48 HOURS IN STOCKHOLM

Abba hummed as we took the high-speed train into the centre. Fika, beer and Scandic design were aplenty. Travel between a few of the 14 islands was full of contrast: from the medieval old town, to trendy Södermalm. And yes, it was a slight strain on the wallet. Our body clocks also took a hit, due to the sun setting by mid-afternoon in December. Any excuse for a few extra coffee stops right?

Historic meets cool. Minimalism meets colourful traditions. Cinnamon rolls meet stomachs galore. Stockholm. It was full of surprises for us. Not only because of how much we could cover in 48 hours, but how much more there is on offer to explore, meaning a return trip is likely. Here is what we got up to in December 2017:

Day one: gamla stan, rolls, design & seasonal fun

walk around the city centre & old town> eat cinnamon rolls (repeat)> seasonal activities

As we were staying in the central commercial and cultural arts hub of Normmalm, we first walked to nearby Stadsbibliotek (Stockholm’s main public library) that is often listed as a top ‘alternative’ attraction. It has an amazing design that is Scandic down to an S, and it is warm- a bonus in December!

We then went to nearby Observatorielunden park for views over the city, and checked out a local craft market by the baroque Gustaf Vasa Church. This is a surprising piece of architecture in this modern concrete area.

From here we walked to our first Fika of the day at Cafe Saturnus. It sells bowls of coffee and the largest, most delicious cinnamon rolls. We both could have shared one but you know, when in Stockholm…

From here we headed towards Gamla Stan (old town), stopping to window shop at the wonderful interior design stores, and popping into the famous Östermalm’s Market Hall on the way. Due to a refit, a temporary building housed the market when we visited, but it still had plenty of Swedish and other food options.

We decided to go to the Christmas market in Gamla Stan situated in Stortorgret Square, but there is also a larger and well-reviewed market at the open-air museum Skansen. Check out planned opening dates each year.

We shuffled through admiring the different Swedish gifts and food on offer, mulled wine in hand, before heading to one of the many cosy pubs for a beer and warmth. We kept stopping for breaks to will our bodies to stay awake, as it became dark so early!

There is plenty to see around the medieval maze of Gamla Stan, from the Nobel Prize museum and shops, to Stockholm palace and Riddarholmen church.

• Note: The market was situated in the middle of Gamla Stan, so it was quite small and busy. I would not specifically visit Stockholm for this Christmas market, but cannot comment on the ones that are further from the centre. 

In the evening we went ice-skating in Kungsträdgården. Ice-skating was lots of festive fun, despite the traumatic ordeal of being extremely unsteady compared to the figure-skating locals. Plus it was cheap at 60kr/ hour(£5), although no-one seemed to be monitoring how long you were on there for. Maybe because like for us, an hour was enough!

• Add on– if you want to learn more about Stockholm’s history, take a walking tour.
• Note- A decent pair of shoes, and warm clothes are needed in winter! It had snowed the week before we arrived.
  In terms of expense, it is definitely one of the most expensive cities in Europe I have visited. Saying that, by walking everywhere, mainly doing free activities, utilising the youth discounts and avoiding cafes etc on the main tourist strips, it was doable. Alcohol can be costly due to the taxes on it. A beer was around £5.00.
• Tip- If you have a public transport pass it works on the boats that travel between the Old Town (Slussen), Djurgården and Skeppsholmen. You can easily cover ground this way.
• Alternative-In Summer, consider spending half a day (or more!) visiting the archipelago and one of its picturesque islands. Take a ferry to Fjäderholmarna (20 minutes from the centre) or Vaxholm (around 50 minutes away). You can catch this from Kungsträdgården without booking in advance.
• Eat-  Cafe Saturnus for cinnamon rolls and coffee. Östermalm’s Market Hall for lunch and snacks. We ate dinner at Bianchi Café & Cycles, for no particular reason other than struggling to find somewhere reasonably affordable after ice-skating. It was good. We both had a recommended traditional cod dish, but they also make pizzas and pasta. 
• Drink- We were done with walking so stuck to the area we were in, and headed to Hobo Hotel for drinks. Nice cocktails, music, a terrace and plant-filled interior are on offer. They also have food options, notably Tak- a Japanese/Nordic fusion restaurant.

day two: EUROPE’S ‘COOLEST’ neighbourhood, views & photography

fotografiska> södermalm> meatballs> viewpoint time

Stockholm’s metro design trumps the London underground. Each station has a different design making it a huge underground art gallery. What more motivation do you need to take public transport?

For this reason we brought a one-day pass to travel to the island of Södermalm. Specifically we wanted to check out the area ‘SoFo’; around Folkungagatan. Vogue recently named it the ‘coolest’ neighbourhood in Europe (Shoreditch step aside, with the underground). However it is not just the perfect stomping ground for ‘hipsters’. It is an expensive treasure trove of creative shops (such as eccentric Grandpa, photogenic Brandstationen, sweet shop Pärlans Konfektyr and vintage store Herr Judit), food spots, art, trendy bars and spot-on brunches (Urban Deli, Greasy Spoon, Drop Coffee).

Fotografiska is situated in this area. If you like photography it is worth a visit. It offers changing exhibitions by various famous photographers. There are also panoramic views upstairs at the highly-reviewed restaurant, or once done head up the steps opposite into the district past Fjällgatan viewpoint. We spent a couple of hours at Fotografiska before spending time wandering around the shops and neighbourhood, before heading back via Monteliusvagen for some final views over the city.

• Add on– consider spending half-a day exploring the Vasa Museum, modern art museum Moderna Museet or the Abba museum! 
• Note- We stuck to window shopping due to the prices. Fotografiska accepts student discount.
  Götgatsbacken and Hornsgatan are densely populated with shops and cafes. From these streets you can navigate around the many side streets.
• Tip- Consider renting a bike (Stockholm City Bikes have over 100 stations- a bit like Boris bikes!). Or use the metro if you are short on time, there are different day passes you can purchase but you need to buy a card to load for 20kr.
• Alternative-Spend more time checking out the museums, such as the open-air Skansen museum.
• Eat-  Along with the suggestions noted above, we ate lunch at Meatballs for the People. This was delicious! 

useful information

GETTING THERE- we had a hotel &  flight deal with british airways from heathrow. This worked out much cheaper than booking everything separately.
Ryanair, sas, easyjet and norwegian air also offer direct flights, just factor in what airport they fly into, as stockholm skavsta airport is two hours from the city centre.

GETTING AROUND- FROM CENTRAL ARLANDA AIRPORT YOU CAN TAKE THE ARLANDA EXPRESS TO THE CITY CENTRE IN 20 MINUTES. At time of travel a YOUTH TICKET (18-25 YRS) COST 300KR  RETURN, AN ADULT 540KR RETURN, THOUGH THEY OFTEN DO DEALS FOR TWO ADULTS.

CURRENCY- swedish kronor (kr/sek)

STAY- WE STAYED IN scandic 53. it offers a tasty buffet breakfast and different room options. see the gorgeous courtyard below.

useful links
visit stockholm, a useful & well designed tourism website: https://www.visitstockholm.com
Stockholm transport: https://sl.se/en/getting-around/
‘hidden’ sights: https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/stockholm-sweden
scandic hotels: https://www.scandichotels.com/hotels/sweden/stockholm/scandic-no-53

enjoy!

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