Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Not quite French, not quite Dutch, and not quite German, Brussels fully embraces the variety and flavor of cultures from around itself and about the entire world – blending them with a special taste of its uniqueness into one of the best queer travel destinations on the planet.
Aside from its historical and cultural status as one of the most important cities in Europe, Brussels is both the capital of Belgium and the European Union. This international travel hub has long been cemented as one of the most progressive and gay-friendly cities on the continent and continues to contend strongly with other queer metropolises like Berlin, Stockholm, and London.
All of the above makes perfect sense when one notes that over thirty percent of the city’s population comprises foreigners and that Brussels alone receives nearly four million visitors annually. The native culture and food are amazing, the tourist hotspots and sites are breathtaking, and – of course – the gay scene is alive, welcoming, and freer than ever before.
Some of the most important locations for visitors to Brussels to check out include the Grand Palace and its attached plaza, the Parc du Cinquantenaire Park and Garden, and – of course – the historic expanse of the city’s old center and its amazing period skyline.
Suppose you’re looking for something more queer-specific. In that case, however, you’ll want to head down to Saint Jacques in the center of the city, where an amazing collection of gay bars, clubs, and general hangout spots serve Brussels’ colorful gay community.
When it comes to events and other special attractions, Brussels is home to one of the biggest pride marches in Europe, the Belgian Lesbian and Gay Pride in May, and also hosts its very own gay film festival in January if cinematography and queer achievements in the creative industry are your pot of tea.
Even though there are more than a few gay-targeted businesses in Brussels, and even given the fact that the city is one of the most popular queer travel destinations in Europe for a very good reason, things that appeal to gay travelers aren’t always necessarily marketed towards them, and we know that.
Therefore, we’d like to note that the hotels on this list follow the same logic and reach out to include the best of all the fusion tastes, mixed cultures, and amazing international lifestyles that Brussels is home to. Most of these wonderful hotels have been listed as accommodating, friendly, and unjudgmental to and by queer people in general, as well as highly rated by previous guests and critics.
So, with that last bit done with, if you’ve heard enough talk about the city and its merits, and you’d rather pack your bags and focus on your goal of enjoying an amazing queer-centered holiday experience, then allow us to blow your mind away with eight of the very best gay hotels in Brussels.
In this article we will cover...
ibis Brussels Expo Atomium
Although Ibis hotels aren’t exactly known for being the most exciting accommodation locations to stay at while traveling abroad, this particular establishment stands out all the same when it comes to serving as a perfect starter hotel for this list.
The Ibis Brussels Expo Atomium has a strong three stars to its name and a prime position in the middle of the city that puts it within a minute’s walk of the famous Brussels Expo convention center and the Atomium tourist attraction.
There’s one thing to note, however. The ibis Brussels isn’t particularly nearby when it comes to the Saint Jacques gay neighborhood, which may be a killer for some queer travelers, but it has amazing connections to the city’s public transport system and a great region of its very own to explore, so if getting hands-on with Brussels’ nightlife can wait just a little bit, then this is the perfect place for you.
Besides, suppose the public is important to your plans of getting around the city. In that case, you’ll be happy to learn that the central Heysel metro station is only around ten minutes walk away and that from there, the entire metropolitan scape of Brussels is opened up to you in all of its culture and queerness.
Some helpful on-paper notes about the services provided by the ibis Brussels Expo Atomium include the wonderful breakfast that it serves to guests every morning, its wide variety of much-coveted parking spots for those who have hired cars as their way of navigating the city, laundry service to make your life just that one bit easier, and – perhaps most importantly of all – its very own restaurant and bar to make sure that you’re always well-fed and presented with plenty of opportunities to socialize with fellow travelers and visitors to the city.
Hôtel La Légende Cloche
If being central to Brussel’s Saint Jacques district and the heart of the local gay community it houses is important to your holiday plans in the city, then you’ll find relief and convenience beyond belief in this classy, unique location.
The Hôtel La Légende is built up within a well-aged 19th-century townhouse and zooms directly in on the target with perfect precision – sitting comfortably between the larger span of the city and the heart of the Saint Jacques district and embracing both halves of the city with equal enthusiasm.
That isn’t to say that this location is all about practicality without any fun and thrills, however. In truth, this could not be less of an accurate way to describe it. The Hôtel La Légende Cloche is the very spitting image of a small-scale yet indubitably luxurious and intoxicatingly unique European hotel, and as such, guests here can expect only the best service and the most calming atmosphere.
This establishment may not have a flood of commercial service stars to its name, and it may not have the largest building and common spaces out of the other hotels on this list, but the touch it has instead is priceless, especially when it comes to a gay hotel.
