Dublin Pride is world-class, says Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has featured Dublin in its guide to the best gay pride celebrations in the world, rivalling LGBT celebrations in cities such as San Francisco and Amsterdam.

The digital book – Lonely Planet's Guide to Pride: 20 Cities and Their Celebrations – is available free on iBooks from Tuesday, detailing the biggest and most welcoming Pride festivals in 20 cities across the globe.

The book describes the top sights and experiences in each location, along with the best gay-friendly places to eat, drink and sleep.

Dublin’s involvement in the guide follows the launch of Tourism Ireland’s recent campaign to promote the country as a honeymoon destination for same-sex couples.

The “Ireland says I Do” initiative will be advertised in several countries in Europe, and also in the United States and Australia.

"Lonely Planet's Guide to Pride is a resource – and hopefully a source of inspiration – for LGBT travellers," Lonely Planet's Chris Zeiher said. "Even if you miss Pride, the destinations and travel tips in this book will serve you year round."

“We wanted to honour Pride and its worldwide celebration of community by curating some of our expert travel recommendations into a resource for the LGBT community,” Lonely Planet’s Rebecca Law said.

“LGBT rights in Ireland have improved dramatically in the past two decades,” said Ms Law. “Dubliners are a friendly bunch accustomed to welcoming visitors, and its LGBT scene is no exception.”

Dublin Pride began as a one-day celebration in 1983 and has since bloomed into an annual 10-day festival celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life in the city and featuring a host of arts, social and cultural events.

It will kick off on June 19th and continue for more than a week, before culminating in the Pride parade on Saturday the 27th.

This year’s Pride celebration is expected by organisers to be the largest yet, following last month’s referendum to introduce same-sex marriage.

See http://itunes.com/prideguide