This former prison morphed into a combined hotel and hostel when the inmates were moved elsewhere in 1975. (The complex was the site of the last execution in Sweden in 1910.) Hjalmar Branting, Sweden's first working-class prime minister, spent three months behind bars here in 1889 for denying God and the afterlife.

Today it's a more welcoming place. Visitors enjoy greenery, theater, wine-tasting, and afternoon tea. Then they pay to get stuffed in a cell until the next morning. Yes, rooms are in the former cells and so many are quite narrow. Other than that, they're surprisingly light-filled, with contemporary if quite simple furnishings (bunkbeds in many). Tip: Aside from providing linens for the beds on the "hotel" side of the operation, the hostel rooms are near identical to the hotel rooms but cost half as much. If you plan to stay here, you may want to pack your own linens for the savings, as no rooms house more than two, even on the hostel side.


For an extra SEK 695 per head, couples can get the "Love Cell" treatment with chocolate, bubbly, romantic sheets (dare we ask?), and a three-course dinner. Hosedown in the yard not included.