The city of Stockholm has plenty of charms: a beautiful setting, gorgeous people, islands stretching out into the horizon, sleek design at every turn and a seasonal magic, no matter what time of year you visit. But for LGBTQ+ travellers, what sets Sweden’s capital apart is its spirit. This is a city that doesn’t just make space for queerness—it celebrates it.

But Stockholm shouldn’t just be another stop on your travel list. Understanding why you should visit is actually as important as what you should see when you’re there.

Stockholm is a place that recognises you as an individual with your own story, dreams, and aspirations. Open, progressive and endlessly multifaceted, there’s a powerful truth about Stockholm: that it’s a city that invites you to grow as much as it invites you to explore. It’s a place where people meet and ideas thrive, a place where you are part of the bigger story, regardless of where you’ve come from, how you identify and who you love. Stockholm loves equality, so its invitation is simple but profound: come as you are, and know you already belong.

This is what makes Stockholm especially inspiring: inclusivity is reflected in its workplaces, its schools, its politics, and its cultural institutions. The city has become a place where people not only come to visit, but also to study, work, invest, and put down roots, drawn by an environment where being oneself is the norm.

Culture, camp and connection
While many cities quietly skip over their queer histories, Stockholm puts them front and centre. At the Royal Palace and Drottningholm Palace, the new Queer Tour tells stories of royal romances, scandals, and gender-defying figures who helped shape Sweden’s history. Sweden also decriminalised homosexuality way back in 1944, showing that progress here has deep roots.

Moreover, culture lovers are truly spoiled in Stockholm. The Vasa Museum impresses with its perfectly preserved 17th-century warship, while ABBA The Museum is every bit as camp and joyous as you’d hope (good luck resisting a singalong). Check out some Stockholm tips for culture vultures here.

When the sun shines in summer, Mälarpaviljongen transforms into a floating queer-friendly oasis, perfect for cocktails, people-watching, and soaking up those long Nordic evenings.

What makes the scene in Stockholm so refreshing is its breadth. There are just as many social spaces for queer women and non-binary folk as there are for men. The regular Moxy parties and nights at Lyckan draw diverse crowds, while sapphic-themed gatherings by the brilliant people at Lilith and Flatmates create spaces where connection and community come first. Add to that the staples of the gay scene like Sidetrack, or the late-night dance marathons at Backdoor, and you’ve got nightlife with something for everyone.

But Stockholm’s queer culture isn’t confined to bars and clubs. The city is home to Cinema Queer, an international LGBTQ+ film festival held every September, and Trans Fest, a film festival dedicated to trans stories every March.

Beyond that, there are fika (coffee-and-cake) meetups, art happenings, and pop-up events throughout the year. There’s no single gay district because there doesn’t need to be—the community is welcome everywhere.

Find out more about Stockholm’s LGBTQ+ community happenings here.

Pride with a Scandi twist
If you’ve marched in Dublin Pride, you’ll know the electric mix of protest, celebration and community that lights us up each June. Now picture that same energy stretched across an entire city, with Scandinavian flair. That’s Stockholm Pride, Scandinavia’s largest LGBTQ+ celebration – and Stockholm’s largest single annual event, drawing around 500,000 people (and in a city of a million, that’s quite a feat), from all over the country and world each July and August. Glitter, beats and rainbow flags spill across the streets, but the real joy lies in seeing a city where inclusion isn’t tied to a single week, but lived every day.

Beyond the buzz
For those moments when you want to swap basslines for bird song and the soft lapping of ripples as they kiss the shores, the Stockholm Archipelago is a perfect retreat. With 30,000 islands (yes, really), you can hop on a ferry and within minutes be paddleboarding between rocky islets, feasting on seafood, forest bathing, or sitting in a sauna looking out to sea. It’s a place to get away from a rather complicated world—especially now more than ever—and where urban energy gives way to raw, restorative beauty, especially in the “magic season” of late summer and early autumn.

Here, the same inclusive spirit that defines the city flows across open waters and forested shores. It’s not a retreat from who you are, but a quiet celebration of it, proof that in Stockholm, you don’t have to choose between vibrant city life and the great outdoors.

Think of it like a Swedish answer to the Aran Islands, but multiplied by a thousand.

Sail free, love loud
For cruise lovers, Stockholm is a brilliant place to spend some time before you board, or after you arrive. But even if you’re just visiting for the day, step off the ship and you’re right in the middle of a walkable city where you can wander through colourful neighbourhoods, dive into world-class dining, explore centuries of history, or admire cutting-edge design. We like to say that people cruise through Stockholm, but it’s Stockholm that actually cruises through people, once they’ve had a chance to visit.

A welcome that’s extended to all
Whether you arrive by cruise ship, plane, or weekend hop, Stockholm feels instantly accessible. Getting from the airport to the city is super quick too; you can be there in under 20 minutes by sustainable, high-speed electric train, the Arlanda express.

And there are so many stylish hotels and cutting-edge restaurants that support the LGBTQ+ community and are part of the rainbow family that is Stockholm LGBT, making it the perfect resource for planning your trip to the Open City.

Stockholm: You belong here.
For more, visit www.stockholmlgbt.com. In partnership and empowered by Visit Stockholm.