Stockholm City Break

Vying for top spot in the Scandinavian short break awards, Sweden's bustling capital doesn't disappoint.

Photo: Adam Gavlák on Unsplash

Getting There

After the short two-hour flight from London, Stockholm's Arlanda (ARN) airport is, as you would expect, calm and efficient with some pale wood floors to make you feel at home straight away.

On the advice of a friend, we opted to take the train into the city rather than a taxi which proved to be a good choice. The Arlanda Express can be accessed directly via a short walk from the arrival hall and tickets can be purchased from assistants in the concourse or from machines on the platforms. With children traveling free, the cost was around half that of a taxi, significantly quicker at 18 minutes to the central station and a lower carbon option. It is also considerably more comfortable than squeezing four people and luggage into a taxi even if you still need to make a short taxi transfer at the end to your hotel. We were warned about the risks of illegal taxis in Stockholm and to stick with the bigger companies or Uber. While we had no problems when we were there it's good to be vigiliant.

Photo: Rail.cc (Arlanda Express)

Where to Stay

Stockholm is made up of more than 24,000 islands and islets forming an archipelago connected by 50+ bridges. If you stay in the central part of Stockholm, many of the places you will want to visit are within a ~30 minute walking distance and with beautiful autumn weather when we visited, we found exploring the city on foot to be a great option.

Photo: Road Warrior (Walking along the historic Strandvägen)

There are a number of large hotels near the central station area but if you can, take advantage of the geography and find somewhere with a view of the water even if it's not the Grand Hotel. We stayed in a boutique hotel in the Norrmalm area on Sveavägen which is a fairly busy thoroughfare but provides easy walking access to most places you will visit on your first trip including Gamla Stan (Old Town and Royal Palace), NK department store, Östermalms saluhall and Museums.

>> Hotel Tear-Sheet: Miss Clara, Stockholm

When To Visit

We visited in mid-October and were treated to clear blue sky days and pleasantly cool temperatures - perfect walking weather. Temperatures ranged from around 3 Celsius to low teens (~37-55F) so comfortable with a mid-weight coat. Like other Scandinavian destinations, Stockholm has its charms at any time of year from the short winter days to long summer ones perfect for swimming in the lakes. In the middle of winter there are only about six hours between sunrise and sunset but that's the best time for some cold bathing and a sauna!

Photo: Road Warrior (Kungsträdgården)

Getting Around

At around 1.6 million people, Stockholm is a medium sized city by European standards and easy to get around. As mentioned, if you are staying centrally, many places are walking distance however there are other good options including trams, buses, ferries and the underground. A useful link for more information about public transport options is visitstockholm.com. We found Ubers and Taxis easy, reliable and similarly priced to most European cities.

Photo: Road Warrior (Galärparken)

Things To Do

Because many destinations are within easy reach of each other you can pack a lot into a few days, weather permitting. The following is a small sample of what Stockholm has to offer and a few days is never enough to cover everything. The Visit Stockholm website (above) has plenty of other ideas as well.

The Royal Palace (Kungliga slottet) & Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Sitting at the front of the island of Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace is hard to miss. Europe's largest palace is certainly imposing and while not the most beautiful, it's worth a visit including the three museums on site. Behind the palace is the old town area which in parts is charming but with the sort of tourist shops and restaurants you would expect near a palace. The rambling streets are enjoyable but you could probably eat better in other parts of the city. The Riksdagshuset (Parliament House) is just across the water from the palace.

Photo: Road Warrior (Kungliga slottet)

Östermalms saluhall (1880's Food Hall)

The recently restored historic food hall is located in the upmarket Östermalm district which should also be on your list for shopping, including design stores. It's a beautiful building inside and out and at least when we visited, not packed with people.

Photo: Road Warrior (Östermalms saluhall)

In the centre of the building you have a wide variety of individual vendors selling produce, seafood and an array of gourmet treats. Around the outside are a number of restaurants full of locals enjoying civilised looking lunches. With plenty of options top choose from, we went with traditional smørrebrød at Nybrœ Smørrebrød which was excellent.

