Stockholm: One of the most beautiful cities in the world
Written: Oct 18 '09 (Updated Oct 19 '09)
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Pros: Fantastic city layout. A very friendly and clean city!
Cons: Can be expensive.
The Bottom Line: A gorgeous city with world-class museums, attractions and sightseeing. The locals are friendly, chatty and speak English! Traveling during the off/shoulder season should find you many lower priced hotels/airfares.
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| reginafug's Full Review: Stockholm |
Before visiting Scandinavia, I had heard many wonderful things about Norway, Sweden, and Finland. When we visited Sweden, it was in the very early spring, during the first week of May. We were incredibly lucky, however, as we had six days of sunshine out of seven, and the temperatures were only in the low 50's... just perfect! That "one" off day, was very cold with snow and sleet, but by the afternoon the weather had warmed up.
More often than not, our vacations tend to be extensions to my husband's business trips, and our holiday to Sweden was no exception. My husband was working in Bergen, Norway for a couple of weeks, and I met him in Stockholm for a week of fun!
Getting There
American Airlines was my best option from Dallas/Chicago/London to Stockholm. The connections were pretty seamless and I arrived in the early morning. My only memories of that flight, funny enough, were of a dirty little old man who insisted on helping me reach the aisle from my window seat by putting his hands on my waist. Every time I got up from my window seat to go to the WC, I had to put up with his little paws on me! He had charmed every single female flight attendant, but he had annoyed me by mid-flight because he offered too much assistance, but I digress.
Getting to Stockholm from the US is fairly uncomplicated, but depending on your US departure city, it may require a changing planes a few times. From Europe it's a piece of cake!
Arlanda Airport/Taxi
Hubby was already waiting for me at the Arlanda airport. Clearing Immigration and Customs was fast, easy, and I obtained one more travel stamp on my passport, hooray! The airport is not too large, so it's easy to navigate. I was amazed how everyone spoke nearly perfect English, and also that our taxi driver was from Peru, and as were the majority of taxi drivers, he said. He took us to our Hotel Rival in Södermalm and he gave us many tips on how to get around the city.
An amazing city
The first striking feature about Stockholm is that there is water everywhere, and that's because Stockholm is an archipelago made up of 14 little island communities, all inter-connected by bridges and such. Another striking feature is that the city is very green, as there are green spaces everywhere; there is even a national park on the outskirts of the city! Lucky citizens!
The Old Town or Gamla Stan, oozes history, and of days when the ancients ruled. The new parts of the city are modern, and well, not as charming as the old parts, but not completely unpleasant. The Old Town is over 700 years old and just as there are many historical venues to enthrall you, the city is a "natural" and the locals seem to enjoy every moment of sunshine in their many parks and outdoor venues.
One week - Here's my suggestions, but by all means, are not exhaustive!
1. Museums: There is something like 60+ museums in the city, and one must choose carefully or one will end up feeling overwhelmed by the number of museums to see, and other things to do. The museums we visited appear to be the most popular ones, according to our travel guide, and while my list only scratches a tiny portion of the "must visit" list, we really enjoyed them and recommend them.
a) Stadsmuseet or Stockholm City Museum - Free Admission
This museum is where the visitor learns about Stockholm's history as times progressed from the middle ages, to the modern city that it is today. In addition to permanent exhibits, the museum hosts special exhibits. Admission is free, but guided tours are something like $12-15 (SEK 100), depending on the exchange rate. This museum is centrally located, and since we were staying in near the old city, we comfortably walked to most attractions.
b) The Museum Ships - Vasa Museet - Admission SEK 95 (about US$12)
Does the ocean fascinate you, do ships enthrall you? Then this museum will satisfy your curiosity, whether you are a seasoned sailor, or just enjoy all things maritime! This museum houses the The Vasa, the world's only surviving 17th-century ship and it is almost intact. The Vasa is one of the most visited attraction in Sweden. We found this museum fascinating and the Vasa ship is set up where the visitor can closely examine it without ever touching it!
Another exciting feature of this museum is the four other floating museum ships on display, outside on their own private dock. We saw an icebreaker launched in 1915, a 1903 light vessel, a 1944 rescue boat, and a 1966 torpedo boat. I remember being able to tour one of these boats, but I can't recall which one it was.
2. How about visiting someplace "royal"?
The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Swedish royals, and it is also located in the Old Town District (Gamla Stan); the palace is quite impressive with its 608 rooms. Guided tours are available, but the tours of the Palace interiors are limited to a few specific areas, and if there are special functions taking place, visitors are not allowed. Viewing of the Changing of the Guard does not require a ticket. The Changing of the Guard takes place every 40 minutes, from May to August; this event should not be missed!
3. Boat Tours
As mentioned before Stockholm is surrounded by water and a boat tour is a must to get a feel of the city as well as to enjoy the lovely sights of the Old Town, the many islands, and the many beautiful green areas Stockholm is blessed with.
The tour is fully guided in a few languages, and it's a pleasant way to see Stockholm when the weather is nice. This tour takes the visitors under 15 bridges and takes the guest through two locks that connect Baltic Sea with Lake Mälaren; it's pretty cool. The boat tours only last about two hours, so it's long enough to see the sights, but it doesn't take up a good chunk of your day!
