Hej Hej Stockholm! – How to Do Stockholm in 3 Days (part 1)

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The train from Oslo to Stockholm takes about 6 hours plus. Lucky I bought some delicious bollens from Narvesen minimart with my leftover NOK coins so I’m well fed for the journey. I let M sit by the window again because I know he likes to see the view up close. Initially I thought that Norway and Sweden would look exactly the same, that I would not be able to tell the difference (especially because – they used to be one big country before splitting). But apparently – you CAN tell the difference. Sweden country side is somehow looks “scruffier” vs Norway. The houses color had more yellow to it, perhaps because of their flag color. And the most obvious indicator is the road signs. If in Norway the road signs are dominated with blue/white color, in Sweden they are in blue/yellow! During my itinerary planning, as usual I have to choose which places I want to visit. Stockholm stands out strongly. At least on the internet, the city looks vibrant but yet clean & organized. I’m really looking forward to visit Stockholm & allocate 3 days in Stockholm in the 2 weeks trip (which is proportionally quite long compared to other cities).

Arriving in Stockholm, I really want to hit the ground running. Why? BLUE SKY!!! Yes, after so many cloudy days in Norway – I really gain higher appreciation for good weather. After picking up my Stockholm Card and exchange my leftover 150 NOK to SEK, I left my rucksack at M’s hostel & split to meet up later. I hustle because I know I don’t have much time. There’s just soooo many things to do in Stockholm that 3 days would barely scratch the surface. But I already have itinerary in place to help maximizing my time there. For the first day, I will need to cover National Museum & doing the Royal Canal tour. All becomes free with my Stockholm Card.

As I was walking down to National Museum – I passed by the Royal Palace which is in this intersection & facing right besides the river (or is it the sea?). I can’t help but stood there for a little while and just taking it all in…. OMG, I’M IN SWEDEN… That’s so cool… The sky is blue, the cool breeze is gently caressing me, and the building architecture looks so pretty. Well, “pretty” is an understatement.

On my way to National Museum, I stopped by the Royal Canal Tour operator first to book my seat on the boat. For those who purchased the Stockholm Card, the first time usage of the card – is when your clock “starts”. Afterwards, I go straight to National Museum as I know I only have 1 hour before the museum closed. The museum guard pointed at my day backpack and told me to store it in the locker. However, the locker was not free and I’m not in the mood to pay just for 1 hour. So I just carry my backpack in my arms as if it’s a big woman purse & lay my jacket over it. They probably realized it but just let it slip anyway.

The National Museum is only 2 storeys high; which is a bit small compared to other museums I’ve visited before. They have some nice statues and paintings. I don’t know much about art, so I just toured and tried to admire it as much as possible. I was impressed by the dome though. I pretty much stayed there until they are closed.

Afterwards, I walked back to the pier to catch my Royal Canal Tour. This time, I can see thick dark cloud coming in the horizon *sigh*. It started to drizzle as we queue to enter the boat. I immediately chose to sit at the back of the boat, to get the 180 degree views. The boat itself basically cruised by Strandvagen, circled Djurgarden then ended at the pier back in front of Royal Palace, making a big loop circle. There’s an audio guide to accompany us in at least 6 languages (I forgot the exact numbers). It’s a good way to get a sense of the city.

After the boat tour, I just have a little bit of time to take a glimpse of Gamla Stan before I'm supposed to meet up with M. On my way back to our meeting point, from afar I can see something brewing in the sky. OMG, it's going to be an amazing sunset... But the thing is, it's on the other side from our meeting point. My cell battery is out, and 3 mins until the meeting time, I haven't seen him yet. Even though I know M will be pissed if I'm late - I decided to take a chance and literally RAN to the other pier. And my gut feel was right, it WAS a very beautiful sunset! Looks like aurora with the clouds pattern. It turned out to be the prettiest sunset on the trip. And I was right as well that M was not happy. Before he said anything, I showed him my dead cellphone and my picture and offer a copy of the picture as sign of peace. Even though, I don't really like giving away my pictures.

As it was summer, the sun actually was around until 8 pm or so. However, I was so surprised that the city “shuts down” around 6 pm. We have difficulties finding an open restaurant. We finally found a sushi joint still opens near the Drottninggatan area, right before the Sergels Torg. Yeah, I know – sushi in Sweden ha ha… Well, what can I say, with my dietary restrictions, I’m just happy to be fed. I like it how they greet us “Hej Hej”. I googled it up, and apparently they said it twice as courtesy. Well, if we say “bye bye” I think it make sense to say “hej hej”.

M helped to carry my bag (again, bless his heart)& find our way to my hotel. It’s called Omena hotel, which has this unique concept of “no reception, not manned” hotel. They basically gave you a pin code for the doors which will be active during your stay. Very strict check in/check out time. No luggage storage (hence I stored my bag at M’s hostel before). Read my review about the place HERE .

So, day 1 of Stockholm – so far so good. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring.

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Photos

The Uber Famous Crown Shot
THIS was the scene that launched the desire to go to Stockholm in the first place

Aurora-Like Sunset
Saw this very beautiful sunset against Stadthuset tower. Looks like aurora!

In Front of Royal Palace
Watch out for those bike lanes!

Comments

[Francis]

Stockholm Card
Hi Ms Ariyanti While you visited Stockholm, did you buy Stockholm Card ? is that worth it ? Thanks a lot for your help

[miss jalan jalan]

I think it's worth it because transportation and entry fees are expensive. To be more sure, suggest you to list down and calculate how much would it cost without the card.