Is City Backpackers' sauna really free?

Yes — free to all guests, every night 19:00-23:00, no booking needed, first-come-first-served. It's Stockholm's best hostel perk. You just need a towel (bring or rent at reception for 40 SEK).

How much is STF Zinkensdamm's sauna?

150 SEK for 45 minutes, bookable in slots for up to 6 people. Reserve at check-in. Per-person it's about 25 SEK with a full group — equivalent to a beer.

Is the sauna swimsuit-mandatory?

At hostel saunas in Stockholm, both swimsuit and (separate gender-segregated) nude are common — ask at check-in. In mixed hostel sauna contexts (City Backpackers, Zinkensdamm), swimsuit is the default. Don't stress it.

What's the best time to use the hostel sauna?

At City Backpackers, 19:30 is optimal. Early enough to avoid the pre-bar-crawl rush, late enough for a social crowd. Zinkensdamm is always booked in slots, so time is whatever you reserve.

Sauna✻Stockholm✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻Sauna✻Stockholm✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻Sauna✻Stockholm✻2 hostels✻Handpicked✻Real reviews✻

Stockholm SaunaRanked guide

2 Best Hostels with Saunas in Stockholm

Sauna is not optional in Sweden. It's a social institution — the hostel-equivalent of a bar in a Spanish hostel or a rooftop in a Barcelona one. Only two Stockholm hostels offer a proper Swedish sauna: City Backpackers (free, every night 19:00-23:00, the best hostel perk in the city) and STF Zinkensdamm (150 SEK per 45-minute slot, bookable, private to your group of up to 6). These are the two Stockholm hostels where you should book specifically for the sauna, not in spite of it. The free one earns its reputation — you meet more travelers in a sauna than in a hostel bar anywhere else in Europe.

◉ Ranking · 2 picks

01STF Zinkensdamm Hostel€38
02City Backpackers Hostel€40

§ 01 — Traveler's take

“I stayed three nights at City Backpackers primarily for the free evening sauna, and two nights at STF Zinkensdamm for the bookable private sauna experience. Verdict: City Backpackers wins on social value (you talk to a new stranger every 20 minutes), STF Zinkensdamm wins on experience quality (private slot, no queuing, up to 6 people). Arrive for the 19:30 City Backpackers sauna slot specifically — earlier and it's half-full, later and the pre-bar-crawl crowd arrives. STF Zinkensdamm's 150 SEK for 45 minutes split across 6 people is about 25 SEK each — essentially free with a hostel group. Both saunas are traditional wood-benched Swedish format (not infrared), both are small (6-8 person capacity), both are a genuine cultural experience for travelers who'd otherwise never step into one.”

§ 02 — The ranked list

Our Top 2 Picks

★ 8.52,493 reviews€38/night

STF Zinkensdamm Hostel

8.5-rated STF hostel on the south edge of Tantolunden Park in Södermalm, 3 minutes' walk from Zinkensdamm metro (red line, 8 minutes to T-Centralen). Two shared kitchens, a restaurant-bar on-site, free pasta for guests, and the classic Södermalm backpacker crowd — the best-value Södermalm hostel for stays of 2 to 5 nights.

254-bed STF flagship on the south edge of Södermalm
3 min to Zinkensdamm metro, red line to T-Centralen in 8 min
Two large shared kitchens, one per wing
Restaurant-bar, breakfast buffet (130 SEK), bookable Swedish sauna

See the hostel

★ 8.53,421 reviews€40/night

City Backpackers Hostel

8.5-rated backpacker hostel set in a 19th-century building on Upplandsgatan — 500 metres from Stockholm Central Station and 5 minutes from Drottninggatan. Evening sauna free for guests, free pasta permanently in the kitchen, free ice skates in winter. The social backpacker hostel in central Stockholm.

500 metres from Stockholm Central Station
5 min walk to Drottninggatan shopping and Gamla Stan (15 min total)
Free sauna every evening 19:00-23:00, first come first served
Independent backpacker hostel since 1997 — genuine traveler culture

See the hostel

§ 03 — Tips

Tips for Choosing a Hostel with Sauna in Stockholm

Tip Nº 01

Arrive at City Backpackers' sauna at 19:30 specifically — it's the sweet spot for 'enough people to socialize, not so many that you queue'. By 21:00 it's packed with pre-bar crowd.

Tip Nº 02

Bring your own towel or rent one at reception (40 SEK). City Backpackers enforces this — no towel, no entry.

Tip Nº 03

Drink water before and after the sauna — Stockholm tap water is excellent and free, and you'll need it (15-20 min at 80°C is genuinely dehydrating).

Tip Nº 04

STF Zinkensdamm's sauna is bookable in slots: reserve at check-in, not after (slots go fast in peak season). 150 SEK per 45 min splits to ~25 SEK each with a full group of 6.

Tip Nº 05

Combine Stockholm hostel sauna with the lake plunge: swim beach at Tantolunden (Zinkensdamm) in summer, ice-plunge at Hellasgården (public, bus 401 from Slussen) in winter.

§ 04 — Other vibes