We have a 22 hour layover on our flight from Milan to LAX, end of June. This is the last hooray for a 1 month trip. I'm guessing that we will be beat. Having said that, since we arrive around 13:00, with a return to a homebound plane at 11:45, it seem like we should maybe eat & sleep somewhere that is not just a convenient to airport kind of place.
Any suggestions on area?
Gamla Stan (the "old town") is lovely, but the main streets are all tourist Disneyland. For more of a local feel, I can recommend Sodermalm. I had a really nice stay last summer at Hellstens Malmgard, an 18th century mansion converted into a hotel (it's been converted into a lot of other things, too, over the past 200-odd years). Interesting building, very convenient to the Metro, and their breakfast spread is delicious.
You didn't ask about this, and maybe you know it already, but Arlanda airport is a long way outside Stockholm. You'll want to take the Arlanda Express to make the most of your limited time, and you can save a lot of money by buying your tickets in advance.
Thank you so much for the tips. I will definitely look in to the Arlanda high speed!
First, I assume you are flying into Arlanda. The airport is about a 45 minute taxi (or flygbuss ride) or 20 minutes on the Arlanda Express. I'd choose a hotel close to a subway (tunnelbana) stop withon a couple of stops of the T-Centralen.
I've never thought of Gamla Stan as "Disneyland", but it can be crowded with tourists in the summer. Still, it is the one place that I would be sure to walk around on a visit.
If the weather is nice you might want to take a boat ride. There are various sightseeing tours. One summer, some of my work colleagues and I took one of the dinner cruises and it was fun.
If you just want to enjoy a walk, there are lovely views from Monteliusvägen and Fjällgatan on Södermalm.
I'm assuming that you aren't going to be their over Midsommar (June 23 - 24). If you are, post back and I will give you different suggestions. Nearly everything shuts down over Midsommar.