Amsterdam is without a doubt the gay capital of Europe. Steeped in gay history, homosexuality in Amsterdam was decriminalized in 1811 with the first gay bar opening in 1927. 

Amsterdam has had a vital gay culture with bars and other meeting places since the early part of this century. Several mixed straight-gay bars also existed, the most famous being 't Mandje owned by Bet van Beeren, a real dyke, perhaps the most famous lesbian of 20th-century Amsterdam. Bet was a striking lesbian who used to ride her motorbike through the city. A part of her original bar in the Jordaan quarter (unfortunately, it closed in 1983, but the legend lives on) is on display in the Amsterdam Historical Museum.