Stockholm, Sweden

Long Weekend in Stockholm

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is called the Venice of the North. (By the way, did you know that there are a several “Venices of the North”, including Amsterdam and Bruges?). The city of Stockholm is surrounded by water with 12 islands and 42 bridges. All these islands mean that you are never far from water wherever you go, which is nice. I would recommend visiting Stockholm in summer when you can sit outside next to the water, take a boat trip and enjoy very long evenings full of light. At this time, the locals are a lot happier, more friendly and outgoing. It’s also a better time to explore some of the main attractions, such as Skansen, the large outdoor museum of the world, or climb City Hall tower which is open in summer from May onwards.

I visited Stockholm in April. It was sunny, but around 0. April weather is rather unpredictable in Sweden. It can be anything from 20°C+ to freezing cold.

I think one long weekend is enough to explore the main highlights of Stockholm. Here are my suggestions:

1. Thursday: early dinner, city walk, Fotografiska museum. If you arrive on Thursday afternoon, take an express train from the airport to the central station. It is only 20 min (but quite expensive, approx. USD30), then go to an early dinner (locals eat dinner very early, starting at 5:30pm) and then walk around the city and see the sunset from one of the many bridges. Later, (if you still have the energy) go to the photography museum (Fotografiska) which is open until 1am and is simply great (at least the exhibitions were when I was there. I loved the Jesper Waldersten exhibition. His photos are philosophical artworks more than mere photos and they really make you think. There was another famous celebrity photo exhibition of Alison Jackson “The truth is dead” where you can see pictures of the Queen of England cleaning a sink, having breakfast with her dogs, or all the royal family going to the hairdressers… It looked so real… crazy). This photography museum is located on Södermalm island which is famous for its cool bars and restaurants..

2. Friday: Gamla Stan, Nobel Prize Museum, smorgasbord for lunch, Vasa Museum, Technical Museum, traditional Swedish dinner. Walk around this very atmospheric island, checking small alleys lined with nice houses and shops. You’ll find the narrowest lane in Sweden there – Västerlanggatan which was once a pathway following the 13th century city wall, since demolished. Then visit the Nobel Prize Museum – Nobelmuseet – and take the free public tour –which is very interesting! Maybe you will be inspired to make a ground-breaking innovation and win the Nobel Prize! If you are a writer, it’s even more attractive as you don’t need to share your prize with anyone. 🙂 A nice place for lunch is in the Veranda in the Grand Hotel with an amazing view and great smörgåsbord (you should try it at least one in Sweden). After lunch, either explore Central Stockholm and do some shopping (there are some really great design shops around 🙂 or go to the famous Vasa Museum – which houses an original 300-year-old ship which sank after 30 minutes on its maiden voyage (it was too narrow and top-heavy). The ship is really beautiful with amazing wooden decorations! It is also huge: 68m long and 11.5m high. It sank in Stockholm harbour in August 1628 and was salvaged 333 years later in 1961). Alternatively, you can visit the Technical Museum (approx. 20 min nice walk from Vasa next to the water) which hosts an impressive futuristic exhibition on augmented intelligence. There you can try to paint with your eyes or move a ball with your thoughts! I am sure that after such an intensive programme you are ready for a big dinner. You should definitely try Swedish meatballs. One of the places where you can try it in a traditional atmosphere is Prinsen restaurant in Central Stockholm.

3. Saturday/Sunday: boat tour to Utö or Skansen (or Nordiska Museet). Next day you can do a boat tour to Utö to get a taste of the Stockholm Archipelago. (I did not do this as it was too cold in April) or visit an open air museum – Skansen, or go to Nordiska Museet (a huge museum on Swedish culture, art and daily life next to the Vasa Museum).

Some more travel tips:

If the weather is nice, you should go to a rooftop bar at sunset. Try “Tak” (Central Stockholm), a roof top bar which are open all year round. Alternatively, watch a sunset from the rooftop bars on Södermalm (although huge construction works between Södermalm and Gamla Stan obstructed the view when I was there).

Have a break from sightseeing and indulge in Fika – a cup of coffee with a delicious pastry, such as the traditional cinnamon or cardamon roll.

If you fancy seafood, go for lunch or early dinner at Lisa Elmkvist in Östermalm food hall (it’s a nice food hall in Central Stockholm for a small snack or coffee, or even just to walk around 🙂

Beware - alcohol is highly taxed and very expensive in Sweden. Be prepared to pay USD 15 or more for a glass of wine. Museums are also rather expensive ranging from USD 16-20 for admission. You can purchase a Stockholm card, which makes sense if you stay 3-5 days and want to visit several museums and take public transport (including boats). I did not take any public transport – I just walked around taking in the scenery and atmosphere.

There are plenty of nice interior design shops in Stockholm. My favourite for pillows, table sets, blankets etc. is HildaHilda – a textile lover’s delight! I bought a very cute sheep and wolf blanket and pillow

Stockholm is perfect for exploring on foot. I walked 25km one day just walking from island to island using bridges which adds quite a few steps to your journey. It’s a beautiful walk though and a sea view is almost always guaranteed.

I stayed at Hotel Kungsträdgården: a nice hotel, good location and great breakfast. But avoid the cocktails there – they are not good. Otherwise, a very nice place to stay.