Your ultimate guide to hotels in Sweden

Looking for unique design hotels or cosy overnight stays surrounded by nature? Or perhaps a luxurious romantic weekend closer to home, complete with a spa? At these hotels, you don’t stay because you were visiting the area and needed somewhere to sleep. The hotel itself is the reason for the trip. At a vineyard in Halland, you can step straight from your room’s sauna into a natural pool. On an island in Skåne, maximalist lounges filled with velvet and patterned wallpaper await, along with a bar worth lingering in. Outside Trosa, architect-designed cabins stand among the trees, with a wood-fired sauna in a private bay. Sweden’s hotel scene has become considerably more exciting. Manor houses and spa hotels are still going strong, but they now share the map with vineyards, design cabins, castles with contemporary interiors and hotels where the food is as compelling a reason to book as the room. The best hotel weekends rarely require an elaborate itinerary. At some of the places below, the spa, dinner and forest walks will fill your entire stay. At others, you cook for yourself, swim from your own jetty or make a pre-dinner drink in the lounge the first item on the evening’s agenda. Every hotel in this guide has been visited and tested in person. The selection covers different styles, price points and parts of the country, but each place has something that sets it apart from the next: an unusual room, surroundings that can’t be replicated, a meal worth booking in advance or a detail you’ll still be talking about after you get home. And as always, Time Out’s guides are living documents, with new hand-picked favourites added as we test them. We also use affiliate links where relevant. This never affects our editorial curation or recommendations, which are always selected independently by our editors. Also recommended: 26 ultimate summer experiences in Sweden 11 must-dos in Österlen – the ‘Tuscany of Sweden’

The old working-class city in the south has undergone quite the facelift in recent years. New cool restaurants, slick wine bars and cosy cafés are constantly opening. Neighbourhoods nobody wanted to set foot in a decade ago are suddenly red-hot. New districts like Västra Hamnen and Varvsstaden are growing at breakneck speed. The city’s art, theatre and music scene is more vibrant than ever, as are its shopping and sporting events. And what has traditionally been known as ‘The City of Parks’ remains exactly that, albeit in a slightly more modern guise. Malmö is simply well worth exploring – and, honestly, a lot more fun than it used to be, back when it was mostly seen as a stopover and excuse on the way to Copenhagen. But where should you stay? Well, that naturally depends on what you’re after. Are you travelling with the whole family or just the two of you? Maybe even flying solo? Malmö offers everything from grand elegance to Spartan single rooms. There’s cult status, classics and creativity aplenty. We’ve selected a few reliable favourites across different price ranges and styles. There’s a hotel here for every taste.

Here you’ll find a mix of design hotels and historic, family-run addresses right in the centre, as well as more secluded destinations that make you feel as though you’ve checked in abroad – even though you’re just minutes from the central station. In Gothenburg, you don’t have to choose between city buzz and tranquillity. A rattling tram quickly takes you from the bars and bustle of Avenyn to somewhere calm and restorative. Maybe that’s exactly why Gothenburg works so well for a hotel weekend. The variety is huge, but the distances are short. We’ve checked in, tested the breakfasts and slept in the beds, all to create a curated list of our favourite hotels in Gothenburg. These are the places we recommend to our friends, and book ourselves when we want to experience Gothenburg at its best. From grand hotel stays to smaller, more affordable favourites in the heart of the city, it’s all here.

Much like the city itself, Visby’s hotels are packed with character, history and a touch of magic. This small medieval town, with its cobbled lanes and rose-covered facades, offers hotel experiences that are hard to find anywhere else. You can wake up inside Visby’s ring wall, quite literally in the heart of history, or look out over the Baltic Sea and take in captivating sunsets that wash the entire panorama in colour. You can opt for a charming stay in the heart of the old Hanseatic town, where historic buildings meet modern comfort, or find peace on the outskirts of Visby with the sea as your nearest neighbour. Or why not go for an budget friendly apartment hotel with an outdoor pool for laid-back moments? These are hotels we’d recommend to friends – and where we’d happily check in for a weekend when we want to experience Visby, all year round. The list includes beloved classics inside the ring wall and interesting gems just outside, family-run hotels, stylish boutique options and comfortable stays with a pleasing price tag. In short, these are the best hotels in Visby. Also recommended:  Best things to do in Gotland for families Visby's best restaurants – our top picks for 2026 Best things to do in Gotland – 15 tips