Istedgade

Istedgade is the old dirty street of Copenhagen, Denmark, running through Vesterbro from the back of Copenhagen Central Station toward Enghave. It is also known as Strassen, but most foreigners searching for the Copenhagen red light district know it simply as Istedgade. See Copenhagen for the full city guide. This page is only about Istedgade, the old red-light street, sex shops, street girls, strip bars and the rougher Vesterbro nightlife.

Istedgade overgiver sig aldrig (Istedgade never surrenders) banner

Istedgade used to be the Copenhagen street for hookers, porn shops, strip joints, junkies, cheap hotels and station-area trouble. It is not like that in full force anymore. Vesterbro got cleaned, priced up and half-filled with cafés, bars, restaurants and normal young city people. But the old smell is still there, especially closer to the station. You can polish a street, but some streets never fully forget what they were.

The old red-light part is mostly the station end of Istedgade, not the whole street. Closer to Copenhagen Central Station you still get the sex shops, strip-bar smell, drug users, street girls and late-night station weirdness. Walk farther down toward Enghave and it becomes more normal Vesterbro, with bars, cafés, food places and gentrified apartments.

Red Light District

Istedgade is not a formal window district and not some neatly marked prostitution zone. It is more of an old station-side vice street that picked up its reputation from street prostitution, porn shops, strip bars, cheap hotels, drugs and the rough old Vesterbro crowd. That is why men still search for Istedgade prostitution, Istedgade prostitutes and Vesterbro red light district, even though the street today is much cleaner than it used to be.

The real red-light feel sits closer to the central station end. That is where the old Copenhagen sex-street mood is easiest to notice. Farther west, Istedgade becomes more normal, more gentrified and more like modern Vesterbro than old dirty Copenhagen.

Street Prostitution

There aren't as many street prostitutes on Istedgade as there used to be like 20 years ago, but the name still sticks. The part of Vesterbro closest to the station, which includes Istedgade, Halmtorvet, Skelbaekgade, Colbjørnsensgade, Helgolandsgade, Reverdilsgade, and nearby streets, is the part of Copenhagen that is most known for street prostitution.

The girls are a mix, just like on most red-light streets in the north. Some girls look Danish, some look Eastern European, some look African, some are older, some are migrants, and some are rough around the edges. It's not a fun holiday strip with windows and brothels. There are bars, cheap hotel rooms (in Danish standards) and hookers.

Prices are not low like they are in other countries. Denmark costs a lot. The rough end of the street knows that, too. Street prices can change a lot based on the girl, the time, the place, and how drunk you are. Cheapest you can get is DKK 500, but the common price is DKK 1000.

Transsexuals / Shemales

There are some transgender girls and shemale escorts around Copenhagen, but Istedgade is not a big ladyboy street where you have trannies selling sex on the street. Most of the transgirls find clients online and sell sex indoors, or in some cases search clients from nightlife.

SO, men searching for Copenhagen shemales, Istedgade trans escorts or Denmark transgender escorts should not expect a row of trans girls standing neatly on Istedgade.

Strip Clubs and Nightclubs

Istedgade still has some adult nightlife feeling, especially near the station side. Strip bars, rough pubs, late bars and sex-shop signs are part of the street’s old skin. It is not a huge strip-club zone, and anyone expecting Hamburg or Amsterdam will be disappointed.

The funny part is how mixed it has become. One doorway feels like old dirty Vesterbro, the next one is some normal bar or food place. That is Istedgade now: half cleaned up, half still looking over its shoulder.

Gay and Lesbian

Copenhagen has a strong gay and lesbian scene, but Istedgade is not the main gay street. The gay bars and clubs are more spread around the centre. Still, Vesterbro has enough queer traffic, late-night bars and mixed nightlife that gay men, lesbians, trans people and straight red-light traffic all cross paths sooner or later.

For the real gay club map, see Copenhagen and Gay and lesbian travel.

Sex Shops

Sex shops are one of the things that still keep Istedgade looking like Istedgade. Even after the cleanup, you still get adult stores, porn-shop history, old strip signs and that station-side dirty shopfront feeling.

Some shops are real adult shops, some are just surviving on the old name, but they are part of why people still connect Istedgade with Copenhagen sex life.

History

Istedgade in October 1968

The golden days of Istedgade were rougher, dirtier and much more open. Porn shops, street hookers, strip bars, junkies, cheap hotels and dirty clubs were part of the street’s everyday face. Back then Vesterbro was not the cleaned-up café district people know today. It was working-class, cheap, heavy and full of night people.

Then Copenhagen changed. Vesterbro got money, families, restaurants, bars, renovated apartments and young city people. Many old sex shops and dirty bars disappeared or turned into normal businesses. The prostitution moved, shrank or went more private and online.

Today Istedgade is stuck between both worlds. It is not the old red-light street in full power, but it is not fully clean either. That is why the name still matters. The street has been washed, but not erased.

Stay Safe

Istedgade is still quite safe as most of the Copenhagen. But near the station, late at night, with drug users, drunk men, street girls and random hustlers, you cans still get in to the trouble..

Do not get super drunk and cause toruble. Watch your phone, wallet and pockets. The usual Escort and Sex Scams, Bar and Nightclub Scams, fake friendliness, street robbery, hotel-room nonsense and bad late-night decisions apply. Istedgade is safer than its old reputation.

See Also

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