Swinging as a Visitor in Italy, Germany, Netherlands & France

BackgroundWe recently spent some time travelling in continental Europe and making something of a tour of some of the swinging clubs in each of the countries we visited. We found it hard to find much useful information in English so thought it might be helpful to summarise for anyone thinking of taking a similar trip.
First a disclaimer: This is our perspective and represents only a single slice of time for each of the clubs. It is not a definitive review or recommendation and we do not intend to persuade or dissuade anyone from visiting and forming their own opinions. Sizes, numbers, distance etc are all estimates from memory and could be wildly out, so please don’t rely on anything we’ve written. We write this only to aid anyone finding themselves in our situation before we went. Which was interested, but uninformed and we found it challenging to find any accurate information and relied instead on Google Maps and the reviews to go to the top rated clubs in each area with mixed results as you will find below. We also used the recommendations from an easy to find guide on the European sex scene to plan our major destinations, however after visiting the recommended cities and some of the recommended clubs we would say that particular source overstates the prominence and popularity of the swinging in most of those places. We won’t provide links or addresses to any of the venues or information sources we used to avoid any potential legal complications. Google is your friend.ItalyWe read somewhere that a very large proportion of Italian couples take part in some sort of swinging activity or similar and hence expected them to be pretty loose, but on the whole we found most to be quite reserved and verbal communication to be challenging. There is also an apparent taboo towards bisexuality which is a bit tricky to work around. The legality of clubs is maintained by instituting a system of membership making them private and hence anything that takes place in the clubs considered to be taking place in private. Hence the term to search for is Club Prive (Private Club).
There may be a number of apps or websites in Italian for hooking up. We did find people on SDC, but we didn’t use it or any others in Italy as we were more interested in investigating the clubs.Glamour Club, Nola (Province of Naples), Saturday night€60/couple inclusive of unlimited (mild) drinks, cold buffet dinner and membership (don’t recall the duration of the membership, but our understanding was that any further visits to this club and their associated spa / retreat would be at no cost during the membership period)A website we were following suggested Naples was a hotbed for swinging activity in Italy and hence we expected to find a choice of clubs and at least a few within the city bounds, but as we neared there and tried our best to find something with Google we realised if it really is a hotbed then the activity must be really discrete, only occur at private events and not be found on Google.
This was a lingerie themed party but otherwise standard Saturday night opening. We were there on the last weekend of the Summer holiday which may have had some effect on the number of people in attendance. This venue/night permitted single males and from our estimate there was probably a peak of about 40 couples and 20-30 singles on the night, but it’s hard to make a solid estimate as the venue is quite spread out and some of it was very dark. There was a wide range of ages and appearances amongst the patrons with perhaps a quarter to half in the hot to very hot range by our tastes. The majority would have been mid-forties and younger. Very few, if any overweight, but smoking was prolific. The club is in a semi-industrial area about 10min drive out of the centre of Nola, about 35mins from Naples centre. It sports a large carpark at the entry and a subdued, but not entirely discreet entrance. Beyond the entry door the low lighting, dark walls and sexual paraphernalia on display adjacent the counter would quickly bring anyone stumbling in unaware an impression of the type of activities that may lie beyond. At the end of outdoor area with seating for dozens a barman offered a choice of very mild punch or prosecco in small plastic cups, included in the entry price. The music was much quieter there and it allowed for our poor italian and some other guests poor english to make some sort of sense, though not a great deal. There would have been 12 or more play spaces, at least half of these with a lockable door and a variety of themes, a substantial dance floor of about 5x5m with a pole. There may have been a DJ, don’t actually recall, but the music was well suited to sexy dancing. The majority of the locals were very slow to warm up, and it did seem like mostly locals with perhaps a few Italians venturing from further afield. But the language of sexy dance is universal and with the help of google translate conversation mode (pretty cool!) we were able to get on the same page with another couple. We arrived at the club close to midnight and the main play spaces were opened after 1am. The rooms themselves had varied low lighting with one pitch black. The corridors however were also nearly pitch black and by 3am they were packed with single men, making passage to the bathrooms a little interesting.
