Långholmen Hotel
“Only you could go on holiday and want to stay in a prison.” This is what my mum said when I told her about my latest holiday plans.
It’s true – I like unusual places to stay but if I’m completely honest with you, the weirder the destination, the better. I’ll trek halfway across the world to sleep in a giant fishbowl and would sell my granny to stay in a palace, so a prison? Yes please!
The place I was heading to was Långholmen, in Stockholm. The former jail was converted into a hotel with an accompanying hostel in 1989 and although it’s affiliated by HI Hostels, the building has lost none of its original, err… charm.
I opted for the hostel. Each ‘cell’ comes complete with an original slam-shut door and bunk beds because space is at a bit of premium. But if you don’t mind getting up close and personal with your roommate, the building’s atmosphere more than makes up for it.
History buffs will love finding out which inmates used to share their living space and you can easily wile away the hours, prison-style, by staring out of the window at the beautiful lakeland surroundings.
If you’d rather not be confined to your room though, the hostel has its own restaurant, bar and outdoor café, as well as a museum where you can research the prison’s past. Plus, as a memento of your stay, you can even take home classy souvenirs like a ball and chain or convict-style stripy T-shirt. Now how many hostels can offer you that?
Långholmsmuren 20, Stockholm, Sweden
Contact tel: +46 8 720 85 00, e-mail:
Cost standard double room: £50 - £100 per night, single room: £50 per night
Services hotel restaurant, hotel bar, business services, internet access
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Långholmen Hotel
Added 2008/08/07 @ 15:57:45
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