When it comes to on-paper benefits outside of its rooms and location, the Hôtel La Légende continues to deliver strong with an in-house restaurant for your daily culinary and drink needs, breakfast every morning in a classy dining room to get your exploration of the day off to an energetic start, and plenty of terraces to enjoy excellent views of the city and its surrounding nature from. The Manneken Pis is just a few minutes walk away, and much excitement awaits beyond and around it.
Hotel nhow Brussels Bloom
Taking a steep step up in official quality rating and price when compared to the two locations that came before it on this list, the Hotel Nhow Brussels Bloom is a trendy, well-designed hotel that maintains a sterling-clean service reputation and an even shinier commitment to LGBTQ+-friendly business practices and its welcoming atmosphere.
The Hotel Nhow has the highest official rank out of all of the hotels on this list at four stars, and this status isn’t all show, either, as is proved by the almost immaculate service reputation it also holds. Both of these positive aspects should be more than strong enough to make you certain of Hotel Nhow’s prowess in accommodation and its dedication to queer guests from around the world.
Some of the most highly regaled aspects of the Hotel Nhow include its daily and completely complimentary breakfast offerings, which are served in the hotel’s stylish and up-to-date dining room, and its in-house restaurant and bar.
The individual suites and rooms of this establishment are also top-tier and fully deserving of every word of praise that they have received – boasting floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over every beautiful inch of the city around it and comfortable furniture that is sure to make your time staying here just that bit more pleasant and amicable.
When it comes to location, the Hotel Nhow may not be as centrally located as some of the other hotels on this list, but its slightly more northward surroundings include the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium and the Grand Place Square, both of which are more than fair trades for a few extra minutes walking or a couple of stops on the city’s regularly-running and more than convenient metro line web.
Zoom Hotel
Everything about this location is classy and angled towards satisfying and enriching its visitors, from its style and construction to its larger rooms and exquisite customer service mentality.
Sitting strong as yet another amazing gay hotel in Brussels and another four-star location that is locked and loaded to blow your socks off, the Zoom Hotel may not belong to any major franchise – which it has in common with many of the other hotels on this list – but it is an absolute beacon of high-quality accommodation and luxury all the same.
The hotel is famous for catering to its guests with an undeniable and intoxicating air of style, comfort, and modern atmosphere, and if that isn’t enough to convince you of its merit, wait until we get started on its location.
The Royal Palace of Brussels is only an easy two-minute walk away from this hotel’s standing, and you can be sure that this aristocratic atmosphere extends out to the surrounding neighborhood. There’s more than the district’s fair share of exquisite eateries and upmarket hangout locations.
However, although this hotel joins the ibis Brussels Expo Atomium at the beginning of this list in being not exactly close to the Saint Jacques gay village in terms of the size of the city in general, it is well-connected to the rest of Brussels by public transport and walkable city ways anyway.
The hotel’s in-house amenities include its very own bar and lounge for casual conversation and embracing the calm atmosphere of the city, as well as an open garden terrace and an attached restaurant. The Zoom Hotel serves a more than competent breakfast in the mornings and gives the comforting feeling of being there to support you throughout the day if you need anything.
Yooma Urban Lodge
Although the word ‘lodge’ may conjure images of wood-paneled cabins more than a practical, stylish, and gay-friendly hotel in the middle of one of Europe’s most important and busy cities, we promise that there’s a lot more to this gem than you may think.
This hotel is cool, stylish, and just about the opposite of what you expect. The Yooma Urban Lodge is undoubtedly the highest-rated hotel on this list regarding public appeal, and the location’s hot streak of customer satisfaction doesn’t show a single hint of stopping soon.
Suppose you’re looking for a fusion location that mixes modern and contemporary aspects and methods of accommodation into an entirely new experience that leans wonderfully into the larger scene of Brussels. In that case, this is the perfect place for you. Guests to this hotel are invited to stretch out their wings into the deepest crevices of the city, including but not limited to its thriving queer area and close surroundings.
The Yooma Urban Lodge isn’t just known for its atmosphere and design, however. It’s also positively influenced by its amazing in-house dining experience, daily breakfast spreads, available parking, and in-house bar for those looking for a more casual socialization experience than that found on the street.
The Yooma Urban Lodge is also pet-friendly, making it one of the only hotels in the city to invite those with four-legged companions to bring their furry roommates into their suite with them. No matter your needs and your budget, the Yooma Urban Lodge is here to fulfill them all in elegant style without forcing you to dig too deep into your wallet or strain yourself trying to make travel ends meet during your Brussels stay.
La Vieille Lanterne
You may not expect to find an excellent, top-shelf gay hotel down a small cobbled lane just off the city’s main queer district, but that’s exactly where the bizarre but wonderful La Vieille Lanterne is hiding away.
