Places to go - in Copenhagen
Though Denmark is a small country and Copenhagen is a
small capital - compared to everywhere but Oslo - we actually do have a few
gays-only or gays-mostly places to go. And though Denmark is a liberal country
we DO need places to go, where we aren't met by curious looks and where we can
show our affections.
Here is a little about the places I know, but you can
read more on GayGuide.dk,
Copenhagen
Gay Life or on Alt om København (Everything
about Copenhagen).
Oscar - Bar and Café
Oscar is a fairly new
bar and café, and it is a very popular place. Oscar is open everyday
from noon till 2 am (the kitchen closes at 10 pm though), and there is happy-hour
from 5 pm till 9 pm. The café is nicely decorated with warm colors, dark
wood, brass and high ceilings, and the boys behind the bar will probably attract
customers in more than one way. Oscar is situated at Rådhuspladsen 77,
which is the corner of the town hall on the same side as Strøget (the
main pedestrian street).
Heaven - bar and restaurant
Heaven opened in October
2001, and quickly became the preferred place for many. The café is very
cosy, and has got a great atmosphere. You'll find Heaven on the corner of Knabrostræde
and Kompagnistræde. Upstairs there is a restaurant which serves good though
not excellent food. Heaven is open everyday till 5 am. Only a few steps away
from Heaven you will find Pan:
Pan - Gay club Copenhagen
My favorite place
is Pan, Knabrostræde 3, which is very close to Strøget too. You
see the entrance from the street in the photo on the right. Pan is the only
gays-mostly disco in Copenhagen, and it even includes a café and two
dance floors with different styles of music. You will find mostly gay men at
Pan, but on Thursdays the dance floor in Pan2 is girls-only. I have taken straight
friends to Pan once in a while and everyone has been fascinated by the place
and has had a great time. Pan is a must!
In Studiestræde 12 you will find a bar and restaurant
under the name of Jailhouse.
The staff wears something that looks like a police uniform, and the place is
decorated as a jailhouse with open cells with chairs and tabels. Though the
theme is fairly rough the place is cosy and relaxed. They are open every day
from 4 pm (though sundays it's from 6 pm), and the kitchen closes at 11 pm.
Fridays and Saturdays they are open till 5 in the morning.
Masken (the Mask) - Bar & Café
On Studiestræde 33 - very close to the town hall
square (Rådhuspladsen) - you find Masken. If you prefer a bar environment,
Masken is it. Downstairs you find a more café-like environment. The clientele
is gays-only but with mixed types, and I have seen all ages represented. It's
open from Monday through Friday from 4:00 in the afternoon to 2:00 at night,
and Saturdays from 3:00 in the afternoon to 2:00 at night.
Never Mind
Never Mind, Nørrevoldgade 2, is a strange place.
The few times I have been there it has been either almost empty or crowded.
It is one rather small room with a dance floor in the middle. The place should
be seen but preferably Friday or Saturday after midnight...
Cosy Bar
I had been warned about Cosy. Cosy has been for many years
the place where gay men find a partner for the night, and that is just about
what it is all about. Cosy is situated at Studiestræde 24 - almost facing
Masken - into the alley and up the stairs on your left. It's open from 11:00
at night till 7:30 in the morning both Friday and Saturday, so this is where
you go if you haven't scored at Pan. Sunday through Thursday it's open from
midnight till 6:00 in the morning. It's a small, long and rather dark room,
and if you arrive late in the night you can't avoid being stared at by longing
looks.
Centralhjørnet (the Central Corner)
One of the most famous
gay places is Centralhjørnet, Kattesundet 18 - not too far from Strøget
and Rådhuspladsen. Like Cosy, Centralhjørnet has been the place
where gay men have met for close to 25 years. Centralhjørnet is an old-fashioned
bar - for good and bad - and it seems like neither the furniture nor the clientele
has changed much during the 25 years. Opening hours are the reason why guests
thrown out from Pan go to either Cosy or Centralhjørnet - it's open from
5:00 in the morning till 10:00 and again from 3:00 in the afternoon till 1:00
at night both Saturday and Sunday. On weekdays it's open from 11:00 in the morning
till 1:00 at night. You ought to go there, and either you will like it or you
will only go there when all other places are closed.
The
most recent place is a café under the name of Ziraf.
You will find the café in Skt. Peder Stræde 34 - close to LBL (the
danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians) and Cosy. The café
is mostly for lesbians, but everyone is welcome, and the atmosphere is very
relaxed. They are open Monday through Thursday from 3 pm till midnight, Fridays
from 3 pm till 2 am and Saturdays from noon till 2 am. Have a look at their
website and sense the excellent quality of the place and the site.
Madame ARTHUR was the name of a place that closed many
years ago, but now the name is used for a brand new place at Vester Farimagsgade
3 - just between the central station (Hovedbanen) and Vesterport. The bar and
nightclub, opened in October 2003 but closed again briefly on November and December.
When writing this they still haven't updated their site, but the place is up
and running.
Other places...
Of course there are other places than those mentioned
here. For instance there is Can Can - Why Not, which I find a rather boring
place, where mostly regulars come, and Men's Bar, where you will find the tougher
types (and those into leather). I can only recommend a tour around all the places
for you to choose the style and atmosphere you prefer. Enjoy your stay in Copenhagen!
- o -
Links
If you want to know more visit the following links:
Barer og diskoteker
Centralhjørnet (www.centralhjornet.dk)
Cosy (www.cosybar.dk)
Madame ARTHUR (www.madamearthur.dk)
Masken (www.maskenbar.dk)
Never Mind (www.nevermindbar.dk)
Pan - Gay club Copenhagen (www.pan-cph.dk)
Pan - Ålborg (www.pan-aalborg.dk)
Pan Club Århus (www.panclub.dk)
Caféer og restauranter
Café Ziraf (www.cafe-ziraf.dk)
Heaven (www.heaven-copenhagen.dk)
Jailhouse (www.jailhousecph.dk)
Oscar (www.oscarbarcafe.dk)
Guides
Gay Guide Danmark (www.gayguide.dk)
Copenhagen Gay Life (www.copenhagen-gay-life.dk)
Wonderful Copenhagen - Gay Copenhagen (www.woco.dk)
Overnatning
At Carstens (www.circuitq.dk)
Copenhagen Rainbow (www.copenhagen-rainbow.dk)
Enjoy Bed and Breakfast (www.ebab.dk)
Hotel Windsor (www.hotelwindsor.dk)
Andet
Amigo Sauna (www.amigo-sauna.dk)
Bøssehuset på Christiania (www.christiania.org/~bhuset)
Copenhagen Gay Center (www.copenhagengaycenter.dk)
Looky Looky (www.lookylooky.dk)
Saunaclub Joys i Århus (www.saunaclub.dk)
Jailhouse