City break - Stockholm – part I

High prices of food and board, but mostly of dinks, are stereotypes we have about Sweden and they are usually a reason we decide to choose a different destination for our journey. Thus is why I wish to show with this article that you can experience Stockholm even with a thin wallet. But I’ll talk about that as part of the practical tips, first I have to convince you why to come to Stockholm in the first place, to spend a day or two here.

 

Stockholm the amazing average of 87,5 m2 of green areas per inhabitant making it one of the greenest capitals in the world. No wonder it was announced the first European green capital in 2010. Keeping nature in mind, Stockholm is the first city in the world that had a national park within the city. It’s the 27 km2 of the king’s national park. The city quarter Hammarby Sjöstad became the model for sustainable city development. Even the airport of Arlanda became the first airport that received the ACI European environment award. The city has about 100 parks, and the archipelago, which is part of the city itself, has over 30.000 islands of the even tiniest size. The city centre stands of 14 islands, connected by 52 bridges and the entire municipality covers the area of 216 km2, 13% of which is made up of water. The city thus features 160 kilometres of coastline, which on its own could be enough to make us visit it – and I haven’t even begun to tell you about the city sights. 

 

Since we’re talking about a city break, I’ll be brief in descriptions of as many sights as possible, as this is the main focus of such a trip, to see as much in as little time as possible, and not to laze on evening strolls and lying on the beach. Most of the attractions are within the closer city centre, but still, just one day probably won’t be enough.

Gamla Stan is the pearl of Stockholm, as this is where the city was founded in the 13th century and there are many noteworthy buildings here, which date back to the 17th century. I suggest you walk around it and there’s no need to worry about getting lost  among narrow stone streets, as Gamla Stan is small and build in a circle. You can see the changing of the royal guars, rest in one of the squares and enjoy a homemade ice cream while soaking in the spirit of the city. To visit Gamla Stan get off at the metro station Gamla Stan.

Modern design and technology present to you the history of the Nobel prise. The visitors will learn a lot about Alfred Nobel himself, but also about the recipients of the prise and their revolutionary ideas. The museum is in the building of the former stock exchange in the old town near Stortorget. To visit the museum you also have to get off at the metro station at Gamla Stan.

The royal palace with its 600 rooms is among the biggest inhabited buildings in the world. It was built in the 18th century in the baroque style on the site of three crowns, which burned down in 1697. Visitors can see the representative state rooms, various museums, the royal armary and can even wear the clothing used in the past. Again, for your visit of the royal palace, you take the Gamala Stan metro station.

The tower of the town hall, with three crowns at the top, is one of the best landmarks for orientation within Stockholm. You can also climb it and enjoy the splendid view. The Town hall is still the administrative centre of the city, with hundreds of employees. Every year on December 10th they host the Nobel banquet here. When here, you simply must visit the golden chamber with a mosaic featuring no less than 18.500.000 golden plates. To visit the town hall you need to get off at the metro stop T-centralen or  Rådhuset and walk for a few minutes, or use the bus lines 3 or 62.

If you ever come to Stockholm the VASA museum is a must! The mighty ship VASA stands as a central piece, after being salvaged from the bottom of the sea, where it laid for 333 years. It was there since its maiden voyage in 1628. The VASA ship makes this museum the only one of its kind in the world. To visit the VASA museum you need to get off at the tram station Vasamuseet or use the Djurgården ferries. 

The museum was established already in 1891 making it the oldest open air museum in the world. Here you can see 150 models of houses and other buildings in their natural size, from all parts of Sweden – which gave the museum its nickname: Sweden in a nutshell. Most buildings represent the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. But Skasen is also a stage for traditional festivities, folklore performances and other events and celebrations. Visitors can get to know Sweden’s tradition, trade and folklore first hand on practical examples. They also offer many activities for children, especially animal lovers, as Skansen offers a home to moose, seals, bears, deer, fox and other northern animals, as well as many domestic animals and birds, that are so tame they’ll eat of the palm of your hand. To visit Skansen take the tram to the Skansen station or use the Djurgården ferries.

 

For art lovers, literature fans and music Stockholm is the perfect place for a city break, as the city is connected to the likes of Astrid Lindgren and ABBA and you can become part of it in the interactive galleries and museums.

The music, the clothes, the lyrics, the musicals and movies… all the material connected to ABBA is gathered in this museum that opened its doors in May 2013. It’s a modern interactive museum with an unending music background and is one of the few museums where you dance out off in the ABBA sounds. The museum is part of the Swedish hall of fame, where you’ll learn more about pop music in Sweden. To visit the museum take the tram to the Gröna Lund station or use the Djurgården ferries.

Junibacken is dedicated to Astrid Lindgren and her works, but also to other influential children’s authors. You’ll take a walk across the square of literary stories, where the famous book heroes live and a train waits for you to take you through Astrid’s stories to the final stop – the house of Pippi Longstockings. To visit the Junibackn take the tram to the Djurgårdsbron station or use the Djurgården ferries.

 

Apart from typical Stockholm attractions, there are also many art galleries and exhibitions such as:

And this is only where our exploration of Stockholm begins, but more about that in the second part in the next issue of Globetrotter.