Destination: Stockholm, Sweden
Dates: August 2022
Nights: 3 Nights
Accommodation: Clarion Collection Hotel Tapto
Highlights: Espresso House, Rooftop bars, Fika
Lowlights: Expensive 

Two Scandinavian countries in one month, we must be hooked! It was time to explore the home of Ikea, Abba, Swedish balls and Fika! This trip was business mixed with pleasure, so time was limited to explore, but we did our best! We stayed at the Clarion Collection Hotel Tapto which included lunch and dinner. That was a bonus! The hotel was in a quiet area and was two metro stops away from the T-Centralen (centre) and a 30-minute walk to the old town Gamla Stan.

Arlanda Express

From Arlanda airport to the hotel. We went with the Arlanda Express train which cost £46 for a return ticket. It takes 18 minutes nonstop to T-Centralen, then we caught the 14 to Stadion. Easy enough!

Stockholm Metro

After looking at how complicated Stockholm city bikes were, we went with the metro as there was a lot of ground to cover. Stockholm transportation is run by SL. This includes underground trains, trams, boats and buses. Don’t bother downloading the app! Simply go to a Metro station to get a SL access card and buy a travel card. We got the 72-hour travelcard to cover the days we were there.

Single ticket prices for transportation in Stockholm are as follow:

• Single ticket bought through the mobile app, ticket vending machine or SL employee: £3.11/39 SEK

The price for travelcards:

• 24-hour travelcard: £13/165 SEK
• 72-hour travelcard:  £26/330 SEK
• 7-day travelcard: £34/430 SEK
• 30-day travelcard: £78/970 SEK
• 90-day travelcard: £225/ 2810 SEK

Ikea

We couldn’t go to Sweden without visiting the biggest Ikea in Europe as instructed by the passport control guy when we arrived. Apparently, there was a free Ikea bus that took people from the city centre to Kungens Kurva IKEA södra, but discontinued after Covid. Luckily, we had our SL cards to get us there. It was only right we tried the meatballs to compare, and we can confirm they are consistent!

Gamla Stan

Take a stroll through the old town to see colourful and preserved buildings that predate back to the 17th and 18th century, winding cobblestoned streets and tight alleyways. Gamla Stan is one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe. Once known as the slums of Stockholm it is now jam packed with cafes, restaurant, museums, tourist shops, bars and pubs. Check out Marten Trotzigs Grand, the narrowest street in Stockholm.

The Viking Museum

We have been to a lot of Viking Musuems this year, so it’s only right we compare. The Viking Musuem is located Vasamuseet and costs £14 (179 SEK). The museum offers guided tours in Swedish and English, and the Viking ride takes you on an exciting adventure where you get to follow the Viking Harald on a journey through 10th century Europe. If you want to learn about all the Viking facts and myths, then I recommend seeing Alex the tour guide.

After learning that the Viking helmets with the horns didn’t really exists, we soaked up the sun with an ice cream outside on the free decking areas. This is what I loved about Oslo and now Stockholm, the free spaces to chill, picnic and relax.

Sunset in Skinnarviksberget

We headed to Skinnarviksberget, the hilltop spot with scenic city views. We wanted to catch the sunset and we weren’t alone. You can get some awesome snaps of the city if you walk up from Mariaberget, along Monteliusvägen and then grab the perfect spot at Skinnarviksberget. Be sure to check out the neighbourhood for a bite to eat and some drinks.

Skansen

Skansen is an open-air museum showing you Sweden through the ages. It cost £17/SEK 220 to enter and was only a 20 mins bus ride from Stadion. It’s a large park with a combination of Swedish history, a zoo and a farm. The staff dress in Swedish national costume and explain how people lived 100 years ago. It’s pretty similar to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. After the history lesson, you can check out the Nordic animals which was a great surprise as I have never seen a real Paddington bear before!

Ostermalms Saluhall

Explore the 1880s food hall with antique stalls selling produce, seafood & gourmet goods, plus several cafes.

Hornsbergs Strandpark

The waters in the central Stockholm wasn’t clean enough to swim. It was no Oslo! With the weather being so nice, we were on a hunt to find a place we could take a dip! Hornsbergs Strandpark was only 20 minutes away by Metro. Hornsbergs Strandpark is a relatively new park, located at Kungsholmen’s northern shore and used as a living room for all residents and visitors. The park is over 700 meters long where you can sunbathe, run, drink, eat and swim.

Viking Tour Guide

After meeting Alex from The Viking Museum, he invited us to come along to his own personal Viking tour guide to find out more about the history of the Old Town and the Viking age. The tour was 2 hours long and you end up in Sjätte Tunnan, the medieval restaurant where you can taste Mead (Viking beer) and the food is inspired by authentic medieval recipes and ingredients. Alex takes you around Gamla Stan giving you extended fun, interesting facts on how people of Scandinavia lived back then, the rune stones and sagas. Find him on Instagram @vikingwalkingtour

Stockholm Under Stjarnorna Rooftop Bar

What I love about Sweden is how everyone is so cool and casual. We went to Stockholm Under Stjarnorna rooftop bar on a Friday evening after a long day exploring and this place was fantastic for a few drinks with a panoramic view of the city. It had a great atmosphere and relax vibes.

Station Art

Stockholm subway is the world’s longest art exhibition. One hundred stations, each with unique art on its platform, walls or waiting area. If you want to see where they all are check out this website.

Things we missed:

We were only there for a short period of time and whilst we were able to see some attractions here is what we missed

• ABBA The Museum -220 SEK (£17.40) The Museum is a Swedish interactive exhibition about the pop band ABBA that opened in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2013. ABBA’s collected works are showcased in a contemporary, interactive setting at Djurgården, Stockholm. 
• Sky View Stockholm– 160SEK (£12) Glass gondola rides along the outside of the Ericsson Globe, the world’s largest spherical building.
• Birka- The Viking City 465 SEK (£40) Birka, on the island of Björkö in present-day Sweden, was an important Viking Age trading center which handled goods from Scandinavia as well as many parts of the European continent and the Orient.
• Swedish History Museum 150 SEK (£12)
• Nordiska Museet- 100 SEK (£8) Free on Wednesdays between 5-8pm. The Nordic Museum is dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the early modern period to the contemporary period.