Lord Nelson Hotel

Sweden's narrowest hotel on Gamla Stan's main street

Collector's Lord Nelson Hotel has welcomed guests since 1974 and is run by the Bengtsson family as part of the family-owned chain The Collector's Hotels, whose three boutique hotels – Lord Nelson, Victory Hotel and Lady Hamilton – are all within a short walk of each other in Gamla Stan. The hotel is housed in a 17th-century building at Västerlånggatan 22, and at just under six metres wide, the property is considered Sweden's narrowest hotel. This gives the building a distinctly ship-like character with narrow corridors and compact rooms.

The location on Västerlånggatan means the hotel sits along Gamla Stan's busiest pedestrian street, with souvenir shops, restaurants and cafés directly outside the entrance. The Royal Palace and Storkyrkan can be reached on foot in a few minutes. Gamla Stan underground station is within walking distance, making it possible to reach Central Station and the rest of Stockholm without any changes. The street is closed to car traffic and the hotel has no car park of its own.

The hotel is described by the chain itself as the budget option within The Collector's Hotels, which is reflected in the size and design of the rooms rather than in the level of service. Guests seeking spacious rooms or an anonymous hotel experience should weigh this against the strong location and carefully considered character. For those who want to stay in the heart of Gamla Stan's medieval street network, with direct access to the island's restaurant scene, the address is concrete and central.

Cabins named after antique ships – the rooms' maritime décor and categories

All rooms are decorated as ship's cabins with tarred wooden floors, porthole windows and a ship model that is an exact replica of the antique vessel the room is named after. The models have been carefully selected by the hotel's founder Gunnar Bengtsson during numerous shopping trips. The room categories bear names taken from life at sea and include Captain's Single Room, Captain's Double Room, Captain's Small Double Room, Captain's Small Double (no window), Captain's Twin Room, Captain's Double Superior and Captain's Family Room (no window).

Room sizes vary: single rooms are 7–10 square metres, standard double rooms 14–15 square metres, Double Superior 16–21 square metres and the family room 21 square metres. The family room has a double bed and a bunk bed, making it suitable for more than two guests. Some categories have no windows facing the street, which is clearly indicated in the respective category name. All rooms have their own tiled bathroom with shower and hairdryer, cable TV and free WiFi. Beds are from the brands Hästens or Dux depending on room category.

The maritime antiques collection is not limited to the rooms but permeates the entire property, with ship models, nautical objects and historical artefacts collected by the owning family over more than half a century. The collection forms a consistent design concept that characterises the hotel from basement to roof, rather than a single feature in the lobby, and the hotel is said to house one of the world's larger private collections of maritime objects.

Breakfast buffet, roof terrace and other facilities

The hotel serves a breakfast buffet every morning between 07.00 and 10.00. The buffet includes cold cuts, cheeses, eggs, bread, yoghurt, cereals and fresh fruit as well as coffee, tea and juice. When booking directly with the hotel, breakfast is included in the price; when booking through other channels, you should check whether breakfast is included in the chosen price.

One of the hotel's more concrete assets is the roof terrace with views over Gamla Stan's roofscape. The terrace is open to guests between May and September and functions as an open outdoor space connected to the hotel's common areas, not as a restaurant or bar in the formal sense. The hotel has no restaurant of its own, but the chain operates the restaurant Leijontornet at the nearby Victory Hotel. In summer, the summer restaurant Vingården also opens in a nearby courtyard. Both are separate businesses and are not part of Lord Nelson's own facilities.

Otherwise, the hotel offers a library for guests seeking a quieter indoor space. The reception is staffed 24 hours a day, which means guests can get help regardless of arrival time. Other services include luggage storage, safety deposit boxes and dry cleaning for a fee. The hotel also offers fax and copying for guests with practical needs during their stay. The entire property is non-smoking and pets are not allowed. Overall, the facilities are adapted to a smaller boutique hotel in a historic building, where the location in Gamla Stan and personal service carry more weight than a wide range of hotel facilities.

Choosing Lord Nelson over the chain's sister hotels in Gamla Stan

The Collector's Hotels operates three hotels in Gamla Stan: Lord Nelson, Victory Hotel and Lady Hamilton Hotel. Lord Nelson is described by the chain itself as the budget option, whilst the sister hotels are positioned in a higher price segment with more facilities. Those seeking a larger room, more restaurant options on site or a more extensive service structure should compare the three hotels directly on the chain's website before booking. All three are within walking distance of each other, so the location in Gamla Stan is practically the same.

Lord Nelson's strength is the combination of a concrete Gamla Stan location, carefully considered thematic décor and a relatively lower price within the chain. The hotel suits travellers who accept compact rooms and do not require a restaurant or spa on site, but who want a distinctive hotel character and 24-hour reception. The building's narrow format and compact spaces are practical factors to be aware of if you are travelling with large suitcases.

Västerlånggatan is one of Stockholm's most visited streets during the day, which creates a lively street life directly outside the hotel. Guests who prefer a quieter location should take this into account, particularly during high season. Gamla Stan as a whole is an island with limited car traffic, and public transport via Gamla Stan underground station is the practical alternative for travel to and from the airports and other parts of the city.