Hotel noise from church bells, traffic

I occasionally use a white noise app called White Noise, hahahah. I have found that sometimes after I am in a location for a few days my ears get used to the steadiness and starts not keying in on it. I have NOT stayed where the church bells ring 24 hours a day though. Does the hotel have AC so your windows will be closed or will you be there when you need to have them open?

Like Pam, I have never stayed anywhere with 24 hr day church bells. Could you share the name of the hotel, since it's an RS recommended lodging? Someone on the Forum has probably stayed there.
A caution on inside courtyards - I have had problems with lack of air flow and noise echoing up from the lobby, on more than one occasion. Make sure the courtyard is well-ventilated and not too closed in.
Have a great trip.

Pam - thanks for the tip, I will check out that app. No AC, this is in Sweden and AC seems to be pretty rare.

Pat - thanks for the courtyard tip, it does look pretty small. It's the Lady Hamilton Hotel in Stockholm.

I'm a very light sleeper and also have never found ear plugs that work for me --- I have to be careful choosing apartments to book ones that are quiet, but you don't have that option.

What had worked for me the few times that I have to sleep somewhere noisy (like when the next door neighbor in Bologna had the TV on LOUD from about midnight until morning!) is to use brown noise, rather than white noise. I find white noise to be irritating and it actually keeps me awake.

Here is the "Super Deep Smoothed Brown Noise" on Youtube that I turn out quite loud (on my phone) and it blocks other sounds really well ---see what you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P48QELwruQs&t=10652s

I use a sleep white noise app on my phone blue-toothed to scarf headphones. Lookup scarf headphones on Amazon. No problem sleeping directly on speaker.

Like Pam, I have never stayed anywhere with 24 hr day church bells.

A bit of clarification. The "normal" church bells do not ring every 15 minutes (as far as I know), but it's not uncommon for large churches to have smaller bells that tell the time, and they often ring every 15 minutes. And staying that close to Storkyrkan, you will hear it.

On the other hand, there is no need to worry about traffic noise since it's a mostly car free area.

Why risk miserable nights of poor sleep? Wouldn’t it be simpler to find another hotel? What special allure does this hotel have? I’m sincerely curious. My friend stayed with us and turned on his white noise app in the guest bedroom and I jumped out of my skin….luckily after 60 years of friendship I could threaten to throw him out onto the street. It was my only experience but it was dreadful. Have you tried sleeping with it yet? I couldn’t handle it at all. Good luck. And pleasant dreams :-)

I rather enjoy hearing the church clock. It is nice to know what the time is without looking at my phone or a clock or my Fitbit. Nice not to have to move in bed.

Possibly because I grew up with them, both the village church clock and the chiming of the clock in our lounge / living room.

You may find that you get quickly used to the lovely sound.

Heed the warning. Never stayed any place where they rang all night. Why take a chance? Too many hotels to choose from in this world. Remember RS hotels many times have no AC, no elevators, church bells, etc.

I bought this small sound machine last year and won't leave home without it. I used to use an app on my phone but this one, I think, is better.

Babelio Sound Machine

Due to neighbors who are rude and use power tools late at night, I also use a white noise app on my phone, soft foam earplugs, and have added a small portable USB rechargeable fan (this one). Since it's hot the fan is helpful too.

I also would probably choose a different property, especially if the reviews mention the noise and the hotel has said you can hear the bells. Every 15 minutes is a lot even for someone who is not sensitive to noise.

Sounds like a Monty Python skit with DONG, DONG, DONG every 15 minutes all night.

Assuming the church bell rings all night, no way am I staying in a hotel nearby.

Everyone has a different noise threshold. I learned to ignore background noises when I worked on the railroad. Our camp car was usually parked in a yard with nearby running locomotives. I figured out how to live with it. When we were travelling, the locomotives sounding for a crossing would occasionally wake me but the clacking of the rails put me right back to sleep.
In my visits to Sweden, what I had trouble with was the relentless and never-ending daylight. I can deal with bells, cars, locomotives, construction, but bright sunlight in the middle of the night wins the battle.

I wouldn't think earplugs would suffice unless the bells are far off in the distance. We arrived in Hallstatt, Austria one night; fast asleep at 10pm (if I recall correctly) and the church bells which were pretty much next door rang so incredibly loud we practically jumped out of our skin. We laughed at the unexpected, and then took in the beautiful sound. But if that had been an all night thing, it would have been too much.

Noise from church bells? I don’t understand that concept at all. If I’m reading online reviews, if I saw someone write that, I would ignore everything else that person wrote.

Download an app called Insight Timer. It has countless brown/green/white/pink/insert color noise options. I use it every night. It does not require a subscription.

I use soft spongy ear plugs overnight. Try testing different types to see which ones you like. Some can hurt which is why it’s best to find out in advance.

Honestly, I'd rather have the church bells, then hearing the people next door.

If you are used to total quiet at night than maybe church bells will bother you. I stayed in Old Town Salzburg near a church and only heard them during the day and it was lovely to hear and a real "I'm in Europe" moment. I didn't hear the bells at night with the windows closed but I often did so much during the day that I was tired out.

Nancys8 - thanks for the feedback about brown noise.  I had no idea there were so many types!

Treemoss2 - I had never heard of scarf headphones, interesting. 
Badger - some people have actually complained about street noise, but it is likely tourists and not cars.  Good to know that the night bells may not be as elaborate.
Denny - thanks for the tip to try listening to it to see if I could tolerate it!  I listened for a few minutes, but should really try it for real when sleeping to see.
Nigel - I do love the sounds, every time I hear them it makes me happy (although I have never heard them while trying to sleep!).
Threadwear - I guess I will have to put up with the cons of the location if I want the pros of the location.
Frank - that little noise machine is very intriguing.  I'm thinking running the noise all night on the phone is probably not great for the phone.
CL - I will definitely pack earplugs!

BigMike - it does sound crazy that they ring all night.

Mack - it's funny that it's all what we're used to, isn't it?

KD - I do love waking up to the sound of bells!

Continental - thanks for the app suggestion.  I'm still trying to find the right earplugs.

heather - so true that I would rather hear the bells than people being loud!

Thanks everyone for all the feedback.  I really want to stay in Gamla Stan so there are not a lot of choices at this point to switch hotels.  Also trying to avoid apartments so that cuts back the options more. I love the location and it's an interesting hotel.  This conversation is making me remember the trouble I've had sleeping in Europe in the past, it's easy to forget after the trip!  It's probably a good idea to always have earplugs and a sound app on the phone for any trip.  Anyone have earplug recommendations? I haven't had good luck getting them to be effective. Wirecutter recommends Mack's slim fit. I have (I think) the Mack's regular, maybe that's the problem.