Stockholm, Sweden
Heading to the beautiful Scandinavian country of Sweden? Here’s a list of things to do in Stockholm (that shouldn’t be missed):
1. Get Out on the Archipelago
The city of Stockholm is comprised of 14 islands and the city center is virtually surrounded by water. Seeing that I visited Sweden in the dead of winter, I was skeptical about whether a boat ride on the archipelago would be enjoyable. Sure, a boat ride (or heck, spending the entire day on a boat) in summer would definitely be warranted, but what about when there is snow on the ground? Well, rest assured, this first timer became even more smitten with the city after seeing it from the water.
Was it freezing outside? Oh, yes! With this in mind, we chose a short, 75 minute ride with the tour company Stromma. The small boat had reindeer pelts on the top deck for those who were willing to brave the elements (Do you really have to ask? Of course I was up there!) and sold piping hot glögg and Swedish pea soup inside the boat to warm us up.
Bonus: the harbor where the boats leave from is across the street from The Grand Hotel, an establishment whose hotel bar certainly lives up to it’s name. If you’re not traveling on a budget, grab a (very fancy) drink at the bar before or after your cruise.
2. Visit the Vasa Museum
While in Stockholm, be sure to head over to Djurgården Island to check out The Vasa Museum. I was told that the museum is a “must” – even for those who aren’t huge museum fans. Personally, I would consider myself a “museum light” type of gal. Basically, you’re not going to find me at a museum just because my guidebook tells me to go. I do enjoy them… just so long as they are focused on a topic that actually interests me. I wouldn’t have thought that 17th century Swedish maritime life would have been one of those topics, but I found the Vasa Museum fascinating!
In short, the Vasa was a huge 17th century ship that sank on its maiden voyage just out of Stockholm’s harbor, only 1,300 meters from shore. The ship was salvaged in the 1950’s and painstakingly reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle (and is more than 95% original wood). It’s not only the story of the Vasa that’s enthralling, but the museum exhibits are extremely well done.
3. Explore Gamla Stan
Gamla Stan, or Stockholm’s Old Town, is one of the best preserved medieval city centers in Europe and is a “must-explore” for any visitor. I spent a fair amount of my time in Stockholm wandering through the 13th century cobblestone alleyways, stumbling upon charming cafes and delicious restaurants. Make sure you find Stortorget, or Big Square, where you will find the iconic, often-photographed old merchants’ houses and head to the Royal Palace to watch the changing of the guards.
While in Stockholm, I chose to stay at the luxurious Victory Hotel in the heart of Gamla Stan. This historic hotel blew me away and is in itself a tourist attraction. The hotel is decorated with priceless maritime antiques curated by the hotel’s founder and parts of Stockholm’s original fortress wall was discovered during construction of the hotel’s restaurant. As impressed as I was with the rooms and elegant decor, the service was the cherry on top – port wine and chocolate was placed in my room nightly (complete with a personalized note), and the front desk attendants were cheerful and helpful.
4. Saunter Around Södermalm
Södermalm, just across the bridge from Gamla Stan, is another part of Stockholm you should definitely explore. One of my (awesome) readers suggested that I head to the swanky restaurant, Eriks Gondolen, for a drink and to experience the most magnificent city views. Per usual, she was right – the views (and drinks) were fantastic! The cocktails are not cheap, ringing in at $20+ USD a piece, but experiencing Erik’s should not be missed.
After Eriks, head to Södermalm’s bohemian SoFo district for shopping, galleries and dining options. We enjoyed our dinner at the hip restaurant, Nytorget 6. Everything we tasted was great, but I was particularly a fan of their unique fusion starters such as fried cheese (similar to my hometown favorite, Wisconsin fried cheese curds) and reindeer heart. Yes, you read that right – we ate reindeer heart. When in Scandinavia, do as the Scandinavians do, right?
5. Indulge in Swedish Delights
Okay, it’s a given (or at least it should be, in my opinion), that if you travel to Sweden, you’re going to indulge in the obligatory meal of Swedish meatballs with lingonberry. And, if you choose your meatballs carefully, I can assure you that they will not taste one bit “obligatory.” After careful research and consideration I chose to experience my inaugural Swedish meatballs at Gastabud. I chose Gastabud due to it’s close proximity to my hotel, reviews on Trip Advisor and it’s price point (Scandinavia is quite expensive, but this place was very reasonably priced given it’s prime location in Gamla Stan). Did I choose correctly? YES. I loved my Swedish meatballs so much that I ate meatballs once a day during my stay in Stockholm. And, although I didn’t return to Gastrabud because I was opposed to eating at the same restaurant twice while only in the city three days, I probably should have because none of the other (more expensive) restaurants that I tried had meatballs quite as tasty as theirs.
Aside from meatballs, make sure you sample some of the sweets and pastries that the Swedes are famous for. And, if you are lucky enough to visit Stockholm around Christmas (or right after the holidays, like I did), you MUST try glögg. Glögg is Swedish spiked mulled wine garnished with almonds and raisins and served with gingerbread. It’s delicious. And, addicting. (So much so, that I made some myself days after I returned to the States). If I had it my way, glögg would be the go-to worldwide all winter long.
Stockholm truly surprised me. I knew that I would enjoy the city, but I had no idea just how much I would love it. It’s one of the most beautiful large cities I’ve ever been to and I can’t imagine how picturesque it must be in summer!
Related Posts: Save Me, Scandinavia, 3 Day Norway Itinerary: Hitting the Highlights.
Have you visited Stockholm? What was your initial impression of the city?
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Although I was a guest of the Victory Hotel, my love for the beautiful historic hotel (and the hospitality I was shown) is all my own.
