Copenhagen Gay Travel
wolfyy’s Copenhagen gay guide to hotels, things to do, gay bars, clubs, saunas & cruising.
The Gay Travel Experience: Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is one of the most popular gay travel destinations in Scandinavia. The city is open-minded, gay-friendly, and full of picturesque streetscapes.
Walking over the city’s many bridges while watching the sunset illuminate colorful harborside buildings is exactly what comes to mind when I think about Copenhagen.
While Copenhagen’s gay scene is relatively small, LGBT life certainly exists. In fact, there are over a dozen gay nightlife venues, from the tiny split-level gay bars in Copenhagen’s gay neighborhood to the larger bars closer to the city hall.
Gay Copenhagen: Hotels & Where to Stay
Copenhagen has so many great neighborhoods that it can be hard to choose an area to stay in! Overall though, I’d recommend staying anywhere in the city’s central area of Indre By.
Aperon Apartment Hotel
I loved staying at Apēron Apartment Hotel, located right in the heart of Copenhagen. The modern Danish interior design, sleek appliances, and huge amount of space made my partner Michael and I feel right at home. We didn’t want to leave!
The brand-new building used keyless entry, plus both laundry and luggage storage were free! This made everything incredibly convenient both during our stay and after checking out.
Nimb Hotel
Nimb Hotel is a gorgeous five-star hotel just north of Copenhagen’s main train station popular with gay tourists. One of the nicest hotels in the city, Nimb has everything you could possibly need, including a fitness center, spa, and rooftop pool.
The hotel’s location is great for those who want to be nearby Copenhagen’s gay nightlife venues. Nimb Hotel is just a short walk from the gay district.
I love Nimb Hotel’s opulent, masculine design. Every part of the hotel is beautiful.
Hotel Skt Petri
Hotel Skt Petri is also a five-star hotel, but is much more affordable! It’s the perfect place to stay in Copenhagen to experience a luxurious version of classic Scandinavian interior design.
Right in the heart of Copenhagen, Hotel Skt. Petri is close to everything, from the noteworthy shopping street Strøget to the famous Rosenborg Castle. It’s also only a couple of blocks from many of the local gay bars.
Comfort Hotel Vesterbro
Comfort Hotel Vesterbro is a great affordable budget hotel choice. The hotel has a fun, colorful design with modern bathrooms, offers a hearty breakfast, and is conveniently located close to the main train station.
My favorite part is the self-check-in option. Personally, I wish this was more common with traditional hotels!
Hotel D’Angleterre
Hotel D’Angleterre is an ultra-high-end, gay-friendly and traditional hotel in Central Copenhagen. This one comes with quite a price tag. But if you can afford it, I’d highly recommend staying here
Copenhagen Gay Travel Experiences
Danish Architecture Museum
The Danish Architecture Museum was beautiful and truly interesting. I recommend gay travelers spend part of an afternoon here if you like industrial design or architecture. While their exhibits surely change, most of what I experienced was Danish design in general, which was great!
They also have an enormous multi-story spiral tube slide that you can’t miss. And for more fun, there’s a free professional photo station with a foot pedal where you can take some great portraits! I might have spent a little too much time taking funny pictures here.
Nyhavn
Visiting Copenhagen’s iconic Nyhavn neighborhood is a must for all travelers. When people think of Copenhagen, Nyhavn’s colorful building facades are usually what comes to mind.
Walking along the canal in Nyhavn is glorious any time of day, but particularly nice during sunset when the soft golden light brightens the building’s colors.
Restaurants along the canal are definitely worth a try. Michael and I loved the food inside a cozy seafood bistro called Havfruen.
At the end of Nyhavn, walk over the newly-constructed bike and pedestrian bridge that leads to the north end of the Christianshavn neighborhood. Both the bridge and charming office area on the other end are relaxing places for a stroll.
Canal tours are a popular way to see Copenhagen by boat. Many of them depart right from Nyhavn.
Amalienborg
A quick stop in Amalienborg is a must while exploring central Copenhagen. This is the city’s main palace where the royal family resides. The cobblestone streets here are beautifully arranged in a circular pattern. It definitely feels royal.
Freetown Christiana & Christianshavn
Freetown Christiana is a self-proclaimed autonomous district that’s part of Copenhagen’s Christianshavn neighborhood.
Lined by picturesque buildings, the canal that runs through Christianshavn is also wonderful to explore. They’re not as colorful as the ones in Nyhavn, but I still enjoyed a relaxing stroll past them in this part of town.
