About us

myPharoos is a guide for gay and LGBTQ+ travellers that doesn’t stop at a list of bars. You’ll find verified venues, events and accommodation in more than 170 destinations on every continent, people you can meet along the way, and a card that saves you money at venues that get you. Everything is available in six languages, on the web and in the mobile app, and the basic version is free forever.

Only current information
Big directories brag about tens of thousands of venues. But when you turn up at the address, you often find the bar has been closed for years or has moved. We take the opposite approach: fewer places, but ones you can rely on.

• For every venue you can see when its information was last updated, for example “Updated 10/2026”.
• We show opening hours in real time and in the venue’s local time (“open until 2:00”, “opens at 21:00”), including public holidays, seasonal changes and temporary closures.
• Venues regularly confirm that their details are correct, and with one click you can report anything that’s wrong at any venue.
• We load events from organisers’ calendars every day, so the programme shows what’s actually happening.

What you’ll find here

• Destinations – an overview of cities and regions with a gay scene, local time, weather, practical information about the country (laws, safety, customs) and emergency contacts, including embassies.
• Guide – bars, clubs, saunas, cafés, beaches, shops and services. Each venue has an address, its own map in light and dark mode, opening hours, the nearest public transport stop, ratings and rainbow dots – our own measure of how open a place is to the community.
• Accommodation – gay hotels, guesthouses and apartments, from men-only resorts to hotels in the middle of the gay quarter. You book directly with the host, no middleman.
• Events – Pride, festivals, parties, exhibitions and community meetups, with a calendar, reminders and, for selected events, ticket purchases right on the portal.
• Articles – tips, reports and guides from the editors and from community members.
• Local guides, performers and organisations – people who show you the city from the inside, artists worth seeing, and non-profits, community centres and helplines you can turn to.

Mobile app
myPharoos is available as an app for Android, soon on Google Play and later for iPhone. It’s free and ad-free: nearby venues, the map, events, news, alerts about what’s new in your city, and your Pharoos pass always at hand.

Pharoos pass – a card that pays off
After signing up, you get a free virtual Pharoos pass card with a QR code. It’s valid for as long as you have an account, and it works on your phone, in the app and in Google Wallet.

• Discounts and perks at partner venues around the world – just show the card and the staff will scan it.
• Points for visits, ratings, articles or friends you invite, and rewards you choose with them.
• “Tonight” offers – time-limited deals from partners, for cardholders only.
• Tickets linked to the card – one QR code is all you need at the entrance.
• Higher card tiers (Plus, Premium) bring extra perks and features, billed monthly or at a better rate for the whole year. The basic card stays free forever.

Community
myPharoos is more than a database. With a profile you can:

• save favourite destinations, venues and events, and plan trips in the planner with a calendar and reminders,
• rate venues and add your own photos so others know what to expect,
• browse member profiles, send messages, and create and join groups around a destination, venue or event,
• switch between traveller and local mode, depending on whether you’re discovering a new city or living in your own.

You decide what you share and who can see you. Member profiles can’t be found or shared publicly. You can report inappropriate content or behaviour and block anyone. The community is for adults aged 18 and over.

For venues and accommodation providers
Listing in the guide is free. An owner claims their venue, adds photos, opening hours, events and offers, and manages everything from their own control panel. Each time you confirm opening hours, the venue’s update date is refreshed, so guests can see the information is fresh. Those who want more can become a partner: accept the Pharoos pass, give cardholders a discount, and in return get a highlighted profile, member offers, rewards, ticket sales, a scanner for staff and a share of the cards sold. Accommodation providers also get bookings directly on their own website, with no commission.

For organisers, performers and organisations
Organisers and performers add their own events (or connect their own calendar, and those events are loaded automatically every day) and sell tickets through the portal. Organisations run campaigns, fundraisers and volunteer drives, and let the people who follow them know what they’re doing. Everyone has their own profile and tools in one place.

How we handle data
We add venues and accommodation to the guide only after our own checks. What matters to us is whether a place genuinely welcomes the community, not just whether it has a rainbow logo in June. We remove closed venues from the guide rather than leaving them lit up in the list for the sake of big numbers. The date on each venue shows when its details were last updated: by confirmation from the venue, by an edit, or by our check. Ratings and rainbow dots come from real member experiences and information from the venues themselves. If something’s wrong, let us know directly at the venue or through the contact form; we make corrections on an ongoing basis.

Who’s behind it
We build the platform for people like us: travellers who want to know where to go, where they’ll feel good, and who they’ll meet there.

Is a place or city missing? Suggest it in the guide. Do you run a venue? Claim your profile. Just looking? Welcome, and happy travels.