Interracial Love: 5 European Destinations Where You’ll Feel Welcome

As an interracial couple, we are always mindful of the places we travel to. I know that not everyone in the world is open-minded, so to avoid unpleasant situations, I do thorough research and read up about the places we intend to visit well beforehand. My aim has always been to find destinations where my family and I feel appreciated and welcome. Travel is expensive and we’d rather not spend our hard-earned cash on places that don’t welcome racial diversity.

The below recommendations are based on our personal experience and you might not have the exact same experience, but I don’t think it will be far off. Suffice to say that we have traveled often to these places to know that they are multicultural and open-minded and welcoming to interracial couples and their children.

Brussels

My favorite destination of all time is Brussels. It is a beautifully multicultural city with people of all nationalities and backgrounds. There is a large North African and Central African community and this makes for a very tolerant city. Everyone gets along with each other. While there, my family and I visited la Grande Place, the central square of Brussels. It is a spectacular location — said to be the most beautiful square in the whole of Europe. There you’ll find the city’s town hall and typical 17th-century Belgian architecture.

Later we strolled down Waffle Street — where one can find the most delicious desserts — en route to the very touristy Mannikenpis monument. That was a little crowd of course. Overall, we were never once discriminated against in Brussels — people were kind and respectful. As a family, we felt at ease there and will definitely return.

Lisbon

The second destination that I would strongly recommend is Lisbon. Again here we were welcome and never felt racism towards us. The Portuguese were extremely friendly and hospitable. We visited the aquarium or the Oceanrio de Lisboa— I believe the biggest in Europe and ambled through the Alfama — the Old Town.

A bit like San Francisco, Lisbon is very hilly (7 hills to be precise). We boarded the picturesque yellow and brown cable cars several times for the simple fun of the ride and the experience. In the Belem neighborhood, we binged on traditional Portuguese custard tart pastries while contemplating the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean.

We also visited the enchanting fisherman’s village of Cascais and lost ourselves in the mesmerizing Park and National Palace of Pena in Sintra. At no time did we ever feel unwelcome in Lisbon, it was a place in which we felt totally at home.

Barcelona

The third city that captured my heart was Barcelona. Again another welcoming place. I love Gaudi architecture so Barcelona was quite a treat with its magnificent Sagrada Familia Basilica, La Pedrera, and the Parc Guell — all created by Gaudi. And then there’s the Passeig de Gracia — a beautiful boulevard and a truly mesmerizing place with lots of stores.

Never did we meet a disapproving stare in Barcelona — people were friendly. The only warning I would give about the city is the high number of pickpocketing reported on Las Ramblas — the equivalent of the Champs Elysees. We were fortunate to not have that experience but heard a lot about it. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in the city while feasting on delicious tapas at every corner.

Head over to Porta Ventura if you like amusement parks like we do. And if you are visiting Barcelona in the dead of winter, head over to the beach not far from the W Hotel. It’ll give you that feel of summer all over again and is definitely worth the trip.

Milan

4th city where we have felt most welcome was as an interracial couple is Milan. Here again, we did not feel like we didn’t belong. There were many other interracial couples there as well.

Fashion in Milan is spectacular so we did shop quite a bit. We were welcomed with respect in all stores — and most importantly, we weren’t followed around ever.

As we contemplated the Duomo di Milano — a majestic cathedral and La Scala — a beautiful opera house, we felt at home in Milan. We couldn’t leave the city without feasting on some delicious pasta and risotto. And here again, in all the cafes and restaurants we visited, we didn’t feel discriminated against.

London

5th city on my list is London. As the truly multicultural city that it is, this destination was extremely welcoming. I’m a sucker for the English accent so I love every bit of the “Hi darling or hi love”, the English taxi drivers so profusely showered me with whenever we hopped into a traditional London cab.

From Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, London like its population is truly colorful and vibrant. We absolutely had no issues whatsoever. Shopkeepers were welcoming, polite, and kind, hotel receptionists and restaurateurs were the same. We felt comfortable and at home in London.

Travel to learn, to love, to discover

From my perspective, it’s important to travel to places where one feels welcome. It’s not always easy to adapt to a foreign land — to new customs and mores, but if one feels welcome, it always makes for a better stay.

I will continue this series to include cities in North America, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America where we have had a great time. I will also touch on cities where we have had issues or been discriminated against. I hope these short recommendations will be of value to you as you navigate the world as an interracial couple. Drop me a comment if you found this first interracial travel guide useful.

Thanks for reading my recommendations.