Stockholm has been built across 14 islands, which are connected by 50 bridges. And it’s surrounded by 24,000-or-so other islands in a sparkling archipelago. It’s painted in warm shades of yellow and orange, and arranged around a medieval centre of cobbled, un-planned streets, which fan out to a more orderly collection of harbours, green spaces and more recent architecture. Stockholm has to be one of the world's most beautiful capitals. Our recommendations for Stockholm hotels feature a couple of very conservative properties, but most celebrate Sweden’s love affair with modern design. Long before Ikea, Swedish designers excelled at furniture — particularly chairs. And we also think the best places to stay in Stockholm are those with the best views of Stockholm.

As well as its spectacular setting, there’s a thriving cafe culture and plenty of foodie experiences to be had, the opportunity for lively evenings out and, in summer, you can swim in the sea, sail, walk, hike and take full advantage of the extra long days. Stockholm in winter is as romantic a destination as you could imagine.

Stockholm is an easy city to explore with kids. All the stations have lifts, and buses and trams have spaces for several pushchairs. Plus travel is free for under sevens. Small ships and ferries dart in and out of the islands and docks ready to transport you to other parts of the city, or out into the archipelago. There's also a lot of colour to this city and plenty of variety to keep little ones going. Many people speak English and the vibe is friendly.

Where To Stay? Which Neighbourhood?

• Stockholm’s Old Town, on the island of Gamla Stan, and often called that, is the wonderful maze of cobbled streets and tall, colourful, closely packed buildings. Stay here and you’re close to the Royal Palace, Sweden’s Parliament, the cathedral, Riddarholm, and several beautiful churches, a number of excellent museums and, at Christmas time, the Christmas Markets, plus its cafes, boutiques and tucked-away bars. Getting from Gamla Stan to the rest of the city is easy, there are foot bridges to Norrmalm and Södermalm, and there are ferries to the islands of Skeppsholmen and Djurgården. So Gamla Stan is a good choice if you want to be in the thick of things too.
• South of Gamla Stan is Södermalm, which is where you’ll find some of Stockholm’s most beautiful old houses, but also its hippest modern residents. if you want mini beaches and floating bars, the freshest cuisine and the coolest cafes, then this might be the best place to stay in Stockholm for you.
• Bustling Norrmalm is the commercial and business-y part of town, but don’t cross it off your list, it’s right in the thick of things, and home to many of Stockholm’s art galleries and museums, so it's a great choice if you’re not here for long, or if you’re looking for a large, approachable hotel. And even if you’re not staying here you’ll undoubtedly want to wander along Drottninggatan, a fully pedestrianised shopping street, or check out the lively market stalls at Hötorget.
• Odenplan is another downtown district, and worth mentioning here because it’s where you’ll find the commuter rail station, so it’s a convenient base if you want to travel out of Stockholm as well as explore the capital. Odenplan is also known for vintage boutiques and cafes. And it’s where you’ll find the National Library and the Stockholm Observatory.
• With its impressive architecture and high-end stores, elegant Östermalm is often compared to New York's Upper East Side. This is a district of tree-lined avenues and colourfully painted townhouses, museums, galleries, parks and cafes. Even if you don’t stay here we recommend you take a long stroll through the lovely Humlegården park before visiting one of the area's many museums. Our Guru’s also recommend Östermalm for families.
• Whilst not as centrally-located as other neighbourhoods, Vasatan is still a terrific spot for visiting Stockholm. It's got a lively buzz to it, with plenty of restaurants, bars, and antique shops to enjoy — plus, it's relatively inexpensive.
• The islands of Skeppsholmen and Djurgården are lovely areas if you’re looking for somewhere relatively peaceful. They’re both close enough to the centre for all your sightseeing needs, whilst also offering a fair degree of tranquillity with their waterfront parks and gardens. Djurgården is just a footbridge from Östermalm, and yet its royal parkland, picturesque harbours and colourful, traditional Swedish cottages make it feel a lot further away.

