Editorial
The best northern European cities for bars get less attention than their Southern counterparts, partly because they cost more and partly because the food and wine culture of France, Spain, and Italy tends to dominate travel journalism. That is a mistake. Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo have each developed bar scenes in the past decade that stand comparison with any city in Europe. The prices are real. The quality is worth it.
Stockholm has the most mature and consistently excellent bar scene in Northern Europe. The city's approach to cocktails is rigorous in a way that reflects the broader Swedish attitude to craft: if something is worth doing, it is worth doing correctly. The bars in Sodermalm and Vasastan have earned international reputations that their owners seem genuinely uninterested in, which is one of the things that makes them good.
Oslo is the most expensive bar city in Europe. A cocktail costs what a bottle of wine costs in Lisbon, which is a fact that stops a lot of people from visiting as a bar destination. Those people are making a mistake. The bars in Grunerlokka and the city centre operate at a level that justifies the prices. Norwegian bartenders have an extremely high floor for what constitutes an acceptable cocktail.
Copenhagen's bar scene lives in the shadow of its restaurant culture, which is arguably the best in the world. The bars here, though, are considerably more interesting than their reputation suggests. The neighbourhoods of Norrebro and Vesterbro have produced a generation of bars that take craft seriously without the self-importance that can afflict other Nordic cities.
Stockholm produces the most consistently excellent bars across the most categories. The cocktail scene is the strongest, the rooftop bars are the most spectacular, and the neighbourhood bar culture in Sodermalm rewards extended exploration. Oslo is the choice for serious spirits and a local bar culture that remains largely undiscovered by international visitors. Copenhagen earns its trip for craft beer alone, plus a cocktail scene that punches far above what most people expect.
Budget planning note: all three cities are expensive by European standards. A cocktail in Oslo or Copenhagen costs 18 to 22 euros. Stockholm runs slightly lower at 14 to 18. Factor this into your planning and the visit will deliver significantly more than you expect.
Sofia covers Northern and Western Europe for barsforKings. She has lived in both Stockholm and Copenhagen and has a considered view on exactly why Norwegian bartenders take their work more seriously than they perhaps should.