Don’t miss a walk along Freetown Christiana and Christianshavn’s fortifications. You can see some nice views from the elevated pathway down in Christianshavn, and as you go north you’ll encounter the infamous graffiti-covered buildings of Freetown Christiana.
Bøssehuset, or the Gay House, is also here in Christiana. This cultural center has been an integral and historical part of the Copenhagen LGBT community. It’s used for musical performances and theatre, exhibitions, and parties.
Kastellet
Kastellet is a 17th-century fortress that contains an actively used army base in Copenhagen. You can also find some of the best views of the city here.
Walk pathways through lush stretches of green grass along this star-shaped island’s dramatic hills and berms. The surrounding moat makes for some fantastic photos.
Within the berms of Kastellet, you’ll find charmingly stoic red army barrack buildings. They’re so extraordinarily Danish!
I recommend renting a Lime e-bike to get to Kastellet since it’s a bit far north of the city center to walk to. You cannot ride bikes within the grounds of Kastellet, but you can temporarily leave them while you walk around.
I bought a Lime bike day pass and re-reserved my same bike upon arrival, which prevents anyone from taking your bike for 30 minutes.
Ride past Nyboder on your way to Kastellet. You’ll see some similar barrack houses here as well.
A segue tour is one other alternative way to see Kastellet, along with a bunch more of Copenhagen’s top tourist attractions.
Hans Tavsens Park
Hans Tavsens Park is one of the biggest, prettiest parks in Copenhagen.
This park is also the site of Hans Christian Andersen’s grave, the writer of many of the world’s most popular fairy tales including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Princess and the Pea.
If you’re a fan of any of these, stop by and say hello to this wonderful soul. A sign that says H.C. Andersen on the main trail will point you where to go.
The Noma Experience
Noma is a high-end creative food restaurant that changed Copenhagen’s food culture not too long ago. This establishment opened in 2003 and subsequently gained international notoriety a few years later.
Local Danish food culture is mostly found at home. As you’ll see, most restaurants in Copenhagen serve French and Italian cuisine. Noma ultimately changed this, bringing Danish food into the city’s restaurant culture.
If you’re looking for the best Danish food experience you can get, give Noma a try! They’re also a proudly LGBT-friendly Copenhagen restaurant.
BARR is one of Noma’s sister restaurants that serves casual Danish food. This spot might be a good alternative if you can’t get a reservation at Noma.
Rosenborg Castle & Gardens
The Rosenborg Castle grounds are super pretty. I loved walking around The King’s Garden, a large adjacent park with carefully manicured shrubbery and impressive tree-lined pathways.
If you find yourself here, check out the gorgeous flowers in the Rosenhaven Garden adjacent to the castle.
Copenhagen Gay Bars & Clubs
Most of the gay bars in Copenhagen are in the Studiestræde area, the city’s gay district. This neighborhood used to be the city’s old Latin Quarter.
Gay flags fly all along the streets in Studiestræde, so once you reach the gay bars, you’ll know you’ve arrived!
Even though the city’s gay scene is on the smaller side, Copenhagen has quite a few gay bars, much more than in other Scandinavian cities like Stockholm. Here are all the best gay bars to try.
Oscar Bar & Café
Oscar Bar & Café is the most modern gay bar I visited in Copenhagen. It’s popular with LGBT travelers and locals of all ages and a lot of people like this spot because it’s strictly non-smoking. It’s also one of the best gay bars in Copenhagen to go to on a weeknight.
With high ceilings, a modern design, and lots of seating, Oscar Bar & Café can feel more like a restaurant when it’s not busy. I still enjoyed it though. Grab a local Carlsberg beer and relax! I love the Carlsberg Master Brew.
Jail House
Jail House is a prison-themed gay bar in Copenhagen, located right in the center of the gay district.
It’s not necessarily a leather or fetish bar though. Jail House welcomes all tribes, from younger jock types to your typical leather daddy. Overall, the vibe here is super casual with a bit of a dive bar feel.
Bartenders are always friendly and they wear fun police uniforms! Everyone calls them “Copenhagen’s sweetest police.”
On weekends, there are typically special events at Jail House, most notably Bear Night. You can also always count on big events during Eurovision, Oktoberfest, and Halloween.
Jail House also has a restaurant upstairs on the above-ground level where you can grab some Danish food.
Cosy Bar
It’s easy to see why Cosy Bar is one of Copenhagen’s most popular gay bars. Full of disco balls, space to dance, elegant seating, and neon lighting, you can’t pass up a night here. They even have a little kiss and selfie booth.
