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Stockholm guide

Where to Stay in Stockholm

Gamla Stan, Blasieholmen, Skeppsholmen, Södermalm or Norrmalm: how each Stockholm neighbourhood feels, who it suits and the hotel we would book in each.

In a city of islands, your neighbourhood decides which bridges you cross every day. The good news is that central Stockholm is compact and well connected, so there are no bad choices among the areas below, only different moods. Here is how they compare, with one hotel we would book in each.

Blasieholmen and the waterfront: for the classic splurge

This small peninsula on the edge of Norrmalm faces the Royal Palace across the water, with the Nationalmuseum and the archipelago boat quay at Strömkajen right outside. It is elegant, central and walkable to Gamla Stan, Djurgården and the shopping streets. Our pick is the Grand Hôtel Stockholm, open since 1874, with rooms looking straight at the palace, the Veranda smörgåsbord, the Cadier Bar and a full spa. It is the most expensive choice in this guide, and the most memorable.

Gamla Stan: for atmosphere

Staying in the old town means waking up in cobbled lanes, with the palace, Stortorget and the Nobel Prize Museum a few minutes away and the metro close by. The trade-offs are smaller historic rooms, steps and busy main streets in summer. Our pick is the Lady Hamilton Hotel on Storkyrkobrinken, a townhouse full of antiques with a sauna and a plunge pool in a well from the 1400s.

Skeppsholmen: for calm

This small, green island between the city and Djurgården feels like a retreat while sitting minutes from everything. It is quiet at night, with waterfront walks and Moderna Museet on the doorstep. Our pick is Hotel Skeppsholmen, set in long buildings dating from 1699 and redesigned in a calm Scandinavian style.

Södermalm: for neighbourhood life

Stockholm's southern island is creative, cafe-filled and full of vintage shops, with viewpoints over the water and Fotografiska on its waterfront. It is a short metro ride or walk to Gamla Stan. Our pick is Hotel Rival on Mariatorget, owned by Benny Andersson of ABBA, with a theatre, bars, a bistro and rooms overlooking a leafy square. It suits music fans and couples who want evenings with life in them.

Norrmalm and Vasastan: for transport and budget

The commercial centre around Central Station is the most practical base, with the Arlanda Express, the metro hub at T-Centralen and the shops of Drottninggatan. It is less charming but saves time and money. Our pick is Generator Stockholm on Torsgatan, a design-led hostel with private rooms and dorms, a short walk from the station.

How to choose

First visit with a generous budget: the Grand Hôtel. A romantic old-town stay: Lady Hamilton. Peace and design: Skeppsholmen. Nightlife and neighbourhood: Rival. Budget or late arrival by train: Generator. Whichever you choose, you will cross water every day, and that is the point of Stockholm.

Getting between them

None of these bases is more than a short metro ride, ferry or walk from the others. Gamla Stan and Blasieholmen are ten minutes apart on foot, Skeppsholmen is a bridge away from Blasieholmen, Södermalm is one metro stop from Gamla Stan, and Norrmalm sits on top of T-Centralen, where every metro line meets. The Djurgården ferry links Slussen on Södermalm with the museum island, so even the furthest pairing is easy, and walking between the islands is one of the pleasures of a visit.

Booking tips

Rates peak in summer and around Nobel Week in early December, and drop in late winter. Water-view rooms are worth the extra in a city this beautiful, and breakfast is often included, which helps the budget in an expensive city.

Mentioned in this guide

Do

Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Stockholm's medieval island core — narrow lanes of ochre and rust-red merchant houses, the gabled square of Stortorget, the cathedral and the Royal Palace, all on one small island. Free to wander, and the place every visit begins.

Do

The Royal Palace

The King of Sweden's official residence, a Baroque block on the edge of Gamla Stan with over six hundred rooms. See the state apartments, the Treasury and the Tre Kronor Museum, and catch the changing of the guard in the outer courtyard.

Do

Fotografiska

The photography museum in a brick customs house on the Södermalm waterfront — changing exhibitions by the world's great photographers, a top-floor restaurant and cafe with one of the best views in Stockholm, and late opening every night.

Do

Vasa Museum

The only almost fully intact seventeenth-century warship in the world, raised from Stockholm harbour after three centuries and displayed in a dim, towering hall on Djurgården. The single most essential museum in Scandinavia — and the Tiqets ticket adds Vrak, the museum of Baltic wrecks next door.

Stay

Grand Hôtel Stockholm

Stockholm's grande dame since 1874, on the waterfront facing the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan — a full-scale luxury hotel with the Veranda, Cadier Bar, Matbaren and a big spa. The splurge for a first visit.

Stay

Lady Hamilton Hotel

A charming old town townhouse hotel on Storkyrkobrinken, by the cathedral in Gamla Stan — antiques, portraits, a sauna and a plunge pool in a well from the 1400s. Step out into the lanes.

Stay

Hotel Skeppsholmen

A calm island hideaway in two long buildings dating from 1699, on the museum island of Skeppsholmen — minimalist Scandinavian design, water views and Djurgården a short walk away. A Design Hotels member.

Stay

Hotel Rival

Benny Andersson's 99-room boutique hotel on leafy Mariatorget in Södermalm — a 1930s cinema-theatre building with bars, a bistro, live shows and ABBA nods. The fun mid-range base for Stockholm's coolest island.

Stay

Generator Stockholm

A design-forward hostel with private rooms and dorms on Torsgatan, about ten minutes on foot from Central Station — the smart budget base in an expensive city, with a bar and social spaces.