Traditionalists, however, usually stick with the Grand, an 1874 jewel of a hotel with a stunning harborside location - it has long been the choice of visiting political leaders and Nobel Prize winners. For so large a city, Stockholm doesn't have a huge number of gay clubs, but the several popular spots here pack plenty of punch. Held two or three times a month, Bitch Girl Club throws are Scandinavia's largest women's parties, held in a spacious dance club and DJ'd by some of the city's top spin-masters. Sidetrack is a fixture in the heavily gay Sodermalm neighborhood. This cozy basement lounge draws a neighborhoody, somewhat butch crowd that spans all ages - a nice little fireplace warms everybody up.
Visitors are welcome if they observe the dress code and pay a small cover.
If you love to party, try timing your visit to Stockholm to coincide with one of the more unusual weekly gay nightlife events in Europe, the party on the old steamship Patricia Gaykvall. This moored vessel has several levels, one with a restaurant where fresh lobster is the specialty, and others with outdoor deck areas. The crowd is young and sceney but otherwise eclectic. And there's no more romantic place in this city to snog with your date than on the deck of the Patricia, looking out over the twinkling lights of Stockholm. All rights reserved.