Our general impression was that this was probably the less polished of the European clubs we visited. The black and white themed play space we got to know up close had vinyl cushions in a chequerboard pattern as the mattress with no evidence of sheets or towels nearby to soften and de-stick the surface. Everything seemed clean and the indoor spaces were quite tidy, but something of the decor, finishes, lighting or layout felt slightly dingy or dodgey, though actually still somewhat more refined than the Australian venues we’re familiar with.Capriccio, Milan, Saturday night€15/person with one free drink, shared entree platter and membership
Perhaps the entry price should have been a giveaway, but apparently Milan is one of the hottest destinations in Italy for swinging, Capriccio is the top club by Star ratings on Google at the time we looked, so it has to be the place to be. And Saturday night is typically the busiest night everywhere we went. Alas, the venue was smallish and all the same felt empty. Opening at 10pm we arrived at 10:30 and left at 3:30am. There would have been at peak about 12-15 couples, one or two with an extra woman and 8 to 10 single men. The open area would easily have accommodated twice as many. The dance floor was a fair size and a DJ got things going about 11pm until 1 or 2am. All the seating in the “public” space was arranged to see the dance floor. While this seemed to work well while the dancefloor was busy it had a somewhat impersonal, deflating feel when the dancefloor was empty or nearly so, which it was a number of times. A few of the women took to the elevated area and danced some of their clothes off at the pole. We thought this would signify a progression to play, but it seemed to be more show than anything and most were just there to watch. Thus it didn’t really seem to be an issue that there was only three play spaces, and perhaps by design all of these were permanently open to the voyeurs. Mixed surfaces in the play areas, with strange, oversized and somewhat useless paper towels provided as a barrier. This was a pretty club and the finish and lighting seemed a little more refined than Glamour, but there was strangely no showers, just a bidet for the critical areas and no towels. We would consider a minority of the patrons when we visited to be in the hot or hotter class, though the majority were relatively fit looking and all but two couples and a few men looked to be under 50, with a one or two couples in the late twenties or early thirties. By the time we left we’d say well less than half would have played and many appeared to have not really even have tried talking with others there, instead just becoming increasingly dour until they left or we did. English was spoken well by one person we encountered and well enough by most that we could get the key points across. Bi play didn’t appear to be on the radar of anyone we spoke with, though later clarification once we had found our translator suggested perhaps there was a level of curiosity, just not a lot of motivation.
New Armony Club Prive & another Nearby Club, Rome, Wednesday nightWe visited the listed address for New Armony and could see no sign of a club entry. This is not entirely surprising as some of the entrances are incredibly discreet, but we gave up and moved on to another nearby whose name seems to have escaped us. Reviews appeared to be pretty positive but Wednesday night is not the night to be out and the host was kind enough to advise us there was just one single present (possible available for hire?) and we encountered another couple outside that we would say were not our flavour so saved our Euros and went back to our hotel. It is entirely possible things would have heated up later in the evening, as were there only an hour or so after opening and things seem to get going very slowly in Italy.GermanyWe had read that Cologne was one of the most up and happening for everything sex in the Western part of Germany so we made it the focus of our itinerary and then discovered while there may be plenty of sex to be had, what was on the menu wasn’t the flavour we were looking for, but while we were there we thought it best to check out what was around before we connected with English speaking ex-pats on JoyClub and got the inside goss that the surrounds of Dusselldorf is the place to be for swinging and promptly relocated. There may be the occasional suitable event near Cologne, but as the home of the world’s biggest brothel any permanent venue facilitating free hookups would likely come under a lot of pressure unless they were somehow connected. Outside of that area there are apparently a variety of types of venues, most of which seem to be related to or involve a sauna somehow and are referred to as FKK clubs. Some of these have a gay focus, others a swinging focus. Probably worth checking. JoyClub is the German swinging app/site, though there are also German users on SDC.Kino Hole, Cologne, Friday night€10/couple entry only. May have been a bar for purchase of drinks. No food sightedSmall and twisted venue with a handful of private rooms, a cinema, indoor and outdoor meeting areas, glory holes, BDSM room and dark room. Venue seemed okay, tidy, well equipped. When we arrived there were