A good way to begin talking about the La Vieille Lanterne is by showcasing its perfect, spot-on location for those looking to fully immerse themselves in the Saint Jacques gay neighborhood, but from there on, things get a lot less conventional and a lot more interesting.
This hotel may not be what people expect, but there’s no denying that it is highly rated, more than competent at what it does, and a unique experience that seems almost impossible to pass up.
The La Vieille Lanterne is quirky, eccentric, and simply ‘different’ in a way that even the Yooma Urban Lodge before it cannot hope to properly capture, and as such, its general accommodation experience is one of the most unique that we’ve ever had the pleasure of including in one of these lists.
The design and interior of the La Vieille Lanterne could be seen as a little rustic by some, but if immersing yourself in local culture and the historical atmosphere is your thing, then you will love the eclectic feel that this hotel brings.
Although this particular gay hotel may seem like a period establishment about the edges and therefore set a few decades in the past at the very least, it is still as modern as the majority of other hotels on this list and is sure to include advantages such as free Wi-Fi and air conditioning into its accommodation amenities, as well as an incredibly central location to the very best pits of the Brussels gay village and a bed and breakfast-style kitchen.
The Augustin
We’ve been going through the budget and practical gay hotels for a while now, and although that in no way means that they haven’t been just as stylish as those with larger price tags, it’s about time we take on a big fish once more.
And, of course, what better way to do that than with the regal Augustin? This amazing hotel is set in a long, tree-lined residential street, perfectly capturing the relaxed yet cosmopolitan vibe that its city is famous for. If you’re looking for a taste of that classic European charm mixed with a healthy dose of modern design and convenient service, then this might be the location you’re looking for to streamline your Brussels visit with style.
Some of the on-paper benefits of staying at The Augustin include its easily-available wheelchair-accessible rooms for those with special mobility requirements – which is a rarity in the city – its daily breakfast buffet, and – of course – its on-site gym and bar.
There’s a healthy amount of general-appeal points of interest nearby, such as several daytime coffee bars and restaurants, but if you’re set on checking out the city’s gay center and its queer heart, then you need only take a few steps to the East, and you’ll find yourself directly in the middle of it all.
The Augustin’s location is a perfect mix between both worlds and affords a degree of access to the best of the best that Brussels offers that very few other hotels in the city can hope to match. The nearby area is also well known for the iconic Manneken Pis fountain and a mural dedicated to the comic character Tintin and his creator Hergé which is another plus if it interests you.
Art de Séjour Bed & Breakfast
We’ve spoken highly about a lot of the locations on this amazing list of gay hotels in Brussels, and while this mainly goes to show just how high-quality and inspiring the vast majority of establishments are in this city, it remains to be said that there is still one-star player left to mention.
The Art de Séjour Bed & Breakfast is nothing short of a celebrity in the Brussels accommodation scene, and the satisfaction it has provided customers in the past shows clearly through its impressive repertoire of reviews from both travelers in general and queer guests in particular.
If you’re looking for a truly top-shelf stay that keeps you covered on just about every angle that you could expect with no extra cost or stress to deal with as a result, then leap and book yourself in at the Art de Séjour Bed & Breakfast for as many nights as you think you need to fully experience the wonderful city of Brussels and its strongly-beating gay heart.
The individual suites at the Art de Séjour Bed and Breakfast are spacious, well-designed, comfortable, and relaxing – separated from one another and the hotel’s common spaces by excellent soundproofing and catered to exclusively thanks to its room and laundry services.
The Saint Jacques district is this wonderful hotel’s home, and the establishment itself lives and breathes the unique, powerful energy of the area and its queer influences. There’s breakfast served every morning in the Art de Séjour’s excellent dining room, as one may expect from its nature as a bed and breakfast, and the views from both the public and private areas of this hotel are sure to make sure that the simplest experiences that you have from within are enhanced to the utmost, most queer degree possible.
Gay Hotel Map Of Brussels
Feeling a bit lost while planning your journey to Brussels? No worries, darling! Our detailed LGBTQ+ tailored map is here to guide you. We’ve pinpointed all the vibrant gay-friendly bars, exhilarating clubs, extravagant parties, cozy hotels, relaxing saunas, and soothing massage parlors to ensure you find the perfect spot.
And these aren’t just any spots; we’re talking about the creme de la creme of locations in the heart of the city’s vibrant gay scene. Think panoramic views, easy access to nightlife, and all the amenities to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
But hold on to your feather boas! These hot spots are fabulous; they vanish quicker than a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Don’t delay; book now to secure the best deals and locations. Remember, the early bird catches the best deals in Brussels! So, pack your rainbow flag, and get ready to experience the ultimate gay-friendly holiday in Brussels.
