12 Best Hotels in Stockholm, Sweden

Feel free to grab a drink or snack from the fridge—at Ett Hem (meaning "A Home"), guests are encouraged to act like they're at home in these restored Arts and Crafts town houses with only 22 rooms. Both the public spaces and guest rooms boast an eclectic-elegant decor, with a mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings, pieces from the owners' private art and photography collections adorning the walls, and a palette of rich leathers, velvets, and woods. There's a crackling fire in the winter, a cozy garden in the summer, and gathering places like a bar, library, garden-view glasshouse, and a small spa with gym and sauna; meals can be eaten wherever you want (you can even dine in either of the kitchens). Rooms vary in size, views, and some perks (like fireplaces), but all have plush beds, cocktail cabinets, walk-in rain showers, deluxe-size Verso and Susanne Kaufmann products, yoga mats, and clothes steamers. The hotel is located in the Lärkstaden neighborhood on the outskirts of Östermalm, north of downtown.

Owned by ABBA frontman Benny Andersson, the Rival is cool, but never to the point of being cold. Rooms here are full of delightful ideas—such as the bathroom's glass wall that lets you watch TV from the tub—and are stylish but still comfortable. Heavenly bedding, plump armchairs, and a teddy bear provide a cozy counterpoint to the modern art, oversized photographs, and funky lamps and fixtures. Explore the common spaces and you'll find two very cool bars, two bistros, and a restored movie theater.

Within easy walking distance of Djurgården, this elegant hotel is less flashy than most in its price range, but it's chic with subtle, tasteful designs and has an efficient staff. The building is a turn-of-the-20th-century town house; rooms are all individually decorated with light colors, clean lines, and modern Scandinavian style. Those in the front, facing the water, have magnificent views over Stockholm Harbor. The hotel offers a trendy ground-floor bar, as well as a restaurant serving classic Swedish dishes.

Berns Hotel has been a hot spot since the late 19th century; rooms here have hardwood floors, off-white walls, feather-stuffed quilts, and throw pillows and curtains in muted tones, all complemented with modern artwork. Many have French balconies. The beautiful restaurant—the first Chinese restaurant in Sweden when it opened in the 1940s—now serves some of Stockholm's best modern Asian food. The hotel also has several popular bars, including a cocktail bar, an upstairs bar overlooking the restaurant and its magnificent chandeliers, and a summer terrace with live music facing Berzelii Park and Nybroviken.

This stylish hotel welcomes guests to an airy lobby with a classic Scandinavian feel; rooms are contemporary and have been created by several of the country's top designers. Most rooms are not large, but all are well furnished and have nice touches, such as heated towel racks in the bathrooms. A gym on the top floor overlooks the surrounding rooftops.

Neither pure business behemoth nor dictionary-definition boutique, the big, brash hotel near Central Station is a well-balanced and very pleasant addition to Stockholm's hotel scene. A member of the Nordic Choice Hotels chain, it has two main selling points: a roof terrace with a year-round pool and the first home-turf restaurant helmed by the Swedish-born chef Marcus Samuelsson at street level. As for the rooms, they are big on Scandinavian design, generous in size, and somewhere near the middle on the luxury scale.

Right on the water and only a few buildings down from Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater, Hotel Esplanade is beautiful and offers a real touch of old Stockholm. Somewhere between a family home, a guesthouse, and a hotel, Esplanade is a resplendent work of art nouveau. From the confection of external architecture to the oiled-wood floors and classic period furnishings, it feels very museum-like. The rooms with a view of the water are worth the little extra money. Be sure to call well ahead to book a room, since many regulars return every year.

Surrounded by trees and lawns, and just steps from the water, this oasis of nature and tranquility in the heart of Stockholm occupies a long row of 300-year-old buildings once used as naval housing, now converted into bright rooms with wood floors, large windows that open, and contemporary furnishings in neutral colors. In summer, guests can enjoy meals or relax on the outdoor terrace. The passenger ferry to Djurgården and Gamla Stan (Slussen) stops a three-minute walk from the hotel.

Just a few blocks from busy Götgatan, this hotel is an oasis of calm in the busy urban streets of Södermalm. Built in 1780, it was originally a brewery, then a jail, then a hospital, then a temporary housing area. The beautiful building has been a hotel since 1976. The newly renovated rooms have polished hardwood floors and are decorated according to different themes: Scandinavian Design, La Belle Epoque, Uptown Classics, and Industrial Vintage. Many look out over the large, tranquil inner courtyard, others on the nearby church. In summer, food and drinks from the on-site wine bar are served outside.

Next to Central Station, this modern center for the business traveler is the perfect choice for those seeking cool design. The hotel focuses on simplicity, with rooms designed in a mix of dark wood, gray flannel, and black-and-white tile, with adjustable spotlights in the ceiling. The lively lobby offers a creative gathering space with a modern bistro restaurant, Lykke.

The feel of historical Stockholm living is rarely stronger than in this quiet hotel tucked away on a narrow street in one of Gamla Stan's 17th-century houses that is near the subway. Rooms are decorated in the Gustavian style, with hardwood floors, Oriental rugs, and antique furniture. It's a perfect home base for exploring both the Old Town and the city.

History defines this nautically themed hotel, which is inside an extremely atmospheric Gamla Stan building that dates from the 1600s, including part of the medieval city's fortress wall. In the 1930s construction workers stumbled across Sweden's biggest silver treasure ever found, just beneath the hotel. Artifacts from the HMS Victory, as well as Swedish antiques, decorate the public spaces. The restaurant, Djuret ("The Animal"), is a temple to organic and wild local meat and a hot ticket with locals.