 (c) Copenhagen Media Center Photo: Connie Maria Westergaard |
Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager.
It may not be the first city gay travellers think of when they head for a European capital, but Denmark's liberal capital city has been making an international name for itself for many years. |
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A centre of
cutting-edge home-furnishing and architectural design, this compact,
handsomely preserved city with more than eight centuries of history has
one
of the continent's friendliest and most fun-loving gay scenes. It's a
city
that embraces the avant-garde and yet cultivates a warm, old-fashioned
sense
of humility and hospitality - in Copenhagen, you are never made to feel
like
an outsider.
Politically, Denmark is among the gay-friendliest nations in the world; the government began recognizing same-sex marriages in 1989 and it legalized adoption by gay parents in 1999. In 1948, one of Europe's first gay political organizations, the National Association for Gays and Lesbians, opened here. The organization continues to be an invaluable community resource and has a fascinating and comprehensive archive. In Copenhagen, openly gay citizens occupy numerous prominent positions in society - few Danes bat an eyelash at the sight of two gay women or men strolling by, except perhaps as an act of flirtation.
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 Copenhagen during Pride - Photo: MaleneRauhe | Copenhagen Pride Week held each year in August is a celebration of the LGBTQIA community in the shape of a human rights festival with safe spaces and an environment where people are free to express themselves. They transform the City Hall Square into Pride Square and stage a program that includes free concerts, debates, workshops, seminars, parties and activities all aiming to celebrate love and diversity so they can share mutual experiences. |
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Apart from being culturally rich and exceedingly gay-friendly,
Copenhagen
offers added benefits. The costs of most goods and services are
comparable or less than in the UK because of the strong pound and additionally,
English is
spoken and understood by most Danes, especially in Copenhagen.
This is a compact and eye-pleasing city that can easily be explored on foot. Be sure to spend an afternoon strolling along Strøget, a pedestrian way packed with chic shops and cafes. Kongens Nytorv (King New Square) is a great spot to people-watch; just off it lies charming Nyhavn (New Harbor), where canal boats can be hired. | |
 (c) Copenhagen Media Center - Photo: Ty Stange | While you don't need days to see the city's sites, Copenhagen's larger-than-life Tivoli park could keep you entertained for a week or more. This festive venue of live-music concerts, theater, gardens, duck ponds, restaurants, and other spirited goings-on is open May through September, and the two weeks leading up to Christmas. |
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Other must-sees include:
Christiansborg Castle, an immense 15th-century fortification whose
grounds
contain government buildings and royal reception halls; the National
Museum,
the city's archive of antiquities - from not just Denmark but the
entire
world; and the highly regarded and recently renovated National Art
Gallery,
notable for its thousands of Danish works but also for its
international
collections. Copenhagen enjoys one of Northern Europe's most innovative and accomplished culinary reputations. Unfussy seasonal food cooked from scratch in a 19th-century building with stone walls & beams is available at Restaurant Tight, whilst Restaurant Sct. Annæ has an elegant 1894 lunchtime dining room serving classic smorrebrod open sandwiches & some robust hot dishes. A-list celebs and foodies from all over the world are attracted to Kong Hans Kælder which adroitly bridges the cuisines of Scandinavia and the Far East, while the trendy Urten serves Vegan food with tasty items like Burning love with toasted mushrooms, pickled beetroot noodles & crisp coconut or Paella with carrots, mushrooms, spring onions, peppers & artichokes. | ||
| Most gay nightlife is concentrated in the city's bohemian Old Town. Things don't usually get going in Copenhagen until late in the evening, after 11 or even midnight, and most bars keep going well into the wee hours. Centralhjørnet is a riotously fun locals' bar with kitschy decor and retro music blaring out of its jukebox - this is one of the oldest gay bars in the world, having opened in the 1920s. The outlandish Cosy Bar stays open later than most and presents wild drag shows. A lively and somewhat cruisy late-night bar with dark and cozy confines, Never Mind tends to draw a mostly male late-20s-to-mid-40s bunch. |
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Gay Bar is exactly what it says and it's home for many people. Somewhere that's
tasty, and drunk, and fun, and sad, and romantic, and calm.
Jailhouse CPH is a Gay & Lesbian hangout with a restaurant serving Danish food, a buzzy bar
& themed music nights, while Masken Bar has very friendly staff and good prices. You can also
get to the action, get free drinks and even hire a private room for an hour!
Kiss Kiss Bar & Café has a laid back scene and overall provides a great time particularly if it's your first time in Copenhagen as there's lots of people to give you suggestions for other nights out. Oscar Bar & Cafe is close by in Rainbow Square and offers friendly staff and a lovely bar with a variety of menu options including a great selection of traditional danish open sandwiches. Cafe Knud in the Skindergade is a café for people living with HIV with loads of healthy delicious meals. The café is owned and run by Hiv-Danmark, a national organization for people living with HIV. It is reserved for patients, supporters and family members. As such (and due to the very limited space) you may not be able to get in which is reasonable, given the abundance of places for all the rest of the population and tourists! Rough-and-ready leather types and bears favor the aptly named Men's Bar. Alternatively, there's SLM-København who boast the "Best Fisting in the World!" You can almost never leave SLM without 'mission accomplished'. It's an S/M and fetish club for gay and bisexual men who like leather, rubber and uniforms. In the basement of the club you will find the cruising maze with many glory holes, mattresses for group sex, dark room, massage bench, Andreas-cross and other BDSM tools. There are also private cabins available and even a wet room - also called the piss room. If you are into watersports/piss play, then this is the place. It is super kinky! For more heart-pumping action, gay men in Copenhagen head to the Amigo Sauna, which is open from noon until 7 a.m. the next day and has been going strong since the mid-'70s. You can also catch porn flicks at a handful of sex clubs, including Body Bio. From a design standpoint, the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel Copenhagen ranks among the most intriguing properties in Europe, its public and guest areas a homage to the Danish functionalism championed by renowned Danish architect Arne Jacobsen. Rooms are open and well-lit, with long rows of windows overlooking downtown and walls of light-maple paneling - it's a simple and crisp look. With more of an old-world ambience that's long been appreciated by everybody from Oscar winners to heads of state, D'Angleterre has lavish guest rooms with some cushy furnishings. The city also has a handful of gay-oriented accommodations, including Copenhagen Rainbow, which can be found along the fabulous Strøget. Spacious rooms in this inn on the top-floor of an old town house have a plain contemporary feel, but are clean and pleasant and come either with private or shared baths. Another reasonably priced gay option is the Hotel Windsor which is within walking distance of all the important venues, and makes it a convenient choice if you want to stay fairly central. | ||
 (c) Copenhagen Media Center Photo: Connie Maria Westergaard | Copenhagen is a year-round destination, although most visitors come during the warmer months, in part because this is when Tivoli is open. A popular time to visit among lesbians and gays is mid-August, when you can attend the city's lively and fun Copenhagen Pride Festival - a parade of lesbians and gays that attracts throngs of supporters. |
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In
October, the city hosts the prestigious nine-day Copenhagen Gay and
Lesbian
Film Festival. But even in the rather dark depths of winter, with an
abundance cozy gay bars and chatter-filled restaurants and boutiques,
you'll
find plenty of ways to keep warm in Copenhagen.
Andrew Collins authored Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA, the Connecticut Handbook, and six regional gay guides for Fodor's. He can be reached here at OutUK or direct at GayFodors@aol.com.Revised March 2022. | |