Elite Grand Hotel

The Elite Grand Hotel stands right beside Gävle's railway station, a short walk from the Gavleån river that cuts through town. The building itself is old; the rooms inside are not. Elite Grand Hotel pairs a period façade with contemporary interiors, a combination the hotel treats as its main character rather than an accident of renovation. It holds 124 rooms in total, including two suites set apart from the rest for their size and finish. Downstairs, the restaurant and bar look out over the Gavleån, a fitting spot for breakfast or a drink before dinner. You can watch the river from a window table while trains pull in a few minutes away. The hotel also runs conference rooms that seat up to 130, making it a workable base for meetings as much as for an overnight stay. Four-star service runs throughout, from the front desk to housekeeping. It is a practical, well-placed stay: close to transport, close to water, with enough historic detail in the structure to keep it from feeling generic. Gävle itself sits on Sweden's eastern coast, and the hotel's position by the station means arrival and departure are simple matters, without a long transfer at either end.