Scotland on Sunday Travel Wishlist - Generator Stockholm, Sweden

For solo travellers, couples, families and groups, this budget hotel has a choice of stylish rooms from private to dorms to spacious apartment style

Generator Stockholm is a ten-minute walk from the main station and right in the centre of the city. All Generators have free wifi, female-only dorms, a bar, 24-hour reception, travel shop and caf, and Stockholm also has bike hire and a laundry

Generator Stockholm, Sweden

Spread across several islands, Stockholm is a beautiful city, right down to its bustling centre so staying slap bang in the middle is the savvy thing to do. Generator hotel might be in the heart of the city but tree-lined streets and parks abound and at just a ten-minute walk from the Central Station, it is well located for getting to all of the sights.

Laid-back and friendly, when we stayed last summer it was full of solo travellers, families and hens and stags who appreciate the choice of rooms from private to dorms to spacious apartment style. All Generators have free wifi, female-only dorms, a bar, 24-hour reception, travel shop and café, and Stockholm also has bike hire and a laundry.

Generator's Bar Hilma, restaurant and bar, for breakfast, all day snacks and meals is good value and popular with guests

Budget or boutique?

Budget and that’s a big plus in Stockholm, which like most Scandi cities, is pricey for accommodation, food and drink.

Room service

We stayed in the Studio Suite, Generator’s spacious “best bed in the house” with its own kitchenette/lounge area with sofa, TV, fridge, sink, microwave, en-suite private bathroom with towels and toiletries and hair dryer, large clothes hanging and storage cupboard, and sleeping area with comfortable double bed.

From twins and doubles to dorms and an apartment-style suite, Generator Stockholm has a choice of accommodation

Windows along two walls gave views of surrounding tree tops, and everything was spotless, with clean lines, space saving design and cool pops of colour.

The kitchenette with microwave and fridge was invaluable for heating up food from the nearby minimarket .

Wining and dining

Out and about the city is expensive, especially if you like alcohol with your food, so eating in the Generator, where prices are more reasonable and the limited but tasty menus in the restaurant and drinks in Bar Hilma hit the spot. If your tastes are more upmarket, Stockholm has eight Michelin-starred restaurants. Elsewhere local dishes like meatballs with fries or fried herring to go are recommended and there are Pressbyran kiosks around the city for coffee and pastries.

Worth getting out of bed for

There are free walking tours where you tip the guide, but we bought a 72-hour ticket for the (city-sightseeing.com) red City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off bus (prices from £20.65) and visited various attractions, enjoying the streetscapes as we went. If you prefer underground, Stockholm’s Metro stations are decorated with artworks and installations so travelling is a sight for sore eyes as well as feet.

The Medieval Museum, Stockholm City Museum and Modern Art Museum are all free and close to each other, which will save your krona for visiting the Royal Palace or home of pop royalty at the ABBA Museum on Museum Island, or Djurgården. On this tranquil oasis in the middle of Stockholm we loved the Viking Museum (Vikingaliv, thevikingmuseum.com, adults 179 SEK (£17) children, 139 SEK (£13), under sixes free, family ticket 495 SEK (£47)) with its interactive displays and adventure ride saga tour.

Djurgårdsvägen is home to one of Stockholm’s extensive parks so simply lying in the sun with your own picnic, watching the boats and listening to the screams from the thrill-seekers at Gröna Lund amusement park is a fun way to spend a few hours.

Walk through the winding streets of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s oldest district, and one of the best-preserved medieval city centres, to window shop stores filled with handicrafts, antiques and souvenirs. There’s also free early entry to some city nightspots.

Little extras

Live DJ play sets in the evenings in the bar, or retreat to your private room, where bedside lamps mean you can scroll and read in peace.

Guestbook comments

If you’re arriving by air, the hostel is an easy train journey then ten minute walk from the station, and with 24-hour reception you’ll be laid-back and rested in no time, ready to explore this beautiful waterfront city.

Prices vary, but dorm beds in May were starting from 180 SEK (£15.20) per night, family rooms for four, from 954 SEK (£80.54), private doubles from 675 SEK (£57) and twins from 671 SEK (£56.65), and the Studio Suite (sleeps 1-2), 1,125 SEK (£95) per night. See website when travel restrictions ease.

Generator, Stockholm, Torsgatan 10, Stockholm, Sweden, 111 23 ([phone], [email protected])

@AskGenerator

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