Gay Warsaw Warsaw City Guide

Curation by Jamie McGhee, words by Ian Packham

A phoenix risen from the ashes, Warsaw has a lure that’s difficult to define. The Polish capital suffered terrible levels of destruction during World War Two, followed by almost 50 years of Soviet occupation. But far from being a city down on its luck, Warsaw displays unexpected joie de vivre best represented by its stunningly beautiful and entirely reconstructed Old Town, the heart of Warsaw’s tourist attractions. The city—as with the rest of Roman Catholic Poland—remains socially conservative, with civil unions and gay marriage yet to make it onto the statute book. That said, the first Europe-wide gay pride parade held in a former Eastern Bloc country has been running annually in Warsaw since 2006, and attracted 45,000 revellers in 2018. That, and an increasing number of gay-friendly venues, only add to Warsaw’s growing allure.

The best hotels in Warsaw

Hotel locations don’t get much better than that of the five-star Hotel Bellotto, situated within the 400-year-old Bishop’s Palace in the heart of the Old Town. Its classical exterior leads to 20 luxuriously spacious rooms and suites, each carefully finished with masterly attention to detail. The nearby high-rise Hotel Warszawa is anything but the faceless insurance building that once occupied the same site. Its rooms sport an unflinching contemporary design that highlights richly-toned woods, reflective steel, and sparkling glass. Globally-sourced patterned marble adds the same wow-factor to exquisite en suite bathrooms. Also situated in the Old Town, within the former embassy of the Soviet Union, is the H15 Boutique Hotel. Its selection of 47 rooms, suites, and apartments are equipped with vintage furnishings and works of contemporary art that give the elegant classical interior a unique modern twist. Facilities include Nespresso coffee makers in each room, and a spa and wellness centre.

Taking a holistic approach to guest accommodation, the boutique Hotel SixtySix offers up-to-the-minute interiors in a historic house on Warsaw’s famed Royal Route, Ulica Nowy Świat. The music and fragrance are carefully altered throughout the day to enhance the hotel’s ambience for the total wellbeing of guests, and it’s a short stroll from the main Warsaw points of interest, including the Presidential Palace and Castle Square. Promising a unique blend of excellence in design and subtle indulgence, Between Us Bed and Breakfast also effortlessly combines classic nineteenth-century architecture with the individually-designed contemporary interiors of its sleek white rooms. With breakfast served in the popular Między Nami Café on the ground floor, Between Us is as much a place to see and be seen as a traditional bed and breakfast!