Note: This article was first published in June 2022 and some details may be out of date.
We’d happily spend a night or two at these.
With several airline strikes under way, the trip south suddenly looks uncertain for many of us. Or maybe you haven’t booked a summer holiday yet?
Whether you’re the spontaneous or the slow type – or have had your holiday cancelled – a little city break in Europe might be an alternative (hello, Interrail?).
We admit it – even though there’s an ocean of great hotels that don’t cost the earth, from time to time we dream of being proper luxury creatures and staying at a fancy hotel (dreaming is allowed, isn’t it?). But it can quickly get quite pricey – so we’d happily do one night here and the rest somewhere a notch cheaper.Here are 13 dreamy hotels in Europe that are perfect for a city break (and for interior inspo).
Haymarket by Scandic, Stockholm
There’s something about staying at hotels with a historic buzz. In a former 1920s department store, where, according to The Telegraph, the famous Swedish Hollywood star Greta Garbo used to work in a hat shop before her breakthrough as an actress, Haymarket by Scandic gives you a little slice of the roaring 20s. Beautiful Art Deco details and an elegant atmosphere are sure to provide the odd Instagram-friendly moment.
Radisson Collection Royal Copenhagen, Copenhagen
Copenhagen is overflowing with stylish hotels, but there’s something very special about the Radisson Collection Royal Copenhagen. Despite the somewhat convoluted name. The interior of the hotel, popularly known as the SAS hotel, is by the Danish designer Arne Jacobsen. The building from 1960 is actually Copenhagen’s first skyscraper, and was originally reserved for SAS airline staff. Room 606 has been kept exactly as Jacobsen designed it more than 60 years ago, with blue-grey walls, generous amounts of wood panelling and Scandinavian minimalism. It’s one of the most photographed hotel rooms in the world, according to The Independent.
100 Queen’s Gate, London
If London is, for you as for us, synonymous with a visit to the renowned fashion museum Victoria & Albert, 100 Queen’s Gate is worth a visit. Even if just for one night. The boutique hotel is a stone’s throw from the V&A and the Natural History Museum in the British capital, and offers plush velvet furniture, old-fashioned telephones and fireplaces. The restaurant Botanixa serves an Insta-friendly afternoon tea, according to The Independent.
Hotel Teatro Pace, Rome
Rome is packed with hotels, churches and piazzas. A stone’s throw from the beautiful Piazza Navona, known for its gorgeous fountains, market and bustling street life, is Hotel Teatro Pace. The elegant three-star Rome hotel is in a venerable cardinal’s building from the mid-1500s and has only 23 rooms, according to The Travel. Each with its own balcony. Perfect for living la dolce vita for a few days in the Italian capital.
Hôtel Particulier, Paris
If you dream of being a little like the fabulous Amélie from Montmartre, Hôtel Particulier is for you. The stylish hotel in the iconic Paris district is in the building that once housed the Hermès family, according to Condé Nast Traveler. And it’s apparently straight out of Moulin Rouge. The hotel oozes bohemian glamour, and you’ve most likely seen the courtyard in Emily in Paris.
Rocco Forte Hotel de Rome, Berlin
Despite the somewhat confusing name, Hotel de Rome is in the German capital, and is part of the luxury chain Rocco Forte. The hotel is in a beautiful 1880s bank building on Bebelplatz, right by the famous and much-loved Unter den Linden, according to Insider. Beautiful ceilings, marble floors, oak details, stylish furniture and a stunning view of Berlin Cathedral, the opera house and the iconic TV tower set the scene for a dream day.
Verride Palácio Santa Caterina, Lisbon
This luxury hotel is in the beautiful old town of Portugal’s capital, in an 18th-century palace to be precise. Think the Oslo apartments with stucco ceilings are beautiful? Here you can expect incredible marble rooms with stucco that will make you feel like royalty, according to Vogue. On the roof terrace, the restaurant and swimming pool with views over Lisbon await you.
Hotel Casa Sagnier, Barcelona
Barcelona is the perfect city for combining architecture, sun and beach. Hotel Casa Sagnier is in the family home and studio of the renowned architect Enric Sagnier, according to Swirlster. He was part of the modernist movement of the 1900s, and is known for designing a number of Barcelona’s modernist buildings. This five-star boutique hotel is in a building from 1892 in the magical Eixample district, and offers the kind of interior we’d expect from a Spanish hotel.
Mona Athens, Athens
Staying at the Mona Hotel in Athens looks like a Greek dream. The new hotel in the Greek capital is in the Psirri district, where sights like the Acropolis mix with the city’s galleries, designer shops, bars and restaurants, according to Vogue. The hotel, with only 20 rooms, is in a factory from the 50s and is furnished in a style that mixes the industrial – including an iron staircase and metal windows – with marble and the bohemian, plus Greek art on the walls.
Imperial Hotel, Prague
Decadent, elegant Art Deco style is a recurring feature of many hotels in Europe’s capitals. The Imperial Hotel in Prague is no exception. The hotel is an excellent way to get an insight into Czech history, according to The Independent. Historical guests reportedly include the famous writer Franz Kafka, and the restaurant Café Imperial is said to be among the city’s best known.
Matild Palace, Budapest
In Budapest, we dream of a night at Matild Palace, in a historic building from 1902. The building is even on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is a perfect example of beautiful art nouveau style. The building once housed Hungarian royalty – Princess Maria Clotilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, according to Elle.
Hotel The Noblemen, Amsterdam
If you’re going to the Netherlands and Amsterdam anyway, why not go all out and spend a night at a completely wild hotel oozing Dutch history? Hotel The Noblemen opened in 2021, and all 13 of its rooms are furnished with antique and industrial furniture, according to The Week. The hotel is in a 17th-century canal house, and each room is dedicated to and inspired by a character from the Dutch “Golden Age”. We’re talking famous figures like the painter Rembrandt and the philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza. When in Rome, right?
Hotel Warszawa, Warsaw
The unusual Prudential House was one of Europe’s first skyscrapers when it was built in the 1930s. Today the building houses the five-star Hotel Warszawa, with its 142 rooms spread over 16 floors, according to National Geographic. The building is beautifully decorated in Art Deco style, while the rooms are furnished in a stylish mix of modern elements and industrial details – and have a fantastic view over the Polish capital.
Read also: 9 fine hotels in Norway