Photo: Nybrœ Smørrebrød

Museums

Stockholm has plenty of museums and galleries to suit all tastes and interests. We opted for three during our short visit.

Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum)

Not wishing to spoil the whole story but the Vasa Museum is purpose-built to house the Vasa - a magnificent warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and raised intact after 333 years. The restored Vasa itself is as amazing as the story that goes with it and a visit here is highly recommended. Allow a couple of hours to work through the different exhibits. If ship wrecks are you thing then you can also get a combo ticket to visit the nearby Vrak - Museum of Wrecks.

Photo: Road Warrior (The Vasa)

Viking Museum

We decided to drop into the Viking Museum for a bit of fun late one afternoon with the teenagers. To be honest, it's a bit underwhelming but approaches things in a light-hearted way and to be fair, it's aimed at the younger crowd. Don't miss the museum's ride - the epic saga of Harald the Viking's quest to win back his family's fortune and honour!

Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design (ArkDes)

This is less of a museum and more a study centre so unless you are really interested in architecture, you could probably give this one a miss. It is free to visit however and in the same building as the Modern Art Museum which is also free except for the special exhibitions. There are a number of other museums in the same area as well.

Teen Friendly

Gröna Lund

Stockholm's amusement park is located a little further on down Djurgårdsvägen from the Vasa Museum with views over the water. It has plenty of rides to keep everyone happy with the advantage of being in the centre of the city.

SkiStar Hammarbybacken

Also easily accessible is the SkiStar Hammarbybacken urban ski slope. In the winter you can put in some laps on the skis and on mountain bikes in the summer.

Hey STHLM - Japanese Gaming Hall

Tucked away in the back of Swedish pool hall in Norrmalm is this shrine to Japanese retro gaming. They have around 20 video games and 10 flipper machines, many untranslated for an additional challenge. If this is your idea of fun, check out the Video Games Museum as well.

Photo: Atlas Obscura

Boat Trips

Being an archipelago spread between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren, Stockholm has many options for getting out on the water. This is a great way to see different parts of the city from the water that you wouldn't otherwise see during a short visit. It is worth doing some research into the type of boat and the itinerary however. On the back of a fun experience exploring the waterways of Copenhagen, we opted for the "Under the Bridges of Stockholm" tour with Stomma, one of the main tour operators. We certainly saw a lot of different areas but at 2 hours 15 minutes, it felt a little long and it would have been nice to be able to sit outside to enjoy the fresh air and sun.

Photo: visitstockholm.com

Shopping

Not being the world's most enthusiastic shopper, I'm going to cheat a bit here and direct you to this very helpful summary of Stockholm's shopping districts:

https://viewstockholm.com/stockholm-best-shopping-streets/

The New York Times' recent 36 Hours in Stockholm article also contains some good suggestions for vintage and second-hand shopping if you're not getting excited about more H&M just because you're in Sweden.

Eating

Not surprisingly, you are spoilt for choice with fantastic places to eat in Stockholm with a strong focus on sustainability. With so much choice it's worth taking the time to plan ahead and make some bookings so you experience the best the city has to offer. A great place to start is:

https://www.stockholmgoodfoodguide.com

Photo: Jessica Guzik on Unsplash

In addition to the smørrebrød at Nybrœ Smørrebrød noted above, we also enjoyed:

• Traditional Swedish food in a traditional beer hall setting with appropriately indifferent staff at Pelican. The food is worth the short car ride and there is a lively looking sister bar next door.

• Afternoon fika at easy to find Bröd & Salt with locations across Stockholm or Fabrique for kardemummabullar (cardamom buns) or cinnamon ones. Otherwise anyone you ask will point you to their favourite spot!

Overall

Will we be back? I hope so. In a city as diverse and dynamic as Stockholm you only scratch the surface with a short visit but it's enough to give you a taste of life there and a desire to experience more of it. It's a beautiful city with equally welcoming and friendly people. Add in great food, fascinating history and an enviable sense of style, what's not to like?

Photo: Catalina Johnson on Unsplash