Three full days in Sweeden

We were in Stockholm for about 5 days at the beginning of June. I loved it! Stockholm is a little more spread out than I thought it would be so, a lot of museums are only open from 10 am to 6 pm, and a lot of my sights/activities took up 3 or 4 hours. So we didn’t see everything on my list. I didn’t get the Stockholm pass since I figured it would about the same as if I bought the tickets for the stuff I wanted to see, some of the places weren’t on the pass, and I wanted to be flexible. There was an English couple that we talked to going out to Drottingholm Palace that did buy the card since they figured it was cheaper. Up to you. I did get a 2 day metro card which is good for the bus, T-bana, tram, and some harbor ferries. Which is convenient since you cannot pay on the bus.

I liked City Hall and going up in the Tower, the Vasa, and Skansen. I also liked the Swedish History Museum with it’s Viking and gold artifacts. Plus admission is free. We took the ferry out to Drottingholm Palace and Chinese Pavillion which was fun. I thought the Gamla Stan (Old Town) was a little too touristy for me. The archipelago cruise out to Sandhamn was not good, the ferry was packed! Sandhamn was a really nice really small town to spend a couple hours in. The ferry ride back was considerably less packed.

The canal tours also seem like a good thing to do.

Since we were on the RS tour, we had Hakan Franden as our local tour guide for Gamla Stan. He was very good. I think you can hire him for individual tours?

Didn’t really eat out much, since out hotel had breakfast and a light dinner buffets. Our one nice meal was at Pelikan and of course I had meatballs. Getting custom ice bars at Magnum at NK Department Store was also fun! The fun was that all the toppings were in Swedish so it was a little bit of a surprised of what I ended up with.

Since you only have 3 days, I assume you mean "We would like to visit Stockholm without rushing."

Rick's Snapshot Stockholm book (or his Scandinavia book, if you're going to other places in the region) is very good and covers not only the major attractions for a short visit, but also money saving tips. In addition to the Stockholm Card, there's the Destination Stockholm deal, which includes a hotel room and a similar (not identical) discount card. http://www.destination-stockholm.com/

One or the other is usually a good deal, but of course you have to do the math to see if it will save money for your itinerary. When I visited, I was struck by how many of the Stockholm Card holders were Swedes, who knew it was a good deal for visiting their capital. I was there in 2003 and used Stockholm a la Carte (the precursor to Destination Stockholm), and it worked out to about $100 per night for a single hotel room on Gamla Stan (the central island), attractions, and transportation - making Stockholm cheaper than allegedly more bargain destinations.

In addition to famous central sights like the Vasa, I particularly enjoyed the Millesgarden (not in the center, but easy to get to by bus).

If you only plan for three days, then using those days to thoroughly enjoy Stockholm is your best bet. However, you can get a taste of "non metropolitan" life by taking one of the archipelago cruises that leave from a couple of different locations around the city. You can choose an all day adventure that would include a lunch on the boat. Or, you can take a boat to Vaxholm in the archipelago. Have lunch there before returning back to Stockholm. If memory serves, the travel time to Vaxholm is about an hour--one way. The archipelago is stunning in its beauty.

Another vote for Millesgården to enjoy great sculptures in a calm setting. A fun diversion is Gröna Lund. Public transit is efficient. Study Rick's materials....very helpful.

Have any of you read the trilogy beginning with "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" by Stieg Larsson? If you have you might want to make sure you walk over to Sodermalm (Slussen is between Gamla Stan and Sodermalm for your bearings), which is very central. Watch the Swedish version of the movies if you have the opportunity...much better the the alternative English speaking versions. Sodermalm has much and your younger members, at least, might enjoy what Sodermalm has to offer, although I loved the island and I'm rarely the younger. Read about this in Lonely Planet or another guide book...or the Visit Stockholm website. Don't miss: http://www.visitstockholm.com/en/See--do/Attractions/monteliusvagen/ Monteliusvagen is a lovely walk looking back over several islands, including Gamla Stan. It is also a great place for a picnic. There is a city wide favored informal restaurant/storefront, Falafel, in Sodermalm, which is excellent as well as many others ( I just remember this one off hand). Sodermalm is comprised of real neighborhoods and I LOVED them. This city has much to offer and is now one of my favorite cities. Enjoy. Wray

Wray's comments about the books and Swedish film versions match my opinions. Very difficult to put the books down until the end.