8 Budget-Friendly Hotels in Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

Roadtrips are tough to plan because you often have to book multiple hotels. Read more about the budget-friendly hotels in Scandinavia that we used.

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Copenhagen: Scandic Sluseholmen

The outside of the Scandic Sluseholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark — Scandic Sluseholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark

We started our trip at the Scandi Slusholmen. We went there after we arrived in Copenhagen and were able to check-in early.

Our first challenge was turning on the lights! For those of you looking for a lightswitch (like us!), your hotel key is the switch. There will be a slot near your door where you put in your hotel key to switch the power to your room on. Other than figuring out the lights, our room and breakfast were great!

🏨Reserve the Scandi Slusholmen by clicking here!

Billund: Hotel Svanen

The cinnamon rolls and other baked goods at the Hotel Svanen in Billund, Denmark — Part of the Breakfast Spread at the Hotel Svanen in Billund, Denmark

We arrived in Billund after 7 pm and we were surprised at how quiet the town was. It was surprising to be in the home of Lego in a community that has multiple tourist attractions, yet have it be so quiet at 7 pm. We ate at the only restaurant that was still open for dinner and then went to the Hotel Svanen. The next morning, we had a lovely breakfast at our hotel before heading to the Lego House.

🏨Reserve the Hotel Svanen by clicking here!

Aarhus: Zleep Hotel Aarhus

We stayed at the Zleep Hotel Aarhus Viby in Aarhus. The Zleep brand of hotels did not come with breakfast, but could be purchased for an extra fee. The hotel was across the street from a market, which we went to for breakfast.

The hotel was fine, but warm, due to the weather. The tempeture was reaching the 70s (farenheit) during the day. The challenge for us was that we arrrived at our hotel room so late in the day that opening the window did not get the room cool enough before going to sleep.

🏨Reserve the Hotel Svanen by clicking here!

Ferry to Oslo

A ferry — The overnight ferry the author took from Frederickshavn, Denmark to Oslo, Norway.

Never, did I imagine I would book a DFDS overnight ferry on this trip until it made more sense than any other option. I booked a room with a window, so we could enjoy the views on our short trip. Our room was small (as to be expected), but worked for us. We literarlly only needed the room to sleep and shower and it did just that. You could get breakfast on the boat, but we decided against ordering breakfast.

Oslo: Scandic Sjølyst

Breakfast options, including potatoes, ham, sausage, and eggs at Scandic Sjølyst in Oslo, Norway — Just Some of the Breakfast Options at Scandic Sjølyst in Oslo, Norway

We were originally booked in a different Scandic in Oslo. A couple of months before our trip we were contacted by our hotel booking company that they needed to move us to a different Scandic because the Norweigian government was using the hotel for Ukrainian refugees.

We ended up staying at the Scandic Sjølyst. Like many of our hotels, the breakfast was an amazing spread.

Our hotel was next to Peppes Pizza, which we had for dinner. The pizza was great!

🏨Reserve the Scandic Sjølyst by clicking here!

Kungsbacka: Best Western Hotel Halland

We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Halland in Kungsbacka, Sweden. It was a good spot to stop on our drive from Oslo to Lund. Kungsbacka is about a 25 minute drive south of Gothenburg and a 2 hour and 40 minute drive to Lund. We arrived at our hotel after having dinner at the Irish Embassy (pub) in Gothenburg. We started our trip to Lund early so that we could see some of Lund before grabbing lunch at John Bull.

🏨Reserve the Best Western Hotel Halland by clicking here!

Malmö: Best Western Malmö Arena Hotel

A child on the wall bunk at the Best Western in Malmö, Sweden — Wall bunks at the Best Western in Malmö, Sweden

The Best Western Malmö Arena Hotel was another great option. There was a bed that slept two and two more beds on the wall. Of course, my kid had to sleep up high on the wall!

The hotel is attached to Malmö Arena. Breakfast is served in an area that overlooks the arena, which was prepared for ice hockey during our visit.

🏨Reserve the Best Western Malmö Arena Hotel by clicking here!

Copenhagen: Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Airport

We did not make firm plans for our last day in Copenhagen until we were about back in Copenhagen, but we did have a hotel reservation. We made our last hotel reservation at the Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Airport near the airport to make it easier to catch your flight.

🏨Reserve the Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Airport by clicking here!

Tips for Booking Budget-Friendly Hotels in Scandinavia

Make sure there are enough sleeping spots for each member of your group. You are not going to find numerous hotels with the standard 2-beds that sleep four people like in the United States. We often had exactly 3 sleeping spots and only a couple of times had 4 sleeping spots.
Check to sure that you are not sharing a bathroom. We were traveling with a 13-year-old. I did not want her to need to use a shared bathroom in the middle of the night.
Determine your other priorities. Because we were driving, I wanted a hotel with parking — ideally free parking. I also like a hotel with a free breakfast. It is so much easier to just get breakfast at the hotel before starting your day, but we were not able to do this with our of stays. However, the hotels that provided breakfast were outstanding spreads.
Keep an open mind. All of our hotels were quite similar to what we would expect at a similar price point in the United States (like a Holiday Inn, Best Western, or Wyndham Garden). I would stay at any of these hotels again.