Stockholm. A week therein.

Got a week’s holiday in Stockholm coming up soon. Just Mrs Merman and myself.

Your thoughts, recommendations and top-tips, please, on: what to do, what not to do, where to go, what to avoid, how best to do it…

TIA.

The Vasa ship, Royal palace, Skansen, ABBA museum if you’re into that.

Paradox museum is interesting, but i think you’d need kids in tow to enjoy it properly.

Fotografiska as well.

If the weathers good a boat trip around the archipelago would be fun. They have one or two on historic boats.

Ah, Stockholm. You’ll arrive and hate it, but by the end of the trip you will love it. (Göteborgs skämt, sorry).

Mert’s covered some of the highlights and Djurgården hols Vasa, Skansen and Abba. Budget a day for that at least and a lot of standing up, or break it into two and take it a bit more easy. Ferries run from Slussen to Gröna Lund and will drop you at the entrance to Skansen and Abba and only a short walk from Vasa. You can then hang out at the Viking Museum and have lunch/food at the Spirits museum.

Going on a tour of the islands and canals is quite fun and many leave from Slussen or Strandvägen (so basically in the middle of town). They are a bit touristy, but you learn a bit about the city and from a strange angle.

There are a lot of museums to visit, more than you could visit in a week. Subway is a good bet for getting around though and will go to about most places that are not the smaller islands. Don’t drive, parking will be a nightmare. If you are landing at Arlanda, just get the bus (Flygbussarna/Flix) or take any train from the station under the airport. Then just take the subway to where you are staying. If you are flying in to Västerås: Bus… Trains run often from Västerås, but you’ll need a taxi to get to the station from Hässlö (the airport).

If you drink, I know some places. Same with food. Drop me a PM if you are interested. Just be prepared for alcohol to be more expensive and unavailable outside of System Bolaget.

Boat trip around the archipelago is a great way to spent a few hours on a nice day as well as recover from the effects of midsummer celebrations or any other business expense fuelled celebrations (I couldn’t have afforded the drinks bill from my own pocket)

There are just so many islands to visit. They make great day trips

The Vasa ship is brilliant

Went for our 10th wedding anniversary

Some things we liked

Fasching jazz club for dinner and music

Glashuset Restaurant & Bar

Roof bar and Asian fusion restaurant by hotel at six

Restaurang Ferang for ‘elevated’ Thai food

Wasn’t that bothered by meatballs for the people which got recommended to us.

Have fun

Walking into the Vasa museum stopped me dead in my tracks, stunning and not to be missed

book a return trip on the Tallink Silja over to Helsinki and have a day over there exploring.  It’s an over night cruiseferry, very pleasant way to cross.  Board about 5pm, docks 9/10ish same on the return. Plenty of time to explore. The all you can eat (and drink) buffet on board is very good value.

Also a heads up about the Arland Express from the airport – its about £30pp each way.  Whereas the Flixbus is £5.

+1 for the archipelago.  Spent a few days on an island out there between days in the city.  Taking a ferry out and back  would be a great day out.

Another thing I did, was look online for an orienteering map* from a past event and walking a course. Tourist sights arrive randomly as you go around. Great fun and Gamla Stan in particular has some tricky route choices around very narrow streets.

*Livelox, World of O or possibly Routegadget

the vasa looks like a real life black pearl. its awesome.

Yep – Vasa … sh….t (quietly because kids were with us) – great city – great public transport – museums free on Sundays ( I think ) – buy a pass (transport and Museums) though still save.

If you want a couple of days out of the city, you can kayak the archipelago, or inland there are lots of fishing lakes, kayaking, or rail bikes / dressin which is fun, or hiking.

The island of Djurgarden (home to the ABBA museum and Vasamuseet). Hire some bikes at the tourist information just as you get across the bridge for 2 hours and stop at Rosendals Tradgard  Gardens for coffee and a bun (Fika). Riding a bike around takes about an hour, so there is plenty of time for coffee.

In addition to some great suggestions above, hire some bikes for the day – it’s a very easy city to cycle around. (Although unaccountably there is no city wide cycle hire scheme.) Bike is a great way to see Djurgarden island and you can ride out there to lunch at The Blockhusporten Cafe – way better than the ABBA Museum.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NW69HWTAhcCbQEbT6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

A restaurant with a great view for a sunset dinner is Gondolen, on top of the Katarina Elevator.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/3itmAKjg7dFyYCHy5?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

And finally if you see one of the small Fabrique bakery chain pop in for a coffee and cardamom bun, or wonderful lunch sandwich.

No chains for fika, always go for the independents! It’s not that I had a list of the best places to buy kanelbullar when I was working in town. No, not at all…

For getting around, you always have the option of taking one of the electric scooters. Yes, they are satan’s own playthings, but they are handy in town and the ability to leave them (somewhere respectful and tidy), walk for a bit and then find a couple more is very handy. Lime, Voi, Bolt, etc have apps and are easy enough to register with.

I think the opera is closed for renovations btw, so that would be off the suggestion list.

Dammit. Ok, could not let it lie…

Haga Bageri: Kungsholmen – Fleminggatan 107
Bullar & Bröd: Östermalm – Valhallavägen 65
Ett Bageri: Östermalm – Jungfrugatan 70
Ilcaffe: Kungsholmen – Bergsgatan 17

For lunch, try Reggev if you like hummus. Döbelsgatan 51 or on Söder at Ringvägen 145

Fotografiska also has a Shepherd Fairey exhibition on at the moment. I am going next week and, if it’s good I will let you know.

If you like whisky the Ardbeg Embassy is worth visiting, I think the food is good too from the reviews I read…

Ruby grill and Bistro is nice too.

If you get bored with Stockholm (?!) you could take a day trip to Uppsala- sort of Swedish Oxford/Cambridge town.

For Uppsala, trains run from Central Station to Uppsala Central about three times an hour and cost about 120kr one way per person. Choose Mälartåg and you should get a fast train (only four stops) and a chance to sit on the top deck and see a bit of the countryside.

Uppsala has a castle, a cathedral and some really nice botanic gardens. Ovandals is good for fika, Domtrappkällaren good for food with a nice tap room (Domkraft) right next door. And another down the road actually (Taps beer). Not sure you can walk to Gamla Uppsala and see the burial mounds, but about 100% sure a bus will go past it.

Can you guess Uppsala is my home town?

Can you guess Uppsala is my home town?

Cool. And V-Dala was my “nation” 🙂

But you both know that the West Coast is the best coast.

On the archipelago, if it’s your thing, hiring a kayak is a superb way to explore and there were islands with a hotels / hostels, restaurant or a shop.

I spent four or five days touring the area woth my other hlag in a double, it was 10 and a bit years ago but we loved it. Minimal tides or waves (apart from what the high speed passenger ferries leave).

Hire a bike. You can get around so easily.