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March 22, 2015
Definitely a bucketlist destination!
xx Leesa & Kate
Travel inspiration? http://www.wanderlustchronicles.com.au
March 22, 2015
You won’t be disappointed!
March 24, 2015
I failed in the firts two, unfortunately – I had too little time to explore Stockholm, but I loved it! It´s a wonderful city. My favourite place besides Gamla Stan was Djurgarden and the City Hall with an excellent view (oh and I love views 🙂 ). I didn´t try the meatballs as I´m a vegetarian, but I happily substituted it with sweet pastry and cakes – Swedes are experts for these 🙂
March 24, 2015
I don’t think I made it to the city hall! I’ll have to put that on my list for next time!
March 25, 2015
Reindeer heart?! Whoa! Did you feel like Daenerys Targaryen eating the horses heart when she was Khaleesi? Or maybe it was a little less intense than that?
March 25, 2015
Ha! I could only wish I felt as cool as Daenerys! Can’t wait for GoT to come back on next month! 🙂
April 7, 2015
Great posts – Im from Stockholm and I think you found really good things to do here 🙂 I would recommend coming here in the summer though and experience all the outdoor cafes etc!
April 7, 2015
Thanks, Jessica! I would love to return in summer – I can’t imagine how lovely the city is!
September 5, 2015
Yes, summer is equally delightful as winter, but totally different. (I’ve done both!) And if you did not get to it this time, you must try princess cake (at a good princess cake place) next time!
September 14, 2015
I didn’t try any, Susan. 🙁 It’s on my list for next time!
April 8, 2015
This is great! I am headed to Denmark/Sweden next week! Love your stuff and can’t wait to see what’s next!
Nick
http://instagram.com/pachells
April 8, 2015
Thanks, Nick! Have a great time on your trip – you’ll love Stockholm!
April 9, 2015
Our first impression was cold, as we went in January. Nevertheless we liked the city very much. We went to the Royal opera – a beautiful building from 1892 and enjoyed that very much.
April 13, 2015
I also went in January, Natascha! Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the Royal Opera – I’ll have to put that on my list for next time.
April 18, 2015
Great that you loved Stockholm, it is a beautiful city! But I would recommend a visit to Gothenburg as well, and not only because of our friendly feud with the capital. 🙂 The people are friendly, the microbreweries are amazing and the archipelago is stunning during the summer months.
April 18, 2015
Thanks for the suggestion, Reine. I’ll have to add Gothenburg to my list the next time I visit Sweden (which is hopefully soon)!
July 8, 2015
Hi Karisa, Stockholm is indeed a gorgeous city! And these are great tips to do in the winter.
I was living in Stockholm for a good couple of years. Wasn’t too impressed by the food though, especially found the so much praised meatballs quite boring – compared to the flavors of similar food in Hungary or in the Balkans. But reindeer, yes! And fish, that’s big in Scandinavia.
Also, I didn’t know that the Gondolen was called now Erik’s – everybody knew it that time as Gondolen (means: Gondola).
One thing to do that I would recommend is something that you will not find in many guides: explore the Lake Malaren with its islands, which is on the “other side” of the city, not the sea side. Regular buses go from Brommaplan; if you have a day ticket, you can just hop on and off and see Drottningholm (the royal palace where the king and his wife actually live), wonderful countryside just outside the town, old houses, horses, beautiful views of the waters.
My old Stockholm blog should give some ideas: http://stockholm-by-gerak.blogspot.com
July 9, 2015
None of the meatballs I had compared to my meal the first night – I still enjoyed them though! Lake Malaren sounds lovely! Thanks for the tips. I will definitely check out your posts. 🙂
November 11, 2015
I’m definitely wanting to try some glogg right about now! Curious how you got around the city?
November 12, 2015
I would love some glogg as well! 🙂 Our hotel was extremely centrally located in Gamla Stan, so we were able to walk to most everything. If you visit in winter you’ll want to bring your snow boots though!
February 13, 2016
This post just popped up in my newsfeed and it was a delight to read! I lived in Stockholm for 2 years, and will eventually move back there again. This post made me a little homesick! It is a wonderful city, both in winter and summer (although it’s a shame you didn’t seem to have snow when you were there – it is magical in the snow). It is definitely a city that has a different personality in winter and summer, both are amazing in their different ways.
I really miss Swedish cakes. Right now I am craving semlor, prinsesstårta and kanelbullar. If you go again, you must try them all!
February 14, 2016
Thanks for the advice! We did get some snow on the last day we were there – gorgeous! I can’t wait to go back and try the cakes you recommend! 🙂
February 20, 2016
Enjoyed reading your post and added a few things to me ever ending to see list, lol I look forward to trying some meatballs as well as trying some Glögg. Sounds good.
February 21, 2016
Thanks, Samantha. The meatballs and glogg were DELICIOUS!
May 30, 2016
These are surely some unmissable activities. Thanks for sharing!
June 9, 2016
Thanks!
February 25, 2018
My name isNaseem and I am from Dubai. I am planning a 7 day trip to Norway and Sweden with family consisting of 2 teenager kids. Please advise, in which country I should spend more days? Please help me to allocate the days.
March 7, 2018
I think it depends what areas you want to see and what you are interested in. I would definitely recommend doing the Norway in a Nutshell Tour w/ at least a night a full dat/night in Bergen and at least a half day in Oslo. A few days in stockholm would round out a week trip and was fairly close to what I did. There’s a ton more I would love to see, but enjoyed the places I chose.
March 8, 2018
Stockholm certainly looks pretty. Next time we pass through ARN we’ll definitely have to check it out. Recently we ended a trip there and went up to Uppsala which we did enjoy. Here was our itinerary if you’re interested. https://www.marriedwithmaps.com/2018/03/one-day-uppsala-itinerary/
March 19, 2018
Haven’t been to uppsala but it looks great!