Perennial gay destination favorite Stockholm undeniably lives up to the hype. Comprised of 14 islands in Lake Mälaren, with the Baltic Sea speckled with an extensive archipelago of 24,000 islands to the east, this majestic city founded in the 13th century has transformed into the modern day capital of Scandinavia.
Sweden, with Stockholm at its helm, is renown for its progressive political values and its investments in the arts and intellectual culture. Remember, Sweden is the country that has given us a female word for masturbation (“klittra“), and a gender-neutral pronoun (“hen“). It consistently ranks as one of top five countries on the Global Gender Gap Index, and has not only legally constituted “gender-neutral” wedding laws but has had anti-discrimination laws on the books for years.
Oh, and Sweden is a safe haven for refugees-not only did it take more refugees per capita during the horrific crisis in Syria; since the 1940s it has historically welcomed war refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants without xenophobic hesitation or bureaucratic red tape.
For gay women, then, Stockholm is a smart, ethical choice when it comes to investing one’s disposable income on travel-and considering the continuing strength of the American dollar, it is a perfect time to set your sights on this visually stunning city. The breadth of cultural activities coupled with the natural surround and proximity to the archipelago make the greatest challenge of visiting Stockholm trying to cram everything into one trip. Defeat is inevitable-which means you’ll have to visit Stockholm again and again. Considering my experience, I can’t imagine people not wanting to return to Stockholm-or, perhaps, ever leave. From the week-long Pride celebration in July to the gay-themed Christmas celebration in December, you can’t pick a bad time of year for your visit.
When it comes to the city, no island is more on fleek than Södermalm, which is like the Brooklyn of Stockholm with its cafes and bookshops, consignment stores and art galleries, including the acclaimed photography museum Fotografiska. You can spend hours wistfully winding through the streets checking out all there is to do. Make sure to stop into a bakery and try a cardamom bun (kardamomma bulle) or a cinnamon bun (kanelbullar)-or, if you’re me, both-with a latte. Also, if you’re a connoisseur of sweets you can’t leave Sweden without trying its famous princess cake (prinsesstårta), made of marzipan and jam and whipped cream and is a million calories of extreme necessity. I frankly don’t understand how Swedes remain so thin!
To the ever mindful female traveler, nota bene: it’s okay to get lost in Stockholm and especially Södermalm. The city is safe, and the subway system is super clean, efficient, and is covered with mosaics and paintings because Swedes understand the value of art-this fact is particularly refreshing coming from America, where the humanities and arts are notoriously devalued and underfunded.
In Södermalm, too, is the lesbian-owned pub Bitter Pills (frequented mostly by young, queer clientele) and the gay bar King Kong. Friday nights, King Kong is home to the girl party Jungle Jane, hosted by Anna Högkil & Anna Ungh, the super-lesbians behind Moxy, the LBT group that you should definitely hook into before you travel to Stockholm. When my wife and I visited Stockholm the girls invited us to a crawfish dinner party at Urban Deli-truth be told, it was one of the few lesbian events that I’ve ever attended that was successful. It ran on time, with dozens of lesbians of different races and gender expressions and generations, who genuinely got along with each other-like, they were even singing Swedish songs while taking shots. It was great!
The two Annas have been running Moxy since 2006. Högkil had the idea after creating a girls’ night at her former restaurant, Momma. Partnering up with Ungh, the dynamo managing the Urban Deli franchise (whose motto, in actively espousing their pro-LGBT and pro-diversity agenda, is “we like differences”), the two collaborated to create Moxy Movie nights and Moxy Sports in addition to their dance parties.
“Community is important-it’s not just about sex,” Högkil told me one afternoon when we met up for coffee to discuss the global state of lesbian affairs. “We still need a space, and the purpose of [Moxy] is for queer women to feel safe, secure, and included.” Stockholm, we lamented, like many cities around the world, does not have a permanent lesbian club venue. But the difference is that the city is so LGBT-friendly that you can hold hands and make out with your girlfriend or wife anywhere and not draw any ire or malicious gaze. You’re safe in Stockholm, lesbos! I can personally attest to this, as I made sure to do my duty as a lesbian travel writer by feeling up my wife at every single site inspection and destination possible.
If you’re a fan of Stieg Larsson‘s Millennium Series, you know that Lisbeth Salander and all the cool, morally good people live in Södermalm, while all the baddies reside in Östermalm. But, guess what? Östermalm, the Manhattan to Södermalm’s Brooklyn, is pretty great and is an essential part of your trip to Stockholm, especially if you enjoy fine dining, shopping and checking out all the Swedish fashion. The Swedes, like proper lesbians, love their fish and have some of the most inestimable cuisine in the world when it comes to infusing their traditional fare with some other flavors and cuisines. Berns Asiatiska is a Swedish take on Asian fusion that’s to die for-try the whole, fried sea bass, as well as their famous dumplings. Also date-night worthy is Nosh and Chow, which offers slightly more traditional Swedish cuisine with an international twist. Both restaurants are wildly popular-you’ll need to book a table in advance!
Instead of entering the Second World War, Sweden remained neutral and focused its energies on improving the lives of its people; meaning that it began to implement policies that ensured everyone attained a certain quality of life. This sense of affordable quality is what Americans mostly know through the brand IKEA, but the Swedes’ sense of utilitarianism is evident in every part of their lives, from basic healthcare and childcare to food and fashion.
