Stay by area: our top hotel picks in Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Victory Hotel is the wild card in The Collector’s Hotels trio. Named after Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory, this 17th century townhouse in Gamla Stan feels less like a hotel and more like a private maritime hoard that just happens to make up the rooms. The Bengtsson family’s lifelong collecting habit is everywhere: ship models, sea chests, antique clocks and maps with salt-stained edges. Breakfast unfolds beside a preserved section of the medieval city wall and downstairs sits the discovery site of Sweden’s largest silver treasure. Leijontornet, the wine cellar and restaurant, pulls serious hedonists with its deep list and South European leaning cooking. Afternoon tea is served at its sister property nearby for those who prefer scones to sea lore. Captain Johansson’s Suite is the one if you want a full period fantasy before stepping back out into Stockholm’s Old Town.

Some hotels chase minimalism. Lady Hamilton Hotel does the opposite. Named after Lady Emma Hamilton, the muse and lover of Admiral Lord Nelson (Lord Nelson Hotel is just next door), this Old Town townhouse leans into drama and history at every turn. Set beside the Royal Palace in a 15th century building, it feels part hotel, part museum, filled with Swedish folk art, painted wardrobes and maritime relics collected by the Bengtsson family who run The Collector’s Hotels group. It is not for everyone and that is the point. We love the Corner Room for its light and calm. Downstairs a medieval well anchors the hotel’s tiny sauna.