2 days in Stockholm

Rick has his top sightseeing suggestions posted right on this web site:

Stockholm sightseeing << Click on At a Glance

I see he doesn't have an entry for Gamla Stan, the medieval section of town--though that's where the recommended Royal Armoury is located. I'd think a couple of hours walking around that area would be nice. Some of the streets are intensely touristy (it will be immediately obvious if a cruise ship is in port), but it's like Venice: Turn down a side street and it's peaceful.

For a good, quick, inexpensive lunch on Gamla Stan (open 7 AM to 2 PM on Monday-Friday only), I can recommend City Sallad at Skeppsbon 6. Google is flagging it as "temporarily closed", but I don't know what that's about. It was up and running in mid-June, and I don't see anything informative on the web site. City Sallad serves 2orkers in the area, some of whime stop in on the way to work to,pick up a salad for lunch. There are 9 options with a variety of proteins. There should be something for everyone. If there's no one at the counter, you just grab what you want and check yourself out on the terminal. All the salads are the same price and come with a beverage and a roll. I don't remember whether Enblish translations are posted at the little shop, but the online menu has them:

City Sallad menu

I think most general-interest tourists would appreciate the Vasa Museum and Skansen, which are probably the best-in-class of their type. The Vasa Museum can be crowded. I think Rick suggests looking at the line and making a decision about whether to return later. You could tentatively plan Vasa first, early in the morning, but detour to Skansen first if Vasa looks too busy. The Vasa Museum offers free tours in English. That will be worthwhile if the timing works for you. Ask at the information desk when you arrive.

The National Museum is a good museum of art and decorative art, if your family is interested in such things. I love Millesgarden, but it's outside the center and rather time-consuming to reach, so I wouldn't recommend it on a two-day visit unless you are true sculpture junkies.

Stockholm is a very beautiful city with lots of lovely architecture in a very nice, water-and-islans setting. Just walking from place to place is a treat. Individual city transit tickets are rather expensive, so it's worth trying to plot an efficient sightseeing route. There may be discounts for the kids, though. I don't know whether there's a well-priced daily ticket that would be worthwhile.

Where are you staying?

Here’s what I enjoyed the misty:
1) Wandering around Gamla Stan
2) Boat ride around the islands
3) Vasa Museum
4) Skansen

As has been mentioned, Stockholm is gorgeous! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

2 days is a very short visit to Stockholm, and it would be helpful to know a bit more about what you are interested in.

But I agree that the Vasa museum is a good place to visit, a very interesting museum about the Swedish Navy's biggest failure. (The moral of the story: Trust the people that know what they're doing.) Skansen can be a good option, it is a very nice outdoor museum showing off older buildings from all over Sweden and has a small zoo with a bit of Swedish wildlife.

Visiting the archipelago is not a bad idea, you might not have the time for a longer trip but a trip to Fjäderholmarna can be a good way to get a taste of it. Or just a trip on one of the regular ferries around the city.

Gamla stan should also not be missed. And to have a look at the Royal palace, and maybe try to catch the changing of the guards. Although it might take a bit too long to see the whole ceremony, watching the parade can be nice. Especially if you're in Stockholm a day when the parade is mounted. And the hills of Södermalm also offer great views of the city in some locations.

Citysallad on Skeppsbron is still open according to their website. If you're willing to spend a bit more on lunch, Slingerbulten on Stora Nygatan is a good place for lunch. They serve traditional Swedish food at a reasonable price. The lunch menu varies, but they usually have meatballs every day.

Hi,

Thank you very much for all of this information. We leave on 7/29 from San Francisco and arrive on the 30th. We are staying in an Airbnb apartment in Vasastan next to Odenplan. Thanks again for all of your help planning. We will have wifi there so if you think of anything else I will be able to check. Much appreciated!

Best,
Suzanne

You're lucky, the changing of the guards is mounted on the 31st.

Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you. Best, Suzanne

If you want to catch the parade but not necessary the ceremony on the 31st, they depart 11.35 from the old cavalry barracks at Lidingövägen 28 and ride along Sturegatan, Stureplan, Birger Jarlsgatan, Nybroplan, Hamngatan, Kungsträdgårdsgatan, Strömgatan, Gustav Adolfs torg and Norrbro to the palace, scheduled to arrive at the castle at 12.15.