If you’re interested in checking out some of Sweden’s most popular fashion designers-like ByTheNo., Hope, and Dagmar-there is no better place to do it than NK, short for Nordiska Kompaniet (literally, the Nordic Company), which is a department store on par with Bergdorfs without being so intimidating. NK, with its glowing revolving sign that punctuates the city’s skyline, has been a brand since 1902.
Interesting feminist fact: in 1921 it became the first place in Sweden where women could shop without a male chaperone. Inside the store, the designs are clean and colors monochromatic-as in currently on trend and in this way are very similar to clothing made by Asian designers (think Alexander Wang and Jason Wu, but more fitted tailoring). Swedish design philosophy is guided by three points: good quality, comfortability, and longevity, that the garment is one that should be kept for a long period of time without deteriorating or being out of style.
Between Östermalm and Södermalm is Gamla Stan, the old city, where you’ll find the Royal Palace (yes, Sweden has a monarchy that functions symbolically as representative of Swedish culture and life) and the Nobel Museum. Gamla Stan is a small island with even narrower cobblestone streets than elsewhere in the city. This is as touristy as Stockholm gets, which means charming, picturesque, and historic.
East of Östermalm is Djurgården, lush with parks and greenways, which is home to a number of must-visit museums, including the Nordic Museum (Nordiska museet); the Vasa Museum for the naval lover in you (Vasa museet); Skansen, the open-air museum and zoo; and, most importantly, the ABBA Museum. YOU MUST GO TO THE ABBA MUSEUM. If you board your return flight without going to the ABBA Museum you must promptly disembark and return to Djurgården. It is an absolute camp wonderland-you can sing 3-D karaoke with the band and make videos dancing along to their music like a glorious fool. The Museum gives you a ticket for you to upload all your memorable moments at home, so you can eternally live on as a dancing queen. While indulging in the city’s many delights, I do recommend visiting an island or two in the archipelago for its captivating yet tranquil topography, even if nature isn’t your thing. One of the quickest, most amazeball ways of visiting an island in the archipelago is via R.I.B. boat, which is like riding a wild horse-turned-water-hovercraft. R.I.B. boats take a fraction of the time to travel to the archipelago that normal ferries do. It’s like flying on water, with some sporadic choppiness courtesy of the Baltic Sea. My wife and I took one, operated by the wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable folks at Öppet hav, from a pier in Gamla Stan to the island of Utö, which is terrific for a day-trip biking or hiking around the nature preserve. If you stay overnight, you must stay at Utö Värdshus, the hotel with an exquisite restaurant (fine dining in nature is rare and a delight), that also has private cabins to rent as well as a hostel for those seeking more economical accommodations.
Back in the city, you can take romantic walks along the canals, go to the opera, or attend a lecture. (Next month at the Royal Art Academy a coterie of continental thinkers will discuss “Heidegger and the Jews“-squeal now, nerds. Squeal now.) Stockholm is not just LGBT-friendly, it is LGBT-welcoming. It more significantly is a place that champions gender equality. And after all, as queer, ethically-minded female travelers it is important to spend our dollars in places that support our community.
How to get there: Norwegian, the 2015 of Europe’s lowest cost airline, has round-trip direct flights from JFK starting around $700. From Stockholm’s Arlanda airport, take the 20 minute ride on the all-green train, the Arlanda Express, into Östermalm.
How to get around: Buy a Stockholm Card which grants you free and complete access to Stockholm’s public transportation, including ferries, buses, subways, trams, and commuter trains. It also grants you access to more than 75 of the city’s museums and attractions. With so much to do on Stockholm’s spread-out 14 islands, having a Stockholm Card is the best, most economical way of exploring the city.
Where to stay: For queer women, there are two standout hotels that are both luxurious and affordable, and are welcoming to our community. In Östermalm, just down the street from NK and the commercial area is Miss Clara, the modern Scandinavian style boutique hotel that was originally a school for young girls (!). “Miss Clara,” in fact, was Clara Strömberg, the school’s beloved headmistress. The hotel is chic, centrally located, and has a fantastic restaurant to boot.
In Södermalm, there is nowhere cooler to stay than the Hotel Rival, which is just a block away from the gay bar, King Kong, overlooking Maria Square and centrally-located to all the trendy shops and bars in this Swedish Brooklyn. Hotel Rival was founded by ABBA’s Benny Andersson, and so the decor has a touch of ABBA flair elevated by contemporary design. The Hotel Rival premiered the film Mamma Mia!, so, yes, ladies, MERYL STREEP WAS HERE. I loved this hotel. I loved the ABBA photo above my bed, and I loved the heated bathroom floor (and bathtub to soak in!). I loved the hundreds of free movies I could watch, and the free wifi. And I especially loved the “workspace” on the 4th floor, which is home to a few PC computers but more importantly the fabulous coffee machine, which will make you free (FREE!) lattes all day long, with a simple press of a button. Adjacent to the coffee machine is cookie jar, with free (FREE!) Swedish biscuits. ABBA I LOVE YOU.
For more on lesbian Stockholm, visit gaylesbian.visitstockholm.com/guides/lesbian-guide