This city is not cheap, but all of our recommendations on our list of the best places to stay in Stockholm will offer you good value for money, whether you're looking for an elegant grand-dame or chic little B&B.

Some of our Stockholm collections

• Best Stockholm Hotels with Pools

The Best Places to Stay in Stockholm

For a great view

• The Grand Hotel, Stockholm is Stockholm’s grande dame, a beautiful old hotel overlooking the harbour and the Royal Palace. And the hotel is quite palatial too, with a Hall of Mirrors, a ballroom and a Winer Garden, a restaurant with two Michelin stars, and an impressive, and rejuvenating Nordic spa. The 278 rooms and suites range in style from beautiful to magnificent.
• The Esplanade in Östermalm is an old-fashioned pension in a really wonderful central location on Strandvägen Stree, right on the water. The Esplanade has 34 large, Art Nouveau styled rooms and suites, with fantastic period furnishings and exceptional views. There’s a small sauna, and they serve sandwiches in the breakfast room throughout the day.

In the Old Town

• The First Hotel Reisen is a grand hotel with classical proportions, and something particularly Swedish about its elegant facade. Inside are 144 rooms and suites, tastefully decorated in a simple, Scandinavian manner, and an excellent Franco-Swedish restaurant. It’s also got a pool and sauna, and the bar hosts DJ nights.
• We have to include the Lady Hamilton Hotel because it’s such a one of a kind, in a wonderfully central location. Firstly, it’s actually Lady Hamilton themed (yes, the one who was involved with Nelson, so it’s sort of Nelson and nautical themed too). Secondly the building it occupies is a beautiful, 15th century property with a traditional central courtyard, around which the 34 rooms and suites are arranged, along with the restaurant. The decor features plenty of Nelsons and Lady Hamiltons, and pretty fabrics and nautical details. And you’re right by the Royal Palace.
• The Victory is a cheerful, eccentric and family-owned hotel on Gamla Stan. It has 45 individually decorated rooms and suites, with plenty of unique curios and attractive antiques, plus some great naval memorabilia. Despite being relatively small the hotel has two restaurants, and it’s popular with families: the kind of place that gets a lot of return visitors.

For a city break

• The Clarion Sign is a big, dramatic building in the centre of town, housing a big, contemporary hotel with a strong Nordic flavour. There are 558 rooms and suites, all of them with lots of glass and wooden floors, curvaceous chairs and white walls. The best have incredible city views too. There’s also a fantastic rooftop pool and spa.
• The Hotel Kungstradgarden is an elegant 20th century mansion in a wonderful central Stockholm location close to the Royal Palace, the Kungsträdgården (King’s Garden) and the main shopping districts including Södermalm, known for its flea markets and vintage stores. Inside are 94 rooms and suites, decorated in a palette of duck-egg and cream, plus a wonderful central atrium and a French restaurant.
• The Nobis Hotel is a luxurious hotel with 201 sophisticated, contemporary rooms and suites, a beautiful bar and restaurant, and a perfect location. Expect plenty of natural colours and materials, and impressive craftsmanship. It sounds simple but it’s definitely worth a look.

For romance

• Vasatan's Browallshof has been beautifully converted from a mansion built in 1731, and at the weekends you’ll find many locals booking in to one of the 17 rooms and suites to experience a bit of the luxury their wealthy forebears enjoyed. Think open fires, a candlelit dining room, four-poster beds and traditional Swedish cuisine. In Vasatan you’re surrounded by 17th and 18th century architecture lining the cobbled streets, and you’re just seven minutes from the old centre of town.
• The Lydmar Hotel is a perfectly proportioned, perfectly sized, centrally located hotel with 46 elegant, and individually decorated rooms and suites. The interiors are a charming marriage of old and new, with lots of original features to admire, along with impressive Scandinavian design furniture. There’s a lively terrace bar.

For Families

• Take advantage of all the light at Skeppsholmen, one of the best places to stay in Stockholm in the summer. Once a Royal Marines' barracks, these 78 lofty rooms have been decorated with a very minimalist, Scandi white-on-white theme, with plenty of blonde wood. Because this was a barracks there’s plenty of space for a waterfront tennis court and a yoga garden. The island the hotel is on is central, but still quiet.