about 10-12 men and one woman (possibly on the pay, didn’t meet her to confirm). We made a tour and departed. That’s not the sort of ratio we’re interested in. Again this may have just been early in the night, not going to judge.Kokket Club, Cologne, Friday nightNo cover charge, but minimum spend at (expensive) bar.From the description on Google maps we did not actually realise this was a gentleman’s club but were surprised to find a locked door with buzzer at the listed address as if it was something like we were looking for and first step inside certainly gave that impression. Alas it is a small strip club hosting a few working women and short performance every 15 minutes or so. Talented and attractive dancer, nice ambiance, friendly staff, but not really our thing. There may have been 8-10 other patrons there when we left around 11pm.Biggi’s Lounge, Monchengladbach (Near Dusseldorf), Saturday night€60/couple all you can drink, all you can eat hot and cold buffetThis was our first experience in Europe we could say went way beyond our expectations. Tucked away on a quiet street in the small town is a very discreet door with a buzzer and camera. Step through the air-lock, up a few stairs and you’re in another world. The Germans sure know how to do sound-proofing! This is a spa/sauna club catering for couples and we went on a night with two special events combined - extra women (don’t know how) and American college. Both events were really well run and the vibe was pretty amazing, overwhelmingly positive, relaxed (with moments of hype!) and sexy. Here we would say 70+% of the guests would be in the hot to superhot category with the majority in 30 to 45 year old range and a handful either side of this range. There was probably 30-40 couples and 5+ single females. On entry we’re given a locker key and a tour then head down to the basement to get changed into our club gear (another story). At ground level there’s spas and saunas one side (more of a day-time thing apparently) and an outdoor seating/smoking area on the other side. Adjacent to the garden is the dining area with fantastic looking buffet, which we didn’t have, having failed to translate that aspect of the inclusions and eating before we arrived. One level up is the bar and dancefloor and a snuggle corner which hosted the girls only warm-up. The space is compact but well arranged and the DJ and MC did a great job with college themed games and voting for the King and Queen of the prom. Heading up there are three floors of play rooms, maybe 8-10 rooms in total with multiple play spaces in most of the rooms. These rooms are well equipped with the beds made, as though for humans, and small thick sheets provided for making a mess of. Toilets and showers were nearby to the play areas and lighting was varied per room, but generally nicely flattering and bright enough to satisfy the voyeurs mingling in the doorways. The finishes were fairly basic but clean, tidy and fresh.
The people were quite friendly and we found it easy enough to have a conversation of sorts without really knowing any German. At least a few of the guests were from elsewhere in continental Europe and with these a conversation in English was no problem at all. We did observe a behaviour with the Germans there, repeated in Hattingen, that to us was somewhat strange. Almost like the sex was part of some transaction where efficiency and timeliness is important and once the transaction is complete its time to move on. This is a club we would definitely consider going back to for the vibe, the people and the facility.Steinenhaus-Erlebnisclub, Hattingen (Near Dusseldorf), Sunday afternoon€50(?)/couple all you can drink, all you can eat hot and cold buffetWe visited this club with ex-pats we met on JoyClub and hence did not get much of an impression of the other guests present. The Sunday afternoons at the clubs start around 3:30pm, but unlike the Italians it doesn’t seem to take the Germans long to get down to their business. This is a substantial sized club, not dissimilar to Biggis and the finishes and services are of a similar nature, though the mood was a lot more subdued on a regular Sunday afternoon that Biggi’s Saturday night. The guests would have ranged in age from 35 to 60 with the majority in the top half of this range while we were there, though mostly fit and at least moderately attractive. This is more likely related to the day of week than the venue, but we couldn’t say for sure. There would have been 20-30 couples present, maybe more. The business like approach was apparent in one of the large play rooms were there was 6-8 beds with just two people on each, all pleasantly occupied, but no apparent interaction between one bed and the next. We couldn’t say for sure if these were people with the person they arrived with just enjoying the atmosphere of the swap had taken place and they were just getting on with it. Either way it was a bit strange to us, though pretty hot. Alas while we were distracted the buffet was put away at 8:30 while we were distracted, so once again we missed out. Lesson learnt for next time - ask what time the buffet is open to before getting distracted!
Netherlands and France to be continued in the next post. Any questions feel free to ask.