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Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for this trip myself. All recommendations are my own.
1. Gamla Stan
Gamla Stan is Stockholm’s very picturesque Old Town. Gamla Stan is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centres in Europe and is where Stockholm was founded back in 1252. This area is a wonderful place to spend at least half a day, wandering the cobblestone streets and enjoying the shops, restaurants, cafés and bars. Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan are the district’s main streets, the city wall that once surrounded the city ran inside these streets along what is now Prästgatan.
2. Churches
There are several beautiful churches in Gamla Stan including Storkyrkan (Great Church), containing the oldest known image of Stockholm and the Tyska kyrkan (German Church) dating back to the Middle Ages and featuring stained glass and a baroque style interior. The highlight is Riddarholmen and the Riddarholmen Church which is the royal burial church, and was built as a Franciscan monastery for the Grey Brother monks in the thirteenth century.
3. Royal Palace
Visit the Royal Palace and enjoy watching the entertaining Royal Guards Ceremony which starts at 12:15pm on weekdays and 1:15pm on Sundays. It lasts about 40 minutes and takes place in the palace outer courtyard. Then go on to explore the beautiful baroque style grandeur of the palace. There are also three museums to visit including the Treasury with the regalia, the Tre Kronor Museum that portrays the palaces medieval history and Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities.
4. Vasa Musuem
The star of the show at the Vasa Maritime Museum is the spectacular 17th century warship. It is the only ship of this age that has been fully salvaged. Interestingly, the 64 gun ship sunk on its maiden voyage in 1628. I am not usually hugely into maritime history, but I can honestly say that I found this truly fascinating. The other exhibits are also interesting and include archaeological findings of both the ship and Sweden at this time.
5. Skansen Museum
Skansen is an open air museum on the island Djurgården. Basically, it’s a cross between a zoo and a recreation of Swedish life throughout the ages. Nearly all of the buildings at Skansen originally came from all over Sweden. There’s even a reconstruction of a 19th century Swedish village. In the main building’s there were staff dressed in period clothing who explained to us what life was like for the Swedish people of that era.
The zoo showcases Scandinavian animals including bears, wolves, horses, reindeer, moose, lynx and seals. As it was near the end of summer, there were lots of very active and adorable baby animals.
6. Fika
Take a break from your sightseeing by enjoying the Swedish tradition of fika, enjoying a coffee and some delicious Swedish baked treats. Stockholm has many great cafés and bakeries to get your much needed sugar boost. Cakes are usually served with a delicious side of vanilla sauce, similar to a light creamy custard, which they ladle out of a bowl.
7. Shopping at Norrmalm
Visit the modern, trendy shopping district of Norrmalm. Alongside the usual chain stores and high-end stores common in Europe, there are also lots of trendy Swedish labels which will allow you to buy something unique that you won’t find back home.
8. Hagaparken and Brunnsviken lake
Visit the shores of Brunnsviken, a 3.5 km long lake surrounded by beautiful parks that are part of Nationalstadsparken, the National City Park. The locals swim in the lake and you can also hire a boat. For those with time on their hands, you can easily spend an entire day here as the park stretches both sides of the lake.
9. Stockholm Archipelago
Stockholm is surrounded by thousands of islands known as the Stockholm Archipelago. Although some of them are uninhabited, many of them have holiday homes, and the larger islands also have pretty villages. When choosing your Achipelago cruise, try not to choose the shortest ones, as you don’t really leave Stockholm. Instead, try and put aside at least half a day (a full day if you can) and choose one that lands on an island, giving you a chance to explore. Visiting in the summer months provides long light hours, giving you more time to explore.
10. Take a day trip to Drottningholm Palace
Drottningholm Palace is the permanent residence of the royal family. Built in the 17th century, this is a World Heritage Site. The palace also features a beautiful park, a unique palace theatre and a Chinese Pavilion. You can get there either by boat or by public transport. There is a bus stop in front of the palace and to get from Stockholm you can either take two buses or a bus and a metro.
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Practical Tips for Visiting Stockholm
- Language: Swedish. Although most people we came across spoke some English, do try your hand at a few Swedish words:
- Yes = Ja (yah)
- No = Nej (nay)
- Please = Snälla (snell-la)
- Thank you = Tack (tock)
- Hello = Hej (hay)
- Currency: Swedish Krona
- Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
- Electricity: The electrical current is 220 volts, 50 Hz. Wall outlets generally take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in Sweden as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
- Public transport: Stockholm has excellent public transport including bus, metro and train.
- Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow this detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps. Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices. If you prefer a paper map, then Lonely Planet’s Stockholm Pocket Travel Guide comes with a helpful pull out map. At least it’s reliable and won’t run out of battery or malfunction like the electronic options!
- Money saving tips: Stockholm is a very expensive city, save money by packing your own snacks. If you are planning on staying in Stockholm for more than a few days, consider renting an apartment instead of a hotel room so that you have use of a kitchen to prepare your own food. In addition, if you are planning on seeing a lot of sights that charge entry, then consider purchasing the Stockholm card.
- Alcohol: Sweden has state run liquor stores called Systembolaget. These are the only retail stores allowed to sell alcohol and they have very limited opening times. They usually close around 6pm weekdays and around 2pm on Saturdays. They are always closed on Sundays and holidays. The alcohol sold in these stores have an alcohol limit of 3.5%.
- If you are lost or need help, don’t wait for someone to offer assistance. In Sweden, you need to ask for help. It’s not that Swedish people don’t care, it’s just that they really respect people’s privacy. Once you ask, they are more than willing to provide assistance.
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