Hip Hotels in Stockholm

• The Berns Hotel isn’t just a hotel, it’s one of Stockholm’s best loved venues, known for concerts, and for its nightclub and popular restaurant. It’s centrally located, and has 82 boutique style rooms and suites with a clean, contemporary Scandinavian style and plenty of personality.
• Just three stops from the centre of town on the metro, the Hotel Rival has been stylishly converted from a 1930s cinema into a design hotel with plenty of Swedish flair. Expect wooden floors, lots of natural light and contemporary art, and there’s a cinema, a bakery and a bistro on the ground floor. You’re close to many of the main sights too, but not too close.
• Right in the centre of town, the Story Hotel is the epitome of Swedish chic - minimalist, but with plenty of style. There are 87 large rooms and suites with plenty of natural light and boutique furnishings, plus a fantastic restaurant and bar.
• Downtown Camper by Scandic is a huge hotel in the heart of Stockholm, with decor that’s a fantastic combination of Scandinavian chic and industrial minimalism. And a vibe to match. There are almost 500 rooms and suites in this hotel, and the facilities reflect this number: there’s a cinema, a spa, yoga studio, a games room, a rooftop pool and a lively cocktail bar. And of course a restaurant that’s popular with locals too. And they have skateboards you can borrow to help you get around.
• The Hotel with Urban Deli is what it says, a 106 room hotel, a deli and convenience store, with a rooftop bar and lounge too. It’s as trendy as it sounds, with industrial inspired design, super chic bathrooms, and fusion cuisine with a cooking school that will inspire you to fuse at home too. The location, in Norrmalm, is central and buzzy.
• The Nordic Light Hotel is a 1960s era building with minimalist interiors and some super cool lighting effects. The 175 rooms are contemporary all-white, with a clever light projection onto the beds. There’s a Californian themed restaurant, two bars and a spa. Oh so hip.

For great value

• Miss Clara by Nobis is a continental style hotel with Swedish design. Brand new, in a great location two minutes walk from central Stockholm. With 92 rooms, a restaurant, bar and sauna, this is a quiet, comfortable place to stay, and good value for Stockholm.
• Stallmastaregarden is quite a bit further away from the centre of town, but it’s in a beautiful, bay-side location right by the Hagaparken, and this rather rural setting carries across to the hotel too: it looks like a farmhouse, with low rise buildings and lots of gardens. The decor is simple and very Swedish, and the 49 rooms and suites are large and comfortable. It also has an excellent restaurant.
• Birger Jarl is a cross between a good but simple city break hotel, and a design hotel, so it’s got the sort of furnishings you’ll see in design magazines, but applied in a simple, unpretentious way. This is a big hotel, with 235 rooms and suites, and it’s that, and the Vasatan location that are probably responsible for it’s good value price tag. The lavish breakfast included in the room rate helps too. And there’s a chic bar and a lunge-restaurant.

Prefer an Apartment?

• If you’d prefer to stay in a private apartment we recommend you visit our online partner, Booking.com.

Some of our Stockholm collections:

• Top Hotels in Central Stockholm

Travel Information

• Stockholm Arlanda Airport is well served by BA, SAS and Norwegian Airlines. There’s a bus called the Arlanda Express which takes you from the airport into the centre of town in 20 minutes. Skavsta Airport is also close by and is popular with the low-cost carriers.
• If you’re thinking about hiring a car we recommend checking what our online partners, Rentalcars have to offer.
• Stockholm is beautiful in winter, but it’s also cold and very dark, so if you’ve not been to the city before you’re better off visiting between May and September when the days are longer. Summer is a popular time to visit, with temperatures in the mid-20s and daylight lasting until 11 or 12pm. Spring and autumn are quieter times to visit.

Still not sure where to stay in Stockholm?

• You could expand your search to include the best places to stay in Jarfalla or the best places to stay in Sandhamn, which is one of the seaward islands.
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.