Stockholm is a great long weekend destination. I was supposed to be going with my friend Sabrina but she is a superstar and couldn’t come at the last minute so Harry got the call up 🙂
Click here to see the vlog!
Flights
Despite the fact we flew with Ryanair, the flights were pretty expensive, (£300 return!), but likely because we booked flights just after Sweden relaxed its rules for travellers coming into the country. Flight time is roughly 2 hours each way – we flew back during Storm Eunice which was wasn’t ideal but landed safely in London after an hour of circling Stansted.
*IMPORTANT* there are 2 airports but you want to fly to ARN as it’s closer to the city centre.
Hotel
We stayed in a lovely hotel in a really nice and lively area of downtown Stockholm, Riddargatan, called Story Hotel. It costs SEK 1,626 (£125) per night including a basic breakfast.
Travel
You can get around pretty easily in Stockholm. The Arlanda Express will take you from the airport into the city centre in 15 mins. When you arrive, there are trams and electric scooters / bikes are popular for getting around.
Currency
1 Swedish Krona (SEK) = 0.078 GBP. We roughly worked prices out as 80p to 10 SEK for ease.
What we did…
There aren’t loads of landmarks or touristy locations in Stockholm. Mostly, we wondered around different neighbourhoods and ate / drank a lot!
—–
Gamla Stan
The old town island made up of pretty buildings and cute cobbled streets – it’s where Stockholm was founded in 1252.
—–
Djurgarden – Museum Island!
A little bit of an odd place – an island full of museums of all different types, from vikings, to spirits, to wrecks to ABBA! You have to pay entry for each so definitely figure out what you want to see before you go.
Vasa Museum
I would definitely recommend visiting the Vasa Museum, where you’ll see the best preserved 17th Century ship which sunk 1000m from Stockholm on its maiden voyage. It’s incredibly impressive and the museum is beautifully and simply done.
—–
Östermalms Saluhall
1880s food hall – lots of places selling fresh fish / other produce, plus plenty of cute restaurants and bars.
—–
MOOD Stockholm
The nicest shopping mall I’ve ever been in – beautifully done and full of boutiques / nice places to eat. An instagrammers dream!
—–
Sodermalm
Apparently this is the trendy island! We scooted around but I didn’t take photos.
—–
Food and drink…
Food is quite reasonably priced in Stockholm, but alcohol is expensive (we’re talking £8 for not even a full pint of beer).
—–
Agrikultur
We enjoyed a special evening at one Michelin star restaurant, Agrikultur. The restaurant is tiny (about 12 covers) and we were sat pretty much on the chefs table so could see everything going on. The menu is set and we chose the wine pairing too. All of the dishes were SO tasty and the chef came to serve each one and explain in detail. Reasonably priced in comparison to Michelin star restaurants in the UK. Would definitely book.
—–
Taverna Brillo
Very lively brasserie with many different areas – a couple of bars, formal dining, casual dining and a club! You could spend the whole night in here if you wanted to. Food was yummy although quite expensive for what we ordered!
—–
Lisa Elmqvist
In the Saluhall mentioned earlier! Wonderful, casual seafood restaurant – very popular but they accept walk-ins and we didn’t have to wait too long for a table. The hall has a nice atmosphere and the food was tasty!
—–
Ling Long
This was a very cool bar located on the ground floor of our hotel. Seemed to be popular with locals rather than tourists which is always a good sign. Delicious cocktails.
—–
Artur’s Kafe
Enjoyed the most delicious nut cake at this cafe near to Skansen. Super cute!
—–
Pom & Flora
Casual brunch spot in central Stockholm.
—–
AI Ramen
Popular Ramen bar not too far from central station so convenient if travelling to the airport. Tasty ramen in a relaxed restaurant.
—–
Bakeries
There are a ton of bakeries – find a good one to have Prinsesstarta (Swedish Princess Cake). Not sure what we thought of it (a lot of cream and green) but apparently it’s traditional!
—–
Kvarnen
Described as a beer hall but had more of a restaurant vibe. Still, it was a nice place to enjoy a few Swedish beers.
Other things to do…
– in warmer months, take a boat around the different islands
– lakeside sauna – Hellasgarden
– PangPang Brewery – about 30 mins away from the centre
– Fat Cat Brasserie – apparently very good
Overall, we had a lovely weekend. Not sure I’d rush back, but definitely glad we went 🙂
Travel with Shan 