Well hello to you my reader chums! Stockholm is one of those beautiful European cities which has been on my list for the longest time. After visiting Copenhagen, I knew I wanted to experience more of Scandinavia and its lifestyle.
When I landed in Stockholm, I knew I was going to love this city because wherever I looked it was incredibly stunning, the canals were a great spot to ponder, its nature scene was everything and I loved how spacious and sparse it felt.
If you're planning a trip to Stockholm or unsure what there is to see and do, here is my 3-day guide to the city.
Day 1: Getting to grips with the city and old town mooching
Get your bearings on the city
I always say the best thing to do in a new city is get your bearings, figure out where the central points are and how close it is to your accommodation. This is exactly what I did first after I checked in. I had a mooch about and headed towards the main hub of the city to see what it was all about.
Visit Gamla Stan
The old town is the most renowned part of Stockholm and is the central point of everything. It's probably the most touristy area of the city, but it's exceptionally attractive with its colourful buildings, cobbled walkways and tiny alleys. Gamla Stan is a hub for a variety of eateries, cool shops and quirky coffee shops, so there is always something to look at. Plus, it's right next to many of the top attractions of the city and is easy to get around.
Head to The Royal Palace
I'm obsessed with all types of palaces or castles that I didn't want to give the Royal Palace a miss in Stockholm. It's located right in the centre of Gamla Stan and costs around £13. I would say, I expected it to be larger for the price tag, however, it was gorgeous to walk around and I loved learning about the history of the palace and seeing all the important possessions.
Visit the Storkyrkan Cathedtral
If you've read any of my travel guides, you'd know how much I adore visiting cathedrals in new countries and cities. The Storkyrkan Cathedral cost about £3 and was super charming to roam around. I loved taking it all in and the interior has this old school look that many cathedrals hold. There's always something really peaceful about a cathedral.
Riddarholmen
This had to be one of my favourite parts of Stockholm overall. It's a tiny inlet attached to Gamla Stan and a gorgeous place for a little mooch. My favourite part was Evert Taubes Terrass, a public plaza which overlooked the Baltic Sea. On the day I was there, the sun was shining so my boyfriend and I sat, watching the calm sea and soaking up the sunshine.
Day 2: Museums and parks galore
Visit Djurgården Island
Known as the green island, it's also one of the biggest islands in Stockholm. There is so much to see on this island and I would recommend having a mooch around and taking your pick of which museums you'd like to visit as many are housed here. The island also has many parks and green areas if you fancy a nature walk.
Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum was the history lesson I didn't even know I needed and was super interesting. It's all about the Vasa, a Swedish warship which sunk in 1628 and how they managed to find it and restore it. The tickets are around £12 and worth every penny because you get to see the Vasa in person, there's a cinema there and a huge exhibit about its history.
Skansen Museum
For a different take on a museum, this is the one to pick. As it's an open-air museum, there is so much to see, showcasing the whole of Sweden with its houses and farmsteads, a zoo and a petting zoo for children. You can easily spend quite a few hours here exploring it all and eating at the food market in the middle. Tickets are around £13.
Kungsträdgården
I am obsessed with blossom trees and this park, located in the Norrmalm district features the iconic blossom trees of Stockholm. It's a huge park with many spots to sit and relax, there are cafes, a fountain area and much more. You could easily spend a few hours here relaxing with a picnic.
Day 3: Metro art, boat tour and exploring smaller islands
Metro station art exhibits
One thing I definitely wanted to do in Stockholm was the famous art exhibits on the metro line and I can safely say, they were incredible. Not every station has them but there are a few to note such as Stadion, T-Centralen, Solna Centrum, Tekniska Högskolan, Kungsträdgården, Akalla and Rådhuset. Stadion had to be my favourite with the colourful rainbow art across the walls.
Mooch around Soldermalm
Soldermalm is quite a large island in the southern part of Stockholm and is known to be an artsy area. I didn't explore much of it, but it was definitely the place to go for shopping as I saw many quirky shops and all the typical high street names. It had a slightly busier and business vibe to Gamla Stan.
Hornstull Marknad
I'm a big fan of a food market and flea market so the Hornstull Marknad was a great combination. It's located in Hornstull, which had a very residential and hipster vibe about the whole place, located to the left of Soldermalm. The flea market is open from April-September from 11am-5pm and features an array of food trucks and many flea market stalls.
Boat tour (under the bridges)
Stockholm is renowned for its many islands and that means a boat tour really is an essential thing to do whilst in the city. We chose the 'Under the Bridges' tour as it took us around all the bridges of Stockholm and was audio-guided, explaining all the history of the city. I adored the tour because it was a lovely experience seeing Stockholm from a boat's perspective and learning more about the city itself, plus we were blessed with good weather too.
Explore Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen
I cannot stress to you how much I adored these two little islands. They are located to the right of Gamla Stan and honestly don't have much on them but that was the beauty of the islands. They were incredibly peaceful and quiet with the Baltic Sea all around. It was the perfect place for a sunset walk, seeing the light reflect on the waters - and a great way to end my time in Stockholm.
Where to stay
Stockholm is a hub for hotels, apartments and hostels and there are so many places to choose to stay. I would advise staying as central as you can to the old town, or at least within walking distance. I stayed in
Hotel Birger Jarl which was located in the Ostermalm area, about a 20-minute walk from the old town. For me, it was the perfect location as I could reach all of the sights I wanted from there and if not, get the metro as well.
How to get around the city
Stockholm is a city which can easily be reached on foot. You can pretty much walk to all the main sights and mooch as much as you wish, depending on how you feel. As transport is so expensive, I would say it's better to walk, however, the metro is very useful for getting around and easy to navigate yourself. You can also hire bikes or electric scooters as that's how many of the locals get around.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Have you visited Stockholm?
Thank you for reading <3
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Thanks for sharing, your top things to do in Stockholm in 3 days, I have always wanted to visit, as is not that far from Denmark. There seems lots of places to visit including the Metro stations, as well as the tourist locations :)
ReplyDeleteNic | Nic's Adventures