GLBT Travelers - Eastern Europe? Slovenia, Croatia, Krakow, Budapest, others?

So now I'm going to be in Europe in July (for a wedding in Krakow) and looking around surrounding areas for a few adventures. On the top of the list is Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, Budapest....any other suggestions? Any comments? Gay-friendly?

Thanks for all your help!

So now I'm going to be in Europe in July (for a wedding in Krakow) and looking around surrounding areas for a few adventures. On the top of the list is Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, Budapest....any other suggestions? Any comments? Gay-friendly?

Thanks for all your help!
I was in Zagreb and Ljubljana about a year ago. Both cities are ok for a couple of days, but beware of where you eat. Most restaurants are REALLY bad. Local stuff worth trying is pizza and dishes made with truffel. In terms of gay stuff, Croatia is very catholic and few gay people over 25 are out. There was one gay bar with a small dance floor in Zagreb and Ljubljana was a little more open. Ljubljana is a very cute small city as well so worth a short stop. Ask "gay-looking" people in the street for recommendations on where to go and specify someting "gay friendly". It worked great for me and I ended up meeting many locals. You can also try connecting with people on gaydar and gayromeo. The Union hotel in Ljubljana was nice and had good service in addition to an ideal location.

Any other last minute suggestions for Budapest, Krakow, Dubrovnik, Zagreb or Split??? Thanks!

Of all the cities you mention, surely Budapest has the most active and most varied visible gay scene. For information on bars, clubs, saunas, and such, have a look at the following sites:

http://budapest.gayguide.net/

http://www.budapestgaycity.net/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=62

If you plan on being here July 7th through 10th, you'll be able to take part in Budapest's gay pride celebration. At this late date there are still no published details, but I understand there will be a small film festival as well as a parade and/or party in the main city park. The links above will have more information as it becomes available.

If you have specific questions, feel free to send me a private message and I'll try to help (I live here).

OK so croatia was a great place to visit, though not much going on in the gay scene, that we could find....

we were going to spend a sat night in zagreb but due to some travel delays, only spent a sun afternoon (in which the city closes up for a siesta) and a thurs morning and early afternoon. we went to some of the suggested places MaMa was a gay internet cafe which had a cool airline theme, seemed like a place that locals go (cheap internet 10 per hour which is about $1.50) and then also people seemed to meet and hang there, despite the fact that there isn't much on the menu. we wanted to go to the bars but it was too early for them to be open

split, very beautiful and easy to get around, however, the cafe in the gay guide behind the national theatre was very closed and shutdown.

dubrovnik, amazing old town and just beautiful as everything is made of white limestone, the walls, the streets, the sidewalks, the stairs....very relaxing....the beach was a short ferry away on lokrum with a gay nude beach...nice.....and we spent lots of time exploring the other near by islands, were can be very secluded and such....we did go late to the nude beach on Kolceops and there was a bit of cruising going on even dispite our later arrival....

for croatia, there''s a lot of developement that needs to happen on the gay side of things, but its an awesome place to go

POLAND

in krakow we stayed at Friends guesthouse qhich we booked via gayguide.net. Pshemic met us at six AM since our train arrived at 5. this was very cool.....he gave us a great orientation to the city, told us about some of the places to go, including cheap good food, and was very flexible. gave us his cell phone in case we needed anything. there are only 2 pretty spacious rooms, cute bright and comfy. there as a little area that had a mini fridge and a coffee machine and stuff for the guests. the shared bathrooms, though modern, are VERY small. one room with the toilet and a very small sink, the other room with the walkin small shower. it could have smelled a little cleaner as well. 50 euros per night. very close to the old town and about a block from kitsch and another bar. easy to get to by tram, 2 stops from the RR station. they have a pick up service as well booked via gayguide.net.

Krakow was a nice town, full of gay things to do and see. We were there only for 2 nights, but went early to Klub 7 on a Weds night, great cellar bar, lots of space and right behind the fruit market. You have to buzz to get in, and when we got there, they made sure that we knew that this was a gay bar. had a few drinks, met some locals and then had to head ot to meet some other straight friends.

kitsch on a weds night was a good time, not tons of people but big 3 story place with many lounges and bars....the decor is grungy....my local straight friends go there since its cool to hang out there....lots of cute boyz and apparently fri and sat are just packed and very wild....

31, "the darkroom", is down an alley with a buzzer at the end of the alley. we went on a thurs night late, was a bit quiet. there is an entrance fee of six zloteys ($2) and then you get a ticket for your drinks which you pay when you leave. small bar, dark dungen like place, a couple of porn tvs and places to watch, then a darkroom with a couple of lockalbe cabins....a good selection of local polish boys.....


enjoy!!