Like every major city, Copenhagen has some nightspots that seem a bit, well, overly international. 
This is not necessarily a bad thing, and certainly if you’re feeling a bit homesick then I recommend you go to a nice place, such as The Dubliner (Amagertorv 5, Strøget), where various nationalities are represented and speaking English won’t feel like you’re putting upon someone. There’s also clubs like Vega that every guidebook and its mother knows about, so no use in writing more on that. But if you find yourself wanting to go somewhere perhaps a bit more unique to the hip, young, and ridiculously good-looking crowds of Copenhageners, then I make to you the following suggestions:
1. K3 (Knabrostræde 3)
I know there are some clichés regarding writing about clubs, such as calling something “the ultimate club experience,” but I do have to say that, for Copenhagen, this is such a spot.
Boasting two buildings, multiple floors with multiple dance floors and bars, K3 is that sort of uberclub you see in the movies more in real life, yet here it exists. Even though it’s huge, the place still fills up with the club kids and you’re hard-pressed to be able to move freely, handy for getting closer with the locals.
Go on Saturday (early- long lines can kill) and look sharp, because the young Danes who go there look their best and if you want to do anything besides ogle the passers-by, it’s best to dress the part. And bring money. That can be said as a general rule for Copenhagen nightlife, of course, but at a club of this magnitude expect some pricing of equal size.
2. Our Bar (Studiestræde 7)
This is the perfect place to wind down after a whirlwind evening, or gently ease you into the night to come.
Our Bar is an excellent lounge with soft lighting and comfortable couches that can really be a relief after a long time on a dance floor, and the general warm feeling keeps that good old Danish philosophy of hygge in no short supply. But also, this is a friendly place where you can talk to the bartender and shoot the breeze about his job and the city, and anyone else there is pretty much in a similar mode of ease.In addition, the drinks here are absolutely amazing. Legitimately, stupendously amazing. They get pricey, but feel free to order something off the beaten path, or ask the bartender for a suggestion, because the drinks here are mixed with artistry and craft. Seeing the bartenders work is sometimes like watching an expert sculptor or chemist.
The drinks are also ludicrously strong, so while it may be more, you’re certainly getting your money’s worth in sheer alcohol and taste. Also, I recommend this as the place to take and sweet thing to when the night requires some more intimate conversation; it’s only a few streets away from Strøget and the majority of the clubs and bars there.
3. McKluud’s (Istedgade 126)
Admittedly a bit over-celebrated at this point and can get to the point of critical mass on the weekends, this place still gets high marks because of its unpretentious and laid back ambiance.
A western dive in every sense of the term, here you can pick up a game of pool and a nice (and cheap) Danish draft and do it up with the hip young things of Vesterbro. The place makes you feel a little less watched than chic lounges or fancy clubs, so people here tend to be a bit more, shall we say, less dolled up than just a neighbourhood over in the City.
This bar is also a nice departure from the club rat scene and if your style is a little more denim and sweaters than slacks and silk ties, this is your home base. It’s right off of the street Oehlenschlægersgade (impossible to pronounce, don’t even try) which features some more bars of a similar ilk, so if the crowds of McKluud’s prevent you from getting service head down to one of these. This street stays open late.
4. Café Stalingrad (Stengade 30)
If you’ve been in touch with news of the Danish youth of late, surely you’ve heard of Christiania and the youth house (or ungdomshuset). This bar/club/concert venue is the base of operations for all the counter-culture of Copenhagen, regularly featuring punk, reggae, and other such loud, fast, and generally black attired kinds of artists.
The entire place is a Spartan industrial complex with multiple floors and winding stairwells. Take in the finer anarchic details and feel the social upheaval that the place is teeming with. Remember, this is no nightspot for those without a feel for the culture, so I wouldn’t recommend this place when you’re looking for a heavily made-up, house-loving pretty blond girl or trying to dance the night away to a familiar techno pulse. Well, the girl may be heavily made-up, but I hope you like pink mascara.
5. The Rock (Skindergade 45 -47)
Keeping in line with Stengade 30, The Rock is another place devoid of the hipsters and filled with aggression.
Perhaps you may know Scandinavia as a welcoming home to metal, with various threateningly-named bands emerging from the snow-covered fjords of Norway and Sweden. Here is their Danish center conveniently close to Nørreport station.
Head banging and moshing are the favorite activities of this place, and if you’re looking for the place where Danes let their hair down and watch it bob up and down to a thundering bass drum this right here’s the spot.
For all the talk of talking it out with the locals to gain a sense of the culture, sometimes really all you need is to get in the thick of a sweaty, amped-up crowd and start swinging to really feel like you belong to a lovely group of people.
Want to experience the Danish nightlife? Check out our selection of funky Copenhagen hotels on venere.com.
Photo originally posted by Metz
Topic: Top five Monday |
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Tags: Copenhagen, nightlife
About the author
Daniel is a student currently attending university in Copenhagen. He's always looking for a new something special in town, whether it be a beautiful park, new beer, or something out of the ordinary. His dream is to be a filmmaker.
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