Hotels in the city centers of Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo

May 5, 2015 1:20 PM

Heya. The wife and I are staying for two nights in each of Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo. We'd like something very centrally located and though we'd pay more to stay somewhere nice/cool, price is a little bit of a concern. Don't want to sacrifice comfort, though. Any tips from you guys?
posted by xmutex to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

My wife and I stayed in the Nordic Light Hotel in Stockholm. The rooms were superb and the dinner too was above average. I can highly recommend this hotel. Have a fun journey!
posted by hz37 at 2:16 PM on May 5, 2015

I've stayed at the Oslo Plaza Hotel, which is essentially next door to the central train station. Pro tip: don't bother with the Flytoget airport express train - it costs twice as much, the ride isn't that much shorter, and you end up in the same place.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 2:21 PM on May 5, 2015

My dad stayed at a hotel in oslo that was next to national theater and aker brygge.... It included full breakfast and an afternoon meal... Very rare and cost saving! Plus it was a nice boutique hotel to a good standard... If you're interested I can see if he rembers the name of it :-)
posted by catspajammies at 2:42 PM on May 5, 2015

I stayed on a ship once in Stockholm. It wasn't very comfortable, but the site was perfect, and it was fun.

In Copenhagen, there are several good options, depending on your budget. In my view, Josty is incredibly charming, very, very special and good value. It is a little off-centre, but only ten minutes or so, and the area has a very popular nightlife scene. The Guldsmeden chain is very popular among artists and other creatives. They have good, personal service.
If you want to splurge, try the Nimb in Tivoli.
Kong Arthur is a large hotel in a very good central area, and with a special vibe to it - they have a semi-secret avant-garde art gallery somewhere up in a suite.
posted by mumimor at 3:03 PM on May 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I had two one-night stays in Oslo last winter, at the two Comfort Hotels near the train station. They were both nice, with artsy decor and friendly staff and an excellent free buffet breakfast (including smoked salmon, because it's Norway).

Both times I wanted to be right next to the train station, but if I were to go back, I would stay in Grunnerloka, the cool artsy area near downtown. Oslo has excellent public transit so it's not really necessary to be right downtown.
posted by lunasol at 3:27 PM on May 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I highly recommend the Admiral Hotel in Copenhagen, in the Nyhavn district--charming hotel, lovely view out on a canal, easy walking distance to lots of sights.
posted by TwoStride at 4:42 PM on May 5, 2015

I second lunasol's recommendation for the Comfort Hotels in Oslo. I've stayed here: it's simple but clean, cheap, and modern. No breakfast but I was able to walk all over easily! (Speaking of which, people on the street were beyond helpful in helping me find my way, find things to do, etc.)

Hotel ANNO 1647 in Stockholm was one of my favorite hotels ever: it may be too simple for your tastes but had an ideal location (right across from the old town but in the hip part), excellent basic accommodations, a wonderful breakfast, and an authentic low-key, classic vibe.
posted by smorgasbord at 6:08 PM on May 5, 2015

I just stayed at the Hotel Bondeheimen in Oslo last weekend. It wasn't at all fancy but was nice and central and good value for money.
posted by neilb449 at 11:37 PM on May 5, 2015

Grunnerlokka is very hipster and you will love it if you like that scene, but its not really great for using the T-bane (underground) and its on the opposite side of town from Vigeland Park, National Theater, Opera House, Ferries to the beaches, Palace etc... so if you want to spend a good chunk of time seeing the usual things I recommend staying more central... that way you can go look at the palace, then back to your room for whatever, then back out again to see something else etc. staying in grunnerlokka would tack on an extra 10-15 minutes to then connect to other parts of the city.. which is fine if you leave in the morning and don't need access to your room for hours at a time, but if you are a bit tired or don't want to carry tons of stuff etc. its probably nicer to have the easy option.

Oslo is super tiny, but it varies a lot from street to street... The central station hotels mentioned will all be about a 10 minute walk up Karl Johannes Gate to the fancy schmancy touristy part of town... so anywhere you choose will be a good location...
posted by catspajammies at 1:11 AM on May 6, 2015

Depending on how much price is a concern: I stayed at CABINN City in Copenhagen a few years ago. The rooms are based on cruise ship rooms, so they're tiny, but really well laid out, and the hotel itself is pretty centrally located, near Tivoli and the train station.
posted by Comrade_robot at 5:33 AM on May 6, 2015 [1 favorite]

I had a good experience at the Hotel Maritime in Copenhagen. The city is very walkable and although I bought a pass to the subway, I don't think I ever used it (except to get to the airport at the end of my visit).
posted by sudo intellectual at 9:32 AM on May 6, 2015

(I want to add, although you didn't ask, that Estate Coffee in Copenhagen is really great.)
posted by sudo intellectual at 5:01 AM on May 7, 2015