The City of Light is held close to many travelers’ hearts. They speak about it in hushed tones, with reverence, like the Holy Grail of tourist destinations. And for good reason: This perfectly planned, meticulous, and sparkling city seems ready-made for its close-up. It harbors so many iconic wonders—the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre-Coeur, the Champs Elysees—that it seems as though you have already visited before you even set foot in the place. Sure, Paris can seem imperious and arrogant, but what other places in the world could honestly say they earned that right?

Paris has had an openly gay mayor, LGBT civil unions, and a happening gay scene that, in true French style, makes up in quality what it may lack in quantity of establishments. The heart of gay Paris is one of its oldest areas, the former Jewish district of Le Marais (it means “The Marshland” from the days before the neighborhood was drained). Here you’ll find gay hotels, restaurants, and bars, but the gay scene is really sprinkled throughout the city as a whole, from saunas near the Louvre to lesbian bars near Bastille. And the lesbian scene, while still dwarfed by the males, has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

The best part about Paris is the walking—strolling past cafes in the formerly bohemian area of Montmartre, watching the boats slip by on the Seine. Meander around the open-air marches to peruse the fresh food products. Or simply lay out your towel during summer on Tata Beach, the gay section of the Paris Plage on the Right Bank.