Göteborg City Hostel - Routes North

The sign outside says vandrarhem (hostel), but this super-central place has very little in common with most of the cheap digs we’ve stayed at.

For starters, there aren’t any dorms. Check in here and you’ll get your own, hotel-quality bedroom with a gleaming en-suite bathroom. There are two main types of room available: one sleeping two people on single beds (one of which pulls down from the wall), and a bigger version of the same room that sleeps four.

These rooms aren’t exactly spacious but everything feels fresh and well built, and you get an in-room TV for those cheap nights when you decide to stay in. Note that the rooms are only hired out privately, so if you’re travelling alone you still have to rent the whole thing, albeit at a slightly cheaper rate.

Outside of the rooms, this place is seriously good – and a far cry from the usual hostel hangouts. The huge reception area looks more like something you’d find in the lobby of a decent hotel, with smart sofas lit up by lanterns that dangle from the ceiling.

Just alongside is a nice deli-cum-café (open to the public) where you can either buy a meal, or just stock up on the ingredients you need to make one for yourself. Hidden above the reception area, up a skinny spiral staircase, there’s a small but well-equipped kitchen for guests to use.

But – and this is a big but – the prices at Göteborg City aren’t much like you’d expect from a hostel, either. Though if you’re only staying for a few days and want a comfy bedroom in the very middle of the city, you might decide it’s worth the investment.