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Published: September 12th 2005
Getting there
A bird's eye view of the cityIts a red eye SAS flight to Stockholm on Saturday morning and I am just a wee bit nervous - with a record number of air disasters in the month I don't exactly want to get onto a plane. However, its a 2 hour uneventful flight over the north sea and its just past 10AM when we land at Arlanda airport at Stockholm. It is a bright sunny day and the Arlanda express gets us into town in under 20 minutes.
To get to the city from Arlanda there are a number of options. You can either take the Arlanda express which can be a tad expensive (2 single one way tickets on the weekend fare come for 200 SEK - on a workday day, a single one way ticket would cost you that much). You can also take a bus from Arlanda to T-Centralen in Stockholm (the train also takes you there) for around 89 SEK one way. For either option, you can pay either in cash or by card.
Our hotel (the Stockholm Sheraton - deals on Expedia.com) is literally a 5 minute walk from T-Centralen (which also has the local metro - the Tunelbana) and having
On the waterfront
The city by the water deposited our bags at the hotel, we head out for some food. We head back to T-Centralen and grab a quick snack at the McDonald's. We then pick up the Stockholm card. A 48-hour Stockholm card gets us free travel on all buses and Tunnelbana routes as well as free entry to all museums (all the important ones) plus two free boat rides. It also gives discounts on other sightseeing tours out of the main city. The 48 hour Stockholm card costs 390SEK each. There are also 24 hour and 72 hour options. The card is great value for money as entry into museums, the Royal Palace, the treasury, the city hall (including the guided tour) can be quite expensive and all this comes free on the Stockholm card.
Where to stay It is important to get a good location in Stockholm - preferably near T-Central as it gives easy access to transport, the City hall and Gamla Stan. While the Sheraton may not be able to offer cheap deals all year round there are plenty of youth hostels and cheaper options available. The tourist information centre at T-Central (from where you can pick up the Stockholm
Stadshuset
By the gardens of city hall card as well) helps tourists (in particular back-packers) with last minute hotel arrangements.
Travel in Stockholm As I have already mentioned earlier, the Stockholm card allows free travel on all buses and Tunnelbana routes. However, the card does not include travel on ferries. Between the Tunnelbana and the buses, we found the Tunnelbana a more efficient mode of transport owing to the predictability. Though buses allow you to get a great view of the city as you travel from point A to B, on weekends, buses are infrequent and crowded and you may have to wait for upto 30 minutes to get onto a bus. The Tunnelbanas are well located (look out for the T sign) and are very well done up - especially the one of the T-Centralen lines that has some wonderful mosaic work and Romanesque statues.
What to see Stockholm is made up of 24,000 islands and there are lots (and lots) of museums to see. There is also the Royal Palace and the forest island of Djurgarden. It is advisable that you plan your trip before hand as you can then prioritise and if you have extra time, see more places.
Djurgarden
The Nordic Museum THE CITY HALL/ STADSHUSET
Completed in 1923 at the cost of 80million SEK, the City Hall is the administrative hub for the city and this is where the 101 odd representatives of the city work from. The Blue Room (which is red in colour) of the building also serves as the banquet area for the Nobel recepients each year. Made completely out of red brick with impressive pillars and stairways, the City Hall is symbolic of Swedish design. If you are strong enough, do climb up to the top of the City Hall tower for a view of the city. City Hall offers regular guided tours in English, German, Chinese and Svenska. Note that you cannot enter the City Hall without a guide.
SKANSEN
Skansen open air museum, in the island of Djurgarden, has an amazing zoo (with the naughtiest bunch of lemurs, and other nordic animals). The zoo also breeds Koala bears. Its a great place to take your kids too (psst - its fun even if you are past 30). The place also features cultural and historic buildings from Sweden including a medieval township complete with people in costume and a medieval pub!
VASA MUSEET
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Djurgarden
Vasamuseet - the imposing Vasa years after it sank on its maiden voyage, the ship Vasa, was retrieved from under water and restored to near perfect conditioned and now stands tall and proud in the Vasa Museum (Djurgarden). The museum is interesting not only because of the ship but also because it is interactive and tells the visitor about the history behind the ship - why it was commissioned, why it sank and what happened after it sank. Pick up a model of the ship from the Museum shop from under 15SEK.
