Arriving in Stockholm for the very first time, my initial thoughts were “wow, the girls here are very hot…and very tall!”  It’s true! Swedes are believed to be the 3rd tallest people in the world, right after the Dutch and Norwegians. No, Swedes are not all blond and blue-eyed, but generally speaking they are fit, multilingual, stylish, and quite charming.

Spread out across 14 small and interconnected islands, Stockholm is a lovely and accessible city.  It’s small enough that you can easily walk or take public transit everywhere, but big enough so there’s still lots to do. Like most Nordic destinations, it’s also a very liberal-minded city where being gay or lesbian really isn’t an issue, and in May, 2009 same-sex marriage became legal in Sweden. Because of this inclusive mentality, you should feel comfortable checking into any hotel in Stockholm.  All the same, there are a few lodgings that have made a special effort to attract a queer clientele, and you can find out about them in the “hotels” section.
 
Since the LGBT community is well integrated into Stockholm society, there is no “gay village” the way you find in so many other cities. That said, you will find most lesbian-run establishments in the bohemian neighbourhood of Södermalm and lots of gay and lesbian spots in the old town, Gamla Stan. But gay life here really is quite mixed.  Gay men and women get along fabulously and frequent many of the same establishments, along with cool straight people who just want to hang out where it’s fun to be. 

Stockholm’s lesbian scene is especially excellent for tourists because it’s easily accessible and very much a restaurant and lounge scene that usually finishes up by 1 a.m., which leaves plenty of time to sightsee the next day. Fridays are especially big nights for Stockholm lesbians.  Often they’ll start with dinner and drinks at Momma, and then walk over to Roxy for another cocktail (or vice versa).  After that they’ll pop around to Judy’s and then finish the night dancing up a storm at Club G (you’ll find more info about all of these spots in our bar and club listings).

Stockholm is a town that takes its liquor laws quite seriously though.  You can only buy booze at state-owned shops (which have seriously limited hours) and most places don’t serve alcohol after 1 a.m.  It takes a special club license to sell until 3 a.m. and very few spots have one.  That’s why not long after midnight you’ll see everybody pour into the streets as they wander down to the 24 hour t-bana (subway) to go home, or in the summer months head over to the Långholmen mixed gay beach to skinny dip under the late night twilight skies.

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I am a Canadian lesbian living in Stockholm and this is all true... and yes the girls are hot! People are also friendly, and will generally show you around if you search to find people with your interests on lesbianpersonalsonline.com or qruiser (the Swedish gay site). Most websites are in English, and most people speak very good English. Don't miss Pride!

skigirl on Mar 17, 2009

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