Oslo’s gay scene is friendly, low-key, and easy to navigate, with a handful of core venues doing a lot of the social heavy lifting. It is less about all-night excess and more about a relaxed, social atmosphere, though places like London Pub and Elsker give the city a dependable queer centre, especially on weekends and around Pride.
A traditional Grønland pub that is repeatedly listed in Oslo gay guides as a long-standing bar for the local gay crowd. It appears to skew older and more low-key than the city-centre venues, with food, music and summer outdoor seating. Bob's looks more like a neighbourhood pub with an established gay clientele than an explicitly branded LGBTQ+ bar.
A central bar and café by Tinghuset that appears repeatedly in Oslo gay guides and local queer listings. It functions as a daytime café and evening bar, with a large outdoor terrace and regular community-led events including bingo, drag quiz and weekend DJs. It reads as part of the city's current gay scene, though less explicitly LGBTQ+-branded than London.
Oslo's best-known LGBTQ+ venue, London combines a long-running pub with a connected club in the city centre. The pub side has operated since 1979 and stays open daily, while the club runs Thursday to Saturday with DJs and a dance floor. It remains one of the clearest anchor venues in Oslo's gay nightlife.
Oslo's fetish club for gay and bisexual men, SLM runs themed nights spanning leather, rubber, sportswear, and BDSM from a 17th-century basement near Akershus fortress, complete with a licensed bar and dungeon.
Gay Places is a quietly curated guide to gay bars, clubs, and other spaces around the world. Less directory, more edit, it brings together places with atmosphere, character, and a reason to go.
