Villa Dagmar, Stockholm – the city villa by Östermalms saluhall

Under a glass roof between Nybrogatan and Östermalms saluhall, the family behind Hotel Diplomat has built their second hotel. This is Villa Dagmar – the rooms, Trädgårdsbaren, the kitchen and the woman who gave the house its name.

At the heart of Villa Dagmar in Stockholm lies a courtyard that has been given a glass roof. Beneath it stand dark wooden tables and wrought iron; everything from weekday lunches to weekend brunches and evening drinks is served here, and on Fridays and Saturdays a DJ plays. This is Trädgårdsbaren, the garden bar, and it is the key to the whole hotel: Villa Dagmar at Nybrogatan 25–27 is built as a city villa around a courtyard, right next door to Östermalms saluhall and a few minutes' walk from Stureplan.

The hotel opened in May 2021 as a sister hotel to Hotel Diplomat on Strandvägen, and it is run by the same family, today in its fourth and fifth generations. "For us, having grown up in a hotel-owning family, it feels especially rewarding to lay the foundation for a new institution in Stockholm," says the co-owner Anna Cappelen on the hotel's website.

01Who was Dagmar?

The name comes from Dagmar Bergsten, a woman in the owning family. According to the hotel, she was modern, well-travelled and curious, with a passion for travel, art and society, and she often travelled in Europe with her friends, drawing inspiration from early 20th-century artists. Villa Dagmar was originally the name of the private home she shared with her husband Karl in Båstad, a house with a rose garden where family and friends gathered in the 1920s and 1930s, filled with art the couple had bought on their travels – works by old Flemish and Italian masters, French furniture and sculpture.

The hotel also highlights another famous name linked to the address: the author and physician Axel Munthe, who, according to the hotel, lived at Nybrogatan 25–27, where Villa Dagmar stands today.

02Several houses, one glass roof

Villa Dagmar is made up of several listed buildings of varying character and from different periods. The design is by Anna Cappelen, the architect Per Öberg and the interior architect Helena Belfrage. According to the magazine Hospitality Design, the glass roof over the courtyard is inspired by the British Museum, and it is the courtyard that ties together the restaurant, the bar, the spa and the gym.

Insider tip

A DJ plays on weekend evenings – book a quiet room if you want to sleep early.

According to American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, of which Villa Dagmar is a member, the hotel also has its own entrance to the neighbouring food hall – a detail that says a lot about its location.

The neighbour alone is reason enough to stay here. Östermalms saluhall was built in just six months and was inaugurated on 30 November 1888 in the presence of King Oscar II. Between 2016 and 2020 it was closed for extensive renovation, and today it is open again with fish, seafood, cheese and delicacies – a morning stroll from the hotel's breakfast table.

03Rooms

Villa Dagmar has 70 rooms and suites. The furniture has been chosen from Scandinavian and Italian designers, and the hotel describes the result as warm, classic and eclectic. The rooms face one of the courtyards or the city.

The master suite has a separate living room, dining area and a view over Nybrogatan. The Deluxe rooms with balcony are at the very top, with a balcony under the open sky and a view over the rooftops, while the Superior rooms with balcony overlooking Trädgårdsbaren are under the glass roof with a view over the courtyard. Free access to the spa and gym is included in all room categories.

A practical tip: since the DJ plays until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, the hotel offers quiet rooms to those who ask for one when booking.

04Restaurang Dagmar, Trädgårdsbaren and Dagges

Restaurang Dagmar has an open kitchen and a Mediterranean-inspired menu, shaped by the chef Niclas Jönsson together with the hotel's head chef. Breakfast is a buffet where bread, buns and pastries come from the hotel's own bakery, with hot dishes cooked to order.

The garden bar under the glass roof serves a weekly-changing lunch on weekdays, brunch at weekends and drinks in the evening. Dagges wine bar and café is the house's back room – espresso and pastries in the morning, a lighter lunch and a glass of wine towards evening, with sommeliers on hand to help you choose. For those who want privacy, there are private dining rooms.

05Spa, gong bath and art

Dagmar Spirit & Retreat is run in collaboration with the skin therapist Mia Hjalmarsson and offers facials, massage and sound healing with gong baths. The gym is right next to it, with personal trainers from Vigour Fitness. The age limit is 16.

The art programme is led by Lovisa Malmström. In autumn and winter 2026–2027, the exhibition Scales of Intimacy, presented by The Art Bystander, is on show in the reception and lobby, and a permanent exhibition by Martin Sundström hangs in the restaurant. The building is also home to Susan Szatmáry's shop.

06Nybrogatan around the corner

Villa Dagmar is on one of Östermalm's best streets for galleries, shops and food. Read our Street of the week: Nybrogatan, see VERA PI's street guide to Nybrogatan or follow our plan for a day in Östermalm. It's all on Metro Mode's Stockholm map too.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.