Utter Inn

The Utter Inn is one of the more unusual places to spend a night in Sweden. From the surface it looks like a small red Swedish cottage floating on Lake Mälaren — but the bedroom is two metres below the waterline, with windows looking into the lake. The artist Mikael Genberg completed it in 2000 as a conceptual art piece that doubles as accommodation.

You get there by rowing boat, supplied at the mainland jetty. The above-water cabin has a small kitchen and sitting area; the sleeping area below has the full effect of waking up surrounded by water and fish. Even if you are not staying, the structure is visible from the waterfront and worth knowing about — it sums up the unexpected streak in Swedish design thinking.

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The Utter Inn was created by Mikael Genberg, a Swedish artist known for placing hotel rooms in implausible locations — he also installed one on top of a Stockholm water tower and another bolted to the wall of an iron mine. The underwater room has only a single porthole window, and guests have reported waking up to perch swimming past their bed.