It’s also a non-smoking establishment as of a couple of years ago, which isn’t always the case with bars in Denmark.
A women-owned venue, Cosy promotes an environment of tolerance, acceptance, and good vibes, welcoming anyone and everyone. They host special events every night they’re open, which are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday through Wednesday they’re closed.
MEN’s Bar
MEN’s Bar is Copenhagen’s gay fetish and leather bar. And yes, it’s men-only!
Their slogan is “a bar for men who like men.” It doesn’t get any simpler than that! The walls here are lined with faux leather and fetish art. So even though the bar is relatively small, it still feels intimate and sexy.
As is the case with many of the gay bars in Copenhagen, smoking is allowed inside. Pack some clothing fabric spray to get rid of any lingering odors on your jacket after you get home!
MEN’s Bar is open every day until 2 AM, but Friday and Saturday nights are best.
Masken Bar
Masken Bar is the local gay sports bar. And yes, they do actually play sports on the tv screens here! Bartenders are super friendly and the overall vibe is true to what a sports bar should feel like.
Split into two levels, the upstairs is the main bar area with plenty of places to sit and quaint views out onto the street. Downstairs they have a foosball table and additional high-top tables.
G*A*Y Nightclub Copenhagen
G*A*Y Nightclub is one of Copenhagen’s more popular gay nightlife venues. Don’t be confused by the name, though—G*A*Y Nightclub’s venue more so resembles a large gay bar as opposed to a substantial gay club.
Nevertheless, there’s always a fun drag show happening at G*A*Y Copenhagen, especially on weekends. And on Wednesdays, the bar usually hosts karaoke nights. The bar is also strictly non-smoking.
Centralhjørnet
One of the oldest gay bars in Europe, Centralhjørnet is a cozy, quieter spot for inexpensive drinks during the week. Centralhjørnet is technically a gay bar, but you’ll likely find a mixed crowd here.
The bar is especially known for big festive holiday events. Definitely stop by if you’re visiting during the Christmas season when Centralhjørnet takes holiday decorations to another level.
During the months of October through April, the bar hosts drag shows every Thursday and Sunday. And when the weather is warmer, you can enjoy drinks outside.
Copenhagen Gay Saunas & Cruising
Amigo Sauna
Amigo Sauna is Copenhagen’s traditional gay sauna and has been in business for 45 years! Inside you’ll find video rooms, a dry sauna, a bar, showers, slings, a lounge area, and even a small workout room.
While the facilities at Amigo are a bit dated, the sauna is still quite popular. Lots of guys visit, especially during the summer months.
SLM
SLM Copenhagen is a hugely popular gay fetish club, Copenhagen’s go-to gay cruising venue for rubber, leather, and uniform enthusiasts. Lots of guys will be wearing their sexiest harnesses.
They host intense events every Friday and Saturday, with additional events some weeks on Thursday and Sunday.
While I didn’t go to this SLM location, I enjoyed the one in Stockholm. As their website mentions, it’s true that about half the people that go to SLM are looking strictly for sex, but the other half is open to socializing and meeting new people.
Body Bio
A little gay cruising at Body Bio is a good idea any day of the week! Body Bio is one of the most popular Copenhagen gay saunas/cruising clubs, located in the basement of a commercial building in the København V district.
Some of the busiest times are Wednesday evenings for the popular weekly Nude Night, as well as Sunday afternoons with the weekend crowd.
Body Bio has movie rooms, a small sauna, and a jacuzzi among other spaces for cruising. Lockers are also available.
Before you go cruising, make sure you have a pair of sexy underwear or jockstrap to wear!
Copenhagen Travel Tips
Bikes & Scooters
Bike culture in Copenhagen is huge, similar to other Scandinavian cities. A bike or electric scooter is the perfect way to get around the city since Copenhagen is quite large!
The entire city is bike-friendly, with dedicated bike lanes on almost every main street. You can ride scooters in the bike lanes as well, but these are allowed to be parked in the city center.
Copenhagen Public Transportation
If you’re planning on taking public transport in Copenhagen, you’ll want to get a paper ticket from one of the traditional ticket booths. Purchasing tickets via the city’s DOT mobile app is cumbersome, and for many tourists, not even impossible.
After this app asks for an incredible amount of information, it attempts to verify your phone number, but frustratingly will not send texts to foreign mobile numbers. Train operators are not sympathetic either and will ask tourists to get off the train to buy paper tickets.
Unless you’re sticking to a budget, save yourself the trouble and just use a taxi!
Next, check out wolfyy’s travel guide to Stockholm.
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