Café de Las Horas in Old Town is known for its striking, red Victorian decor. Try Valencia’s signature drink there, agua de Valencia, made with orange juice, cava, and sometimes gin. You will see piles of oranges all over the bar.
Valencia oranges, by the way, are named after the city, which has adopted the fruit as one of its symbols. You will see it on buildings and signs throughout the region.
Daytime
The northern end of the Playa de la Malvarrosa is the most popular of Valencia’s beaches overall. The main Gay beach, Playa de l’Arbre del Gos, is south of Valencia in the La Albufera region, between El Saler and Pinedo Beaches. It is clothing optional and frequented by men and women. Buses 14 and 15 go to Pinedo Beach; you can walk from there. Or the 25 bus stops at El Saler Beach on the other side. Look for a large abandoned chimney stack.
A good way to get the lay of the land is by doing a bicycle tour. Valencia is flat and has bike trails everywhere. A walking tour of downtown Valencia is also worth doing. A number of companies offer such tours; some are free and make money on tips.
Valencia is an affordable city compared to US standards. Spain is not a tipping country, and tax is usually included in the bill, so the price you see is what you will pay. You can get a light breakfast for $5 or lunch or dinner for less than $15. By the way, the Spanish generally eat a very light breakfast, sometimes toast with tomato sauce or olive oil. The biggest meal is a late lunch at around 2 or 3 p.m. Dinner seldom happens before 9 but is usually very light.
If you travel to Valencia between now and when the Gay Games start in June, you will literally see signs all over town boasting of its host city status. Valencia is sponsoring billboards announcing the competition. The city government also strongly supports the games, which they hope will be an economic boost.
Planning your trip
If you plan to attend the games, the best time to make travel plans is now. The Gay Games run June 27 through July 4, 2026. June through August is the busiest time for tourism to Valencia. That’s when Europeans flock to the city to take advantage of warm, sunny, long days, when the sun doesn’t set until about 9:30 p.m. (and it doesn’t really get dark until about an hour after that).
Don’t rent a car. It’s not worth the hassle of traffic and finding a place to park. The city center is just an 18-minute ride on the Metro from the Valencia airport. Download the app for the city’s bike-sharing program (www.valenbisi.es) or plan to take public transit to get around. You can tap your credit credit card to pay, or buy a tourist card ahead of time. Uber works in Valencia, but if you are coming to or from a major event, it could be more challenging to find one.
If you want to fly into Barcelona or Madrid and combine two cities in one trip, Valencia is about a 1.5-hour high speed train ride from Madrid and 2.5 hours from Barcelona. Level Airlines, the sister company to Iberia Airlines, has some great deals flying into Barcelona from several cities in the US. If you can get a good deal with Level, it may be worth it to fly into Barcelona and take the train from the heart of downtown.
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