A long weekend in Sweden: discovering Stockholm
Steep but stunning decorated subways, cute interior design stores, Ikea everywhere, delicious food—that's Stockholm.
06-09 May’ 22
Everything is so picture-perfect and picturesque in Stockholm: its parks, its super-cute bars and venues, its Scandinavian interior design.
Checklist: Before arriving in Stockholm
Download the application SL. You can buy the ticket before and enable it before getting on the train, bus or subway.
Bring something warm to wear (e.g., for the evenings).
If you are not used to the light carry a sleeping mask.
Do not bring cash but take your credit card with you (all places accept it).
Leave some empty space in your luggage for shopping (interior design items are so cuuuute—I couldn't resist buying some small pots and candles).
Day 1: Stockholm center and Gamla Stan (old town)
As soon as I reached the center, I couldn't help but notice how clean and safe this city is. Stockholm is the city of non-ostentation; you will notice how simple the architecture is. To give you an idea, the royal palace is scarcely decorated and is completely different from what you might expect in France, Italy or Austria.
Be ready to take steep endless escalators to reach the subway or some trains. I won't deny that the first time I didn't feel very comfortable, because they can be a bit dizzying, but you'll get used to it in no time.
Transportation in Stockholm is super efficient and is well-connected. To get to the center from the airport you can take the Arlanda express, a fast (and more expensive) train that takes about 20-30 minutes, or you can take the local train that, for a lower price, takes you to the center (it costs much less). Don't forget to download the SL app on your phone to buy train or streetcar tickets. For the subway or some trains you can also directly use Google or Apple Pay to pay (unlock your phone and enable it) and use it as if it were your own ticket.
We started our "day" with a dinner at Bastard Burgers (address: Brunkebergstorg 10, 111 51 Stockholm). The gluten-free burger was extra good. They also have vegan/vegetarian options.
We then opted for a self-guided Gamla Stan tour with an app called "Stockholm's Old Town: Troll Escape." The idea was nice but the story was not the best, however, we appreciated that the app led us to some nice hidden streets. I recommend trying a typical Swedish ice cream, there is a small ice cream shop in downtown Gamla Stan that even has gluten-free cones.
Day 2: Stockholm center, Subway, Södermalm
We started our day by visiting the Kungsträdgården subway station. This striking subway has an archaeological site inside; the subway is mostly decorated with red, white and black geometries. The stop is right under the King's Garden (super central location).
I recommend a visit to the Nationalmuseum, it is free and the building is very nice. After briefly visiting this museum, we stopped for some delicious Swedish gluten-free meatballs at a little restaurant near the various museums (probably the most touristy place in all of Stockholm). It is wonderful how easy it was in Stockholm to find something gluten-free, all the places are aware of celiac disease and have solutions suitable for celiacs.
After that we continued to Norrmalm to reach the district with all the stores.
No matter how long it has been since the last meal, it is always snack time in Stockholm. The snack is called "fika" and is probably my favorite Swedish thing. I love the idea of having an excuse to take a break and eat whenever I want. We stopped at a little place to try a Swedish coffee (their coffee looks like American coffee).
Once we arrived in Gamla Stan, we stopped at the main square to see and take some pictures of the very famous colorful little houses and then headed towards the more hipster neighborhood (Södermalm).
To reach Södermalm, we passed over a golden bridge called Slussbron (Guldbron). This bridge has a rather bizarre history as it was built in China and then transported as a giant piece directly to Stockholm.
Södermalm is very beautiful, with many fashionable stores and cozy cafes. In addition, you can easily reach one of the most beautiful viewpoints from here. Climb the hill and arrive at Skinnarviksberget for a true local experience. The best time (weather and cold permitting) is during sunset.
Day 3: Subway, Vasastaden, Östermalm, Djurgården (Skansen Park)
Tired from the previous day, we got up quite late, so we decided to prepare a brunch at home—what could be better?
After that we headed to Östermalm, an elegant residential neighborhood (and one of my favorite places). To reach Östermalm you can take the subway and get off at Stadion. This stop is wonderful; it is decorated with the rainbow colors.
From here you can get lost in the small stores and various venues of this district. We walked to the KTH University passing through the beautiful parks for some dogspotting.
If you are looking for a gluten-free kanelbulle (typical Swedish cinnamon roll), I recommend stopping by the vetekatten café. There you will be able to find a frozen one, unfortunately not one of the best (the appearance is different from the gluten ones) but at least you can say you have tasted it.
Since we still had almost half-day, we walked all the way to Skansen Park. Honestly, this museum is nice but if you don't have enough days you should skip it. More than a museum, it looks like a park/zoo in which you see replicas of typical Swedish houses and some animals (like reindeer and bears). Anyway, we arrived at the park when almost all the activities were closed, but if you go early enough you can attend workshops—I heard that the glass one is nice. Skansen could be a nice experience for children, as they also have a farm with some pigs and other animals. If time permits and you don't run out of budget (the ticket is a bit expensive), you can go and spend a few hours enjoying the park and the beautiful view.
I forgot! Don't be softened by the squirrels—we approached one to take a pic, and the squirrel, sadly used to getting food from visitors, started chasing us. We had to run away.
Day 4: Vasa Museum
On the last day we went to Vasa Museum (this is the must-visit museum in Stockholm). At first, I wasn't totally sold on going there, I was afraid it would be too touristy, but I was wrong. The enormous ship is impressive, you can't walk inside but you'll be able to see it from many levels. It's crazy to see how the ship is so well preserved. A nice touch of the museum, which I really appreciated, is the section about how women used to live on the ship.
Leaving Vasa, we skirted all the nearby parks and we walked to the city center for my last lunch before going home to Switzerland. We had a good lunch at Wagamama (they also have gluten free options).
Gift idea for Swedes or quasi-Swedes
If you are visiting a friend in Sweden, it might be a nice idea to make an "Ikea instructions" style card. In my case, I knew my friend loves plants and used to make things with needles, so I decided to buy her a nice plant, a macrame book and a small kit to make her first plant hanger. To craft the card, I took inspiration from some pictures on Ikea's website, then I drew everything with procreate (iPad app) and finally I used Figma to layout it.
