Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It lies on more than 14 islands, which are connected by bridges, thanks to which the city received the nickname Venice of the North. Is it worth visiting Stockholm? What can you see and experience in this city? Stockholm is undoubtedly worth a visit!
Trip to Stockholm and accommodation
We went to Stockholm with my friend during the summer. There will be sunshine, we talked. Even the summer season did not save us from the Nordic rain. But we certainly appreciated a pleasant 20 degrees, which we consider the ideal temperature for sightseeing tour. We planned the program in advance so that we were prepared for both the rain and the sun, so we effectively used our plan to get to know the city.
We flew with wizz air, which I personally do not prefer, because it allows you to carry a bag or bigger bag aboard, but no cabin briefcase, unlike other low cost airlines. Besides, I never happened to fly their company on time.
However, I must say that the trip from pelikan.sk was really great. We did not have the hotel in the city center, but was not very far and we really liked it. We also had air tickets, accommodation and breakfast. Finding a separate accommodation in Stockholm seemed to us quite expensive, but for that you can save on cheap flights from the aforementioned company that regularly flies to Stockholm from Vienna.
We spent 4 days in Stockholm, including traveling. We arrived on Friday evening and on Monday evening we departed. Although it may seem that four days are not enough, in my opinion it was an ideal length, we saw everything we wanted and if we stayed there even a day longer we would probably have a problem with inventing the program.
Transport
During the whole stay we moved only on foot or by metro. On the first day we bought one-off metro tickets to get to the hotel, but they were really disadvantageous for us. Two flags cost us 7 euros / person and we wanted to take the metro every day. The next day we did not make the same mistake and bought tickets for 3 days and fortunately we only came around 18 euros / person, which sincerely pleased me, because before I thought it would be much more money. And yet we travel on a low budget! Or at least we try. ?
What to do and see in Stockholm
1. Gamla Stan, Stockholm- visit the historic center
Gamla Stan is the name of the historic city center of Stockholm. It is characterized by its typical colorful houses, which are worth many photos. We were in the historical town road several times during our stay and each time we got to the main square with distinctive facades of houses, but apart from this square I can not mention any particular monument or place. The truth is that the most important place there is just that square. Everywhere you look to see the Swedish flag, whether on the windows of houses or in cafes. This gave the center a truly Nordic atmosphere.
2. Stockholm metro art
Who would say that metro stations can be used to create works of art. Well, the swedish really succeeded and today the stations are one of the most visited places in Stockholm. Learn more in the article- Stockholm-metro art-List of 8 metro stations.
3. Stockholm and history – visit the open-air museum
Would you like to know how Sweden lived in the past? So you’re in the right place. On one of Stockholm’s islands you will find a historic open-air museum. Although the price of admission is 19 euros / person, the open air museum is worth visiting. I just got there just before closing and wondered if I wanted to go there when most of the buildings were already closed and I could only view them from the outside, but with the high entrance fee. But in the next moment I threw such thoughts behind me and reminded myself that I had the open-air museum on my TO-DO IN STOCKHOLM list. So I bought tickets two minutes before closing the entrance gate and went for a tour.
I certainly did not regret my decision, because in the open air museum it breathed through history. Everywhere around were historic dwellings, windmills, red houses (like those found in beautiful illustrative photographs from the north and we put them on the background of our laptops). In addition, there was a zoo with Nordic animals. Although I personally am not a big advocate of zoos, I was pleased to see, for example, an elk, but seeing it in nature would be a real experience. In any case, the open-air museum is definitely a good place for a trip with children and I recommend visiting it.
Boating through Stockholm
The fastest way to see the city? Well, of course, first of all he has to walk. However, it may also take you a week to cross the entire city. We decided to cruise around the city for about an hour. When I say the whole city I mean everything except the historical center. Yes, the fact that we did not see the center of the boat was a shame, but as we watched, so the other boats did not go there. So I think we have chosen the best option. There we got a map with monuments and on the way we learned many interesting facts about various buildings, neighborhoods, or the city in general.
I personally liked the gardens with tiny romantic houses, which are a popular attraction today. Not to be cruising on this boat, not only do I not see the gardens, but I would not even find out that there is such a thing. Sometimes it is really good to have a comment on the monuments and in this case we really appreciated it.
4. The Stockholm View
From the HillWe knew from the beginning that we wanted to see Stockholm from a lookout tower. But since there is no Eiffel Tower in Stockholm, we went to the opposite hill (Fig. 3), from where we could enjoy a really beautiful view. Although the road to him was a bit misleading, we were helped by a very nice and helpful Swede, because the Norths are known for their willingness and decent education, right?
5. As we happened to get into the countryside
Before we visited Stockholm, we knew in advance which metro stations we wanted to see. However, we had minor problems with Kungsträdgården. Fortunately, the problem immediately became a great experience and in addition to the city we saw something of Swedish nature. As the right tourists, we did not read the name of the station properly and by our own fault we got about 20 km north of Stockholm to a metro station with a similar toll. Only after getting off the subway did we come to terms with the reality that Kungsträdgården was not eaten and we found ourselves at a lake. In any case, we thought that when we were at the lake, we would take a short walk and relax for a while from the city. This idea proved to be great. In case you want to stop at a lake, you know that only a few subway stops are enough. : D
Way home
As I mentioned, the airline with whom we had the privilege of flying on our dream trip tends to be quite late (even though aircraft delays usually have absolutely nothing to do with the company). Nor was the flight from Stockholm Skvansta Airport (a low-cost airport about 100 km from Stockholm) to Vienna International Airport an exception. Just at the airport we waited with over 2 hours extra. But you will. We have experienced severe turbulence on the plane caused by storms. In addition, there was one little child who did not blink his eyes all the way, almost crying for the whole eternity, and so the tired sleeper was not given the desired sleep. When we finally approached Vienna, the captain filed a report stating that we could not land due to bad weather.
Great. The last bus from Vienna Airport was halfway through the night and we already knew there was no chance of catching it. So we agreed to sleep at the airport, at least we had an experience, didn’t we? After 40 minutes of circling over Vienna, the captain decided to make an emergency landing in Bratislava. We were delighted, as we would have to go there anyway, but it was not the same for the other passengers. Well, this really interesting but difficult flight I really had to mention. : D
Visiting Stockholm was a truly unforgettable experience for me. It’s not like when I first visited Scandinavia. I can’t say that Stockholm would be the most beautiful city I’ve seen, no. But he had an incredible charm and I just hope that one day I can go back there.
