Edinburgh has a lively gay scene and Garlands is only minutes away from the heart of it. We'll keep you right when you arrive, but here is a flavour of what is available during your stay.
The scene centres around what is known locally as the "gay triangle" - an area close to Garlands where you can find the main gay bars, cafes, shops and the saunas.
Cafes
Restaurants and Shops
There's something for everyone. You can start your evening or even your day with a meal at the "Blue Moon Café" in Broughton Street. This is a very popular eating and meeting place throughout the day (open from 11am to 11pm daily) and is particularly well liked by women. Next door you'll find "The Q Store", a licenced sex shop, that also sells cards, mags, underwear and a selection of clothes for the club-goers. Just down the road is "Cafe
Sala" - a bit quieter than the "Blue Moon" but nice just the same.
We
have two wonderful Italian restaurants practically
on our doorstep. These are La Favorita
and Vittoria's, both on Leith Walk and both
advertise in the gay press so you are assured
of a friendly welcome.
At
"La Fav", as we quaintly refer
to it, you will be greeted by the lovely
Stefano and his bevy of handsome waiters.
Your visit would be well worth it for this
alone but the food is the enduring attraction
at this first class and award winning eatery.
The food at La Fav is strictly Italian
and their speciality is their fabulous selection
of stone-oven baked pizzas.
Vittoria's
has a wider selection of food, catering
for all tastes. You will be greeted
here by Tony and his equally friendly staff.
In the summer you can eat outside and enjoy
the fumes from the passing traffic! Fumes
aside, both restauranta are hugely popular
and booking in advance is highly recommended.
Bill will do this for you if you want to
be sure of a table. This is particularly
handy on your
first night in Edinburgh when you might
not fancy venturing too far.
Bars
There are 7 bars to choose from. "Planet Out" is just 10 minutes from Garlands. It caters for a mixed crowd of men and women and is very popular in the early part of the evening. This place is either great or grate depending on your taste!
Just up the road is "CC Blooms". This is the lively late nite spot favoured by the younger crowd who like to dance the nite away. It starts to get busy at around midnight and closes in the early hours. On two levels,
you can either chat (over the very loud music) in the upstairs bar or give in and head for the dance floor in the lower area. CCs is just as popular with women as it is with men. "Cafe Habana" is another bar popular with the Edinburgh LGBT set. CC's, Planet Out and Habana are all situated at the top of Leith Walk near the Playhouse Theatre.
The
Claremont is a 10 minute walk from Garlands. It's
gay owned and a very down to earth pub that sells good beer. The place can be good fun if you like to play "is he/isn't he?"
and plays host to a number of regular speciality
nights.
Men who want to be in male company tend to gravitate to
"Twist", formally known as the
"New Town Bar" in Dublin Street . This is good place for a chat (and a chat up!) with friends. This is another bar on two levels. The chat is conducted
at ground level and the chat-up goes on in
the cruisier environs of the downstairs area where there is a small dance floor.
The other bars are, "Hot Stuff" in Rose Street Lane, which has a very loyal following and always offers a friendly welcome, and the "Regent" on
the corner of Montrose Terrace and Abbey
Mount which is so laid back it's prcatically
horizontal. This is slighly off the beaten
track but is well worth a visit if you want
a more relaxed evening in a welcoming and
traditional bar.
Saunas (Men Only...)
If you're in need of relaxation, there
are three saunas. The nearest to Garlands
is "Number 18" which is just around the corner. The sauna is exclusively gay and open from midday until 10.00pm daily. It is clean and the owners take their customers' sexual health seriously and always do their bit for gay charities - so full marks for trying!
The other sauna is "The Steamworks"
in Broughton Market. Both are within
easy walking distance from Garlands.
Plus!
In addition, there are numerous "one-niters", mostly on weekend nites, which
are advertised locally, as well as some good social nites organised by the local Gay Switchboard. Phone the Lothian Gay and Lesbian Switchboard in advance for more details on 0131 556 4049 (7:30pm - 10:00pm nightly).
When you get here we'll give you an up-to-date map to help you find your way around.
Other Sites of Gay and Lesbian Interest
Political
Equality Network:http://www.diversity.org.uk/equality The Equality Network is a group which aims to help facilitate and catalyse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender campaigning and networking in Scotland.
Pride Scotland:http://www.pridescotland.org/about.htm Pride Scotland is a non-profit voluntary organisation, founded in 1994/95. It has offices in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and is responsible for organising the Pride Scotland march and festival, which are staged in Scotland each year.
Stonewall:http://www.stonewall.org.uk/ Stonewall is the national civil rights group working for legal equality and social justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. It is a respected and effective campaigning organisation working with a growing network of sympathetic politicians and alongside many grass roots groups.
At
"La Fav", as we quaintly refer
to it, you will be greeted by the lovely
Stefano and his bevy of handsome waiters.
Your visit would be well worth it for this
alone but the food is the enduring attraction
at this first class and award winning eatery.
The food at La Fav is strictly Italian
and their speciality is their fabulous selection
of stone-oven baked pizzas.
Vittoria's
has a wider selection of food, catering
for all tastes. You will be greeted
here by Tony and his equally friendly staff.
In the summer you can eat outside and enjoy
the fumes from the passing traffic! Fumes
aside, both restauranta are hugely popular
and booking in advance is highly recommended.
Bill will do this for you if you want to
be sure of a table. This is particularly
handy on your
first night in Edinburgh when you might
not fancy venturing too far.
There are 7 bars to choose from. "Planet Out" is just 10 minutes from Garlands. It caters for a mixed crowd of men and women and is very popular in the early part of the evening. This place is either great or grate depending on your taste!
Just up the road is "CC Blooms". This is the lively late nite spot favoured by the younger crowd who like to dance the nite away. It starts to get busy at around midnight and closes in the early hours. On two levels,
you can either chat (over the very loud music) in the upstairs bar or give in and head for the dance floor in the lower area. CCs is just as popular with women as it is with men.
"Cafe Habana" is another bar popular with the Edinburgh LGBT set. CC's, Planet Out and Habana are all situated at the top of Leith Walk near the Playhouse Theatre.
The
Claremont is a 10 minute walk from Garlands. It's
gay owned and a very down to earth pub that sells good beer. The place can be good fun if you like to play "is he/isn't he?"
and plays host to a number of regular speciality
nights.
Men who want to be in male company tend to gravitate to
"Twist", formally known as the
"New Town Bar" in Dublin Street . This is good place for a chat (and a chat up!) with friends. This is another bar on two levels. The chat is conducted
at ground level and the chat-up goes on in
the cruisier environs of the downstairs area where there is a small dance floor. 
The other bars are, "Hot Stuff" in Rose Street Lane, which has a very loyal following and always offers a friendly welcome, and the "Regent" on
the corner of Montrose Terrace and Abbey
Mount which is so laid back it's prcatically
horizontal. This is slighly off the beaten
track but is well worth a visit if you want
a more relaxed evening in a welcoming and
traditional bar.