THE AQUARIA
Barely five minutes from Vasamuseet is the Aquatic museum complete with a rain forest and venomous frogs, piranhas and sharks. Again, if you have the time, do visit the place as it is close by and a tour takes under 30 minutes.
THE BOAT RIDES
Stockholm is a beautiful city where nature is a part of life. Its green and water is everywhere. Yatchs and boats dot the water front and therefore, do not leave the city without a boat ride. We took the two free ones that came along with our Stockholm card. The rides include a guided tour (audio) and tells us a lot about the history
On the waterfront
View from the Boat ride and evolution of the city of Stockholm. On a clear day, one can hope to see wonderful sights along the waters - old castles and mansions with history, garden and parkways, people generally getting about the day, but in the most salubrious of surroundings.
THE ROYAL PALACE/ GAMLA STAN
While the Royal family does not live in the Royal Palace in the Old City of Gamla Stan, it is still the working office of the Swedish Royal couple. If you visit Stockholm now, the Palace is holding an exhibition of Queen Astrid of Belgium who was also the Swedish Princess who died tragically in a car accident in 1935. However, the state rooms have been closed for refurbishment. Close to the Palace is Gustav III's artefact collection as well access to the Royal treasury - SKATTKAMMAREN (with the crown jewels). Entry feee to all three places is seperate but if you have the stockholm card then its all free. The Grand Cathedral with its imposing statue of St. George slaying the dragon is also near the Royal Museum. We were fortunate to be in the area on Sunday as we got to see a full ceremonial procession of the
Gamla Stan
Dinner at Jarntorgs Pumpen Swedish army.
Gamla Stan is quite literally, the Old City. Its cobbled pathways and narrow streets transports the visitor back to the medieval days. Its quite a busy area but not noisy.
Food is very interesting in Stockholm with Gamla Stan offering the most variety and also a quaint ambience. There is Mediterranean, French and Nordic cuisine to choose from. However, alcohol is VERY expensive (owing to a peculiar Swedish regulation), so do be careful on that front. I would recommend an Italian restaurant called JARNTORGS PUMPEN in Gamla Stan (www.jarntorgspumpen.com). Ask to be seated in the inside of the Restaurant in the far end. From the outside the place looks like any regular cafe - but as the first half of the restaurant was full up we were taken further inside and thats when a new world opened to us - the inner part of the restaurant has been coverted from an old cellar - it is made entirely of red brick and gives a medieval and warm feel to the place.
Another place worth trying out is Nilssonsrestaurang, which is right in the middle of Gamla Stan, in the square in front of the Nobel
Gamla Stan
View from the Royal Palace Museet. It is a smaller place that offers authentic Swedish cuisine. At the recommendation of my husband, try out the meatballs with baby potatoes and some Sviss Merang. Wash it down with some cool Swedish draft.
A little outside Gamla Stan, near the Opera House, is the Backfican. A trifle expensive, it has some great food on its menu.
If your pockets permit, you may want to shop at the many antique and crystal stores in Gamla Stan.
RIDDARHOLMSKYRKAN
The only medieval abbey in Stockholm, the Riddarholmskyrkan, built in the 1200s, is home to the most wonderful examples of Swedish carftsmanship depicted in the coffins used to bury the royalty.
What else
Though we ran out of time, you may want to catch up on the Nordic Museum (also in Djurgarden) and the Museum of Modern Art as well Gronalund - the amusement park in Stockholm. There is also a museum with an extensive Asian collection. Stockholm has a lot to offer but as I said you need to prioritise. It is also alright if you just want to sit in a cafe by the waterfront and watch life go by - that in
The Great Cathedral
When art and God get together itself is a pleasure. We would have also liked to spend some more time in Gamla Stan - see if you can do that. If nothing - catch an early breakfast or even a late dinner in the area. Don't venture out without a map.
It is beginning to get cold and wet in the city so go properly attired. There is a lot of walking involved so don't let the weather ruin your trip. If any of you have any questions about visiting the city just email me.
Cheers!
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Dimple
non-member comment
Cool. you should start writing for Lonely Planet :) I love the pic of 'Nemo'