Helsinki, Finland

Waldorf Astoria Helsinki

General Manager Gali Ben Shanan invited the original Hotel Maria staff to return at opening. The institutional service culture they brought back is what separates this property from the region's other excellent hotels.

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Ultima Nord

Five countries. The editors' considered selections.

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland. For each: the ten restaurants and five hotels the editors consider worth a serious guest's time. Selection criteria are editorial. Properties are assessed on experience, not on fee.

Curated by the editors. Not sponsored.

Updated 20 July 2026

10 restaurants · 5 hotels

Finland

Waldorf Astoria Helsinki. Grön. Palace. The quietest confidence in the Nordic capitals.

10 restaurants · 5 hotels

Sweden

Frantzén. Ett Hem. A dining canon built in under twenty years.

10 restaurants · 5 hotels

Norway

Maaemo. Under. The fjords, and a hotel scene that has found its footing.

10 restaurants · 5 hotels

Denmark

Geranium. Alchemist. Noma's seasonal returns. Copenhagen holds its position.

10 restaurants · 5 hotels

Iceland

The Retreat. Deplar Farm. A landscape that has produced two genuinely original hotels.

Editors' Selection

The best-run hotel in the Nordic region

When Waldorf Astoria took on the former Hotel Maria building at Kruununvuorenkatu 1, General Manager Gali Ben Shanan chose to bring back key members of the original Maria staff. The decision was unusual. The result is a property that operates with a service culture most newly flagged hotels spend years trying to acquire.

American Express Centurion Partner Hotel.

Full Editorial Review

Editors' Selection