Gay Croatia

MAGNIFICENT BEAUTY -

Everywhere you look!

And what better time to go! A great exchange rate for the dollar. Not to mention picture perfect beaches and beautfil men. Even more stunning than Prague and less crowded than Amsterdam, CROATIA offers stacks of culture and art, warm, crystal clear oceans and deserted sandy beaches, unpolluted and uncrowded cities full of classic architecture, countless islands with histories spanning hundreds of years – and some of the most gorgeous men in Europe.

DNA Magazine said, "Today, a traveler in Croatia will find safe, clean and spacious cities, world heritage listed national parks and plenty of friendly faces desperate to encourage tourists back to the region. Croatia is yet to find itself firmly back on the tourist trail, so crowds are something you won’t see.

For gay travelers, okay, it’s not San Francisco, but for a predominantly Catholic country, Croatia is rapidly moving towards a greater acceptance of gays.

Homosexuality is legal in Croatia (it was decriminalised in 1977), and the age of consent is 18. That doesn’t mean you can walk down the street holding hands with your man without mustering up a fair bit of Dutch courage, but in a country where the men greet each other with a kiss to both cheeks, much physical contact between men goes unnoticed."

More and more gay people are discovering this gem and it's gay travel business is growing. There is even Gay Pride in Zagreb in June. Zagreb is a city of green parks and walks, with many places to visit in the beautiful surroundings. (It is just a one hour flight from either Milan or Vienna.)

"Zagreb enjoys an unexpectedly bustling café scene. The Grand Theatre café, just south of the city’s main square, is the most popular meeting place for Zagreb’s small, emergent gay community. However, you won’t hear Kylie blaring from the speakers or spot a drag queen anywhere in sight – it’s the ‘all-male’ tables that are the telltale sign!

There is also a gay nightclub in Zagreb called Bad Boy. It’s located just north of the city in a residential precinct, but still within easy walking distance. Take the number 8 or 14 tram from Trg Bana Jelacica up to the Radicevo stop and follow the signs up the stairs between the houses on the left side of the road. It’s a small, cosy club decorated in warm oranges and yellows. The music is mostly pop and Euro-dance, giving Bad Boy an infectious, happy vibe."

It has been said that Dalmatian Coast is among the 10 best new location for gay summer holidays. Touring the coast of Croatia along the Adriatic Sea offers the gay traveler something unique. Gays being such great travelers have been to a lot of places. Many people cruise down the picturesque coastal towns, full of historic architecture and art, making their way to the city of Dubrovnik and the country of Slovenia.

Rovinj is the most popular gay resort in the northwest of Croatia. Thanks to the very popular gay beach at Punta Kriza Rovinj has become a gay Mecca visited every year by hundreds of sun-thirsty gay visitors from all around Croatia and the world. Punta Kriza Beach or Cape Cross Beach is the most popular gay beach on the Istrian peninsula. During peak-season July and August the beach can be pretty crowdie with about 500 visitors at the same time from all around Europe and the world.

"Dubrovnik, a 7th century fortified town was such a political and economic stronghold that it resisted many attacks on its six-metre thick walls. One of the highlights of a visit to this town is the two-kilometre walk around the top of the walls which offer breathtaking views of the town and the ocean. Over sixty percent of the delicate terracotta tiled roofs of Dubrovnik were shelled in the 1991 conflict and the walls took over one hundred direct hits. All of this damage has since been expertly repaired though, and the city is once again a stoic settlement of remarkable beauty. From the marble lined Placa with its string of cafés to the Sponza’s Palace and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, there is also more than enough beauty within the walls to overwhelm you.

The Placa is an amazingly cruisy area in summer. Packed with tourists seeking respite from the heat, people-watching from the café’s is the number one past time. Likewise, the beach to the immediate south of the city walls or further afield, Lapad Bay, can be enticing destinations for visiting gay men.

As the primary tourist destination for Germans, the accommodation standards are high and the shopping is terrific. The Germans are also big on ‘naturist’ beaches so it doesn’t matter which island you’re on, you’re likely to find one.

The best time to visit is summer as that’s when most services will be operating, the weather is perfect and the lifestyle is second to none. However, avoid the peaks of July and August if you’re keen to dodge the hordes from Germany and Italy.

And don’t worry about battling to speak Croatian. Learn the basics and then ask if they speak English. Like many European cities, if they’re under 30, chances are high that they do. Or at least they try hard and want to communicate with English speaking tourists. "

Besides all of the links given above, you may also check out Croatia Tourism.