Gay Ljubljana

As fairylands go, Ljubljana ticks a lot of the requisite boxes. The Slovenian capital is a neatly contained, heavily pedestrianised free-for-all with a spotless, visually pleasing city centre punctuated by a winding river over which romantic bridges lead to a picture-perfect, olde-worlde quarter marked by a castle, narrow lanes and pastel-rich buildings, plus al fresco eating, modern coffee culture and various nooks and crannies for the wandering eye. As a gay destination the city is not an obvious choice. Traditional gay signifiers are few and far between, but surely the effortless beauty of the place will score points with the discerning specialist traveller. In 1991, following a long and convoluted push-me-pull-me history with German, Italy, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and former Yugoslavia, the country came into its own as Slovenia proper. Twenty-four years later, in 2015, it stepped forward to become the first Slavic country to allow same-sex marriage. Having endured two seismic earthquakes, most recently in 1895, the city is possibly due for another shake-up, and perhaps in the form of a more obvious gay presence. For the time being, much rides with the double whammy of adventurous gay-run Klub Tiffany and lesbian techno haven Klub Monokel, both under the same roof and located within Ljubljana’s enduring and uncompromising alternative culture zone Metelkova Mesto. Back in the 1980s, the emerging gay scene found common ground with the city’s punk presence, and the two camps remain compatible. Funnily enough, lesbians possibly have it sweeter here than in many bigger cities, with the two Ninas (Nina Hudej and Ninabelle) running not only the hip and trendy Klub Monokel but also the top out-gay food-and-drinks establishment in central Ljubljana, Pritlicje. Another of Ljubljana’s plusses is its proximity to some of Europe’s most sublime natural beauty. You’d be sorry to miss the Disney-perfect Lake Bled — a pleasant coach ride away — and its exquisite and less populated neighbour Lake Bohinj. The deservedly tourist-heavy Lake Bled, sometimes an otherworldly blue-green in colour, comes with a visitable island defined bit its splendid steeple-topped church, accessible by antiquated boats operated by specialist, conventionally manly oarsmen. On top of that, literally, perched above the lake, is a castle with spectacular views of both the glistening water below and the surrounding Julian Alps. It’s a dream package. Not far from Bled is the less commercially obvious Bohinj, where a cable car ride to the top of Mount Vogel will have you elated in 1965 Julie Andrews mode. Austria, after all, is just to the north. The area offers uninterrupted scenic delirium, and there’s a great river walk — complete with local fishermen in waders — starting near the Church of St. John the Baptist. Other treasures within easy reach of Ljubljana are the Skocjan caves and the romantic, Venetian-Gothic port town Piran – Slovenia’s jewel on the Adriatic. Venice, Trieste and Austria are all also sufficiently local and doable. As for Ljubljana itself — with its gay-appeal shopping, food and immaculately preserved architecture (from the Baroque to Joze Plecnik’s pervasive Secessionist-style elegance) — it might just be a best-kept secret in a beautiful box ready and waiting to be unwrapped. Best to get here ahead of the curve.