Experience

The best cities for gay cruising? London, Berlin, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona

Posted by Timothy on


A new Global Gay Cruising Index published by Erobella in September 2025 reveals where gay men around the world have the best chances for spontaneous erotic encounters, and Europe emerges as the undisputed leader.

The index ranks major international cities by the diversity and accessibility of venues that cater to gay cruising culture, assessing four categories: gay saunas, cruising clubs, gay bars and public parks. Each city was scored from 1 to 10 in each category, with scores adjusted for population size to allow direct comparison.

London leads the pack

At the top of the 2025 index stands London in the United Kingdom, scoring 29 out of 40 possible points. The British capital impresses with its wealth of meeting opportunities in public parks (10/10 points) and a strong range of saunas and gay bars.

Close behind is Berlin in Germany with 26 points, famous for its legendary fetish club scene, which remains globally unrivalled. Paris in France secures third place with 25 points, standing out for its dense network of gay saunas (10/10) and clubs.

Further down the list, Madrid in Spain scores 22 points, driven by its strong sauna culture but lacking in cruising-friendly parks. Barcelona in Catalonia follows with 18 points, bolstered mainly by its lively club scene.

North America falls behind

Across the Atlantic Ocean, New York leads the United States with 14 points, largely thanks to its abundance of gay bars (10/10). San Francisco in California follows with 11 points, and Chicago in Illinois with 10, while Miami in Florida performs notably poorly at just 8 points — a sharp contrast to its international image as a gay hotspot.

Europe’s historical advantage

The index highlights a lasting divide between Europe and North America — a difference rooted in historical, cultural and political developments dating back to the 1980s. While European cities like London, Berlin and Paris have flourished as centres of gay social life, U.S. and Canadian cities have struggled to rebuild their cruising cultures.

The turning point came during the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. While the epidemic ravaged communities worldwide, responses diverged sharply. In the United States, fear-driven policies led to the widespread closure of gay bathhouses, particularly in San Francisco and New York.

In 1984, San Francisco’s then-mayor Dianne Feinstein ordered 14 of 30 monitored establishments closed after a court ruling banned private rooms with lockable doors — effectively imposing a total ban. A year later, in October 1985, the State of New York authorised local health officials to shut down bathhouses, leading to the permanent closure of the iconic New St. Mark’s Baths on 7 December 1985.

Many within the community viewed these measures as a moralistic attack on gay life and identity. Activist Harry Breaux described the closures as severing the community’s communication lines. Bathhouses, he and others argued, were more than sites for anonymous sex: they were social hubs, gyms, and spaces of equality where social class dissolved. Later scholars termed the closures “dignity takings” — acts of deprivation that stripped a marginalised group of its autonomy and humanity.

Europe’s pragmatic approach

By contrast, most European countries took a more pragmatic stance. Rather than closing gay saunas, they repurposed them as spaces for health education and HIV prevention. Only Sweden temporarily followed the American model in 1985, but lifted its ban in 2004.

In countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, public health authorities partnered with sauna operators and gay organisations to promote safer-sex practices and distribute condoms and information materials. This collaboration not only preserved vital community infrastructure but also strengthened trust between gay communities and health officials.

A divide that endures

The divergent strategies of the 1980s continue to shape gay cruising culture today. While Europe’s sauna and cruising scenes survived and evolved, the American scene never fully recovered from its near-eradication. The resulting vacuum, filled largely by bars, has proven insufficient — a reality now clearly reflected in the 2025 Global Gay Cruising Index.

Methodology

The Global Gay Cruising Index evaluates international cities across four categories — gay saunas, cruising clubs, gay bars, and public parks — each scored from 1 to 10 and adjusted for population size. Scores are summed to produce an overall ‘cruising score’, indicating the strength and diversity of local opportunities for spontaneous male encounters and enabling global comparison.

How this scores came to be, is not communicated. The study does include hooking-ups via apps such as Grindr, Jack’d, Scruff, 9 Monster, Recon, (Gay) Romeo, Sniffies or The Blowers. 

Big cities

The index also only looks at big metropolises. As I write here, gay adventures of the homosexual kind in big metropolises is unkind to those without an instagrammable body. 

Also, at the pride Taipei Pride in Taiwan is happening, and social media show very fit men enjoying parties where hook-ups are okay. 

On Pink News‘s Instagram account, more than one advocates a spot for São Paolo in Brazil. Again, a metropolis. What about smaller cities. That’s where people with more average bodies have a better success rate. 

The full list

  1. London, England.
  2. Berlin.
  3. Paris.
  4. Madrid.
  5. Barcelona.
  6. New York.
  7. Vienna, Austria.
  8. Hamburg.
  9. San Francisco.
  10. Toronto, Canada.
  11. Chicago.
  12. Sydney, Australia.
  13. Miami.
  14. Amsterdam, North Holland.
  15. Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.
  16. Munich, Bavaria.
  17. Los Angeles.
  18. Manchester.
  19. Montreal, Quebec.
  20. Vancouver, British Columbia.

Gay adventures of the homosexual kind