Exploring the gay and lesbian scene around the globe

Ian McCurrach rounds up what's going on in five of the world's hippest cities

Soho, London

London's Soho was once primarily known as a denizen of prostitution and seedy straight sex clubs. All that changed back in the Eighties when the heart of Soho, Old Compton Street, became a hangout mainly for gay men. With bars such as Comptons and The Admiral Duncan, the scene was firmly set and now hot hunks and sassy girls are regularly seen cruising up and down the main drag. In fact, it is often hard to spot the straights among the pink crowds. Some say that Soho is now the capital and centre of the gay world and that no other city has a village to match. What is certain is that it definitely leads the way with great eateries such as Balans Restaurant and Balans Café, fabulous trend-setting bars such as Rupert Street, Barcode, The Village and The Yard, and no end of al-fresco pavement cafés to grab a coffee and watch the talent walk by. The place to see and be seen during the day at weekends and in the early evenings for pre-clubbing drinks for the muscle-boy crowd is The Box. And if you are looking for late night drinking action head for G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late. Most of the superclubs (Crash, Fire and Club Coliseum et al) are over in Vauxhall but in Soho take your pick from G-A-Y at The Astoria and The Shadow Lounge.

The Village, Montreal

With a long gay history, dating back as far as the Twenties, Montreal's Gay Village is one of the biggest gay communities in North America. Today, what is known locally as The Village stretches along St-Catherine from Berri to de Lorimier, and on the north-south axis, from René-Lévesque to Sherbrooke. It's a pulsating part of town crammed with chic cafés, bars, boutiques and restaurants. Even the façade of the local Beaudry metro station features a rainbow coloured row of columns signifying its status. Throughout the year, The Village plays host to festivals, events and circuit parties such as Divers/Cité, Black&Blue, the Red Weekend and the Festival Montréal en Arts. Along with the hip party hangouts, the area boasts antique treasures in the stores on Amherst Street and the area is home to some stunning art deco architecture. Like London's Soho, many of the country's leading media companies are based here, including broadcasters Télé-Québec and TVA. A good place to get your bearings is Le Drugstore. This huge complex houses numerous bars, food joints and small designer boutiques. A typical evening would be some tasty Thai food at Le Bato Thai, followed by drinks at Le Sky bar, then on to a club such as Le Parking.

Le Marais, Paris

Paree's gay hood, Le Marais, is in the historic and fashionable centre in the third and fourth arrondisements. This is an area of narrow tree-lined avenues with over 300 gay places to hang out and have fun. Although France seems to be getting more and more conservative, there is nothing holding back Paris and Le Marais. In fact, the city of lights was the first capital to elect an openly gay mayor back in 2001 and Paris flies the flag for freedom and tolerance. The bars and cafés du jour for people watching are Open Café with its central corner location and heated terrace (a hot advantage in winter) and for creative cocktails, PM Café, is cool with its bold red and gold baroque design. Le Marais has become so trendy that there are now many mixed venues that were once predominantly gay. Paris is known for dining and popular pink eateries are the long-established Le Gai Moulin, Equinox and Kofi du Marais. For clubbing in Le Marais the choices are Le Cud Bar and Le Tango.

Chueca, Madrid

Madrid hit the headlines last year when Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, carried out his first gay marriage in the capital despite opposition from the church, signalling an about turn in attitudes in the city. The old barrio of Chueca is where most gay life is centred and like the rest of Spain, the scene is very, very late. Sleep by day and live at night like the hot Madrileños and you will certainly get into the Chueca groove. The narrow labyrinthine streets just of Gran Via are compact and accessible on foot so you can easily bar and restaurant hop. Most establishments wear their rainbow flags with pride so it is easy to pick out where you will feel most at home. Plaza Chueca is at the heart of the action and top places to eat include El Armario and Lateral. The gay population has really given the area a new lease of life and much money has been invested in the area. Like most cities, the hottest clubs are gay ones and now attract a mixed crowd. Popular hip haunts include Liquid and Delirio. Club nights go in and out of favour really quickly here, so for the most up-to-the-minute listings look out for the free local gay guide, Shangay.

The Castro, San Francisco

The main drag of San Francisco's gay village runs on Castro Street from Market to 19th but the area has spread a few more blocks in either direction. Rainbow banners line the streets everywhere so if you find yourself underneath one, you know you are still in the Castro.

The area shot to fame back in the Seventies as the centre of the gay civil rights movement led by Harvey Milk, who became a City Supervisor. Milk was later assassinated but his political activism set the stage for gay equality worldwide. Today, the area is less politically motivated and more about partying and shopping. Much of the area still has a retro-Seventies feel and leather bars and sex shops abound. There are plenty of bars to cater for every taste with music pulsating into the early hours. Kick start your evening with cocktails at The Bar on Castro, which is a good place to meet the locals and find out where the rest of the action is. Metro is another popular bar and the balcony gives you a bird's eye view of what is happening on the street. SF Badlands is the club of choice and has the biggest dance floor in the area on which to shake your booty.