4. Walking Tours
The Old Town (Gamla Stan) - is a Medieval city center and one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe. The narrow cobblestone streets wind through the Town and you'll appreciate the architecture and colorfully painted buildings. There are many shops selling all types of tourist junk, but there are a few interesting shops. There is no shortage of restaurants and cafes for every budget. The only drawback is that on weekends the place is packed, both with locals and tourists, but it has a nice and lively atmosphere! Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Museum are also in this area.
Many travel guide books outline suggested walking tours. In my opinion, walking or cycling is the best way to see Stockholm, but of course, there are always boat tours or canal tours for those times when your "doggies" are tired! Most hotels will give you a large, colorful map to figure out your daily itinerary.
5. Enjoying nature and Stockholm's "Green" spaces
As mentioned before, Stockholm is made up of 14 small islands. The island Djurgården is actually a protected National City park and it is one of those idyllic places that on a perfect day, one can spend the entire day enjoying nature.
For centuries Djurgården was the royal hunting grounds, and its bridle paths are now open to the public. We were told by the women at the hotel Reception that for nature lovers, this is perhaps the finest of all Stockholm islands. So, we found our way there, rented two bicycles, and had a fantastic day just riding around, had lunch in a café, and enjoyed the fabulous views of nature!
On the west side of Djurgården several museums are located, such as Skansen, Junibacken and the Vasa Museum, and there is also an amusement park, Grona Lund. These attractions are located at the west side, and easy to reach by bus and streetcar. But this was a separate visit.
6. Nightlife/outdoor bars/cafes
We found the nightlife in Stockholm to be vibrant, exciting, and if a person gets bored in their hotel room at night, it's because they were too lazy to come out for a good time.
Our little hotel, the Hotel Rival is located in Södermalm, and we hit a couple of really happening bars within a short walking distance from the hotel, and they were recommended by the women in the Reception. In this neighborhood, the nightlife is definitely trendy and young. Drinks are expensive, but if you're visiting Sweden, you already know that everything is expensive, so go out and have a great time!!
We also managed to visit many a quaint cafe, bar or pub, for a drink or two, coffee, and whatever. The city lends itself for relaxation, and we don't believe in grinding ourselves to the ground when visiting a new city, so Stockholm does suit our lifestyle, and we took it easy!
I think we shared the locals's philosophy for relaxation, which includes leisure strolls in beautiful parks, finding a bench to sit down and enjoy the sunshine, and always stopping somewhere for a drink. The bars and cafes appeared busy at all hours of the day!
7. Dining Out
There is no shortage of great restaurants in Stockholm and even the neighborhood pub has some outstanding food to offer. The sky is the limit on the type of cuisine you wish to enjoy, and the prices vary from outrageously expensive to somewhat reasonable, as there are many cafes and bistros. Ethnic bistros, such as Nepalese, Indian, and Thai, for example, seem to be very popular and are more reasonable that other type of cuisines.
8. Day side-trips - (for the short-term visitor)
There are a few charming little towns less than an hour train's ride from the city, and do not require a full day's tour. We visited Sigtuna, Sweden's oldest town dating back to 980 AD. The town has a medieval layout, a cluster of 12th and 13th century ruins, and ten runic monuments. Since the town is close to Stockholm, it gets very busy. For a little town, there are many quaint restaurants, a pretty lake, and shopping. During Christmas, we heard that there are two of the biggest Christmas markets, ever!
Uppsala is also less than an hour away by train or bus, and this is a fun little university town that while its population is very young, the town itself dates back to the Vikings era, boasts one of Europe's oldest library, as well as an ancient cathedral. Of course, as all of Sweden, the area is rich in green spaces. We rented bicycles and made our way around the town, found the ancient burial grounds, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch in a very quaint café. Uppsala is very popular with the day-trippers.
Overall Feelings about Stockholm
Stockholm is so clean ... like in Tokyo, we wondered where the local citizens disposed of their rubbish? Since we could never find garbage bins, we found ourselves carrying our garbage in a little bag until we could dispose of it in a proper place...it was funny, and we really appreciated the exceptionally clean conditions of the city.
I'm not saying that Stockholm is a perfect city, as there is no such thing, but Stockholm comes very close, for its cleanliness, beauty, history, and green spaces!! I wouldn't mind living there except for the fact that winters are brutal and the cost of living is high!
We found the locals to be friendly, chatty, and eager to learn about our whereabouts, especially when we said we were from Texas! Stockholm is definitely a very friendly and charming city.
While one week is hardly sufficient time to see all the major attractions, we really had a fantastically fun holiday in Stockholm. We walked practically everywhere we could, we enjoyed the many parks (we covered a lot of ground also by rental bicycle), and a couple of times we used the taxis, but whenever possible, we tried to be considerate to the environment (we emulated the locals!).
Stockholm has a reputation of being Europe's most expensive city, but if you travel during the off season (think cold winters) or on the shoulder season, as we did, you'll find many lower-priced hotels and airfares.
Sweden is a definite "must visit" country!
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Tusen Tak och Ha en bra dag!
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This is my contribution to Texas + Sweden write-off.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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