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My trip to Stockholm was intended as a cool getaway from the August heat at home. My 7 night / 7.5 day visit was all I hoped for - a cool place to spend a week!
I thought I'd write this up before our online travel group meeting on October 12th, where I'll share my trip to Stockholm, along with other travelers sharing their recent destinations. Join us online to talk travel!
August during Kultur Festival
I was lucky to visit Stockholm during Kultur Festival. I thought it would just make the city crowded, and considered changing my dates. Instead, I leaned in and extended my stay by 1 night. I’m so glad that I did!
My hotel was full - though it was hard to tell from the breakfast room; the trams were full; but the city didn't feel chaotic or overcrowded. It was fun, each evening, to wander around the music venues, choosing from the variety of free, outdoor programs. There was something musical for everyone, and street food vans to grab a late night bite while you were listening.
Each night, I attended 1 or 2 events: an all girl rock concert; a Caribbean Fete by the very popular Kaliffa, who delighted the younger set; and an evening of the arias from popular operas! I loved the variety, with each performance fabulous in its own way!
What I did: all the expected first-time tourist things
• A 3 hour Archipelago Tour was a lovely way to spend my first evening. I was already delighted with Stockholm!
• The Hallwyl Museum - oh the lifestyles of the super-rich, this lovely mansion houses Wilhelmina von Hallwyl’s expensive collections.
• Skansen
Tip for crowds: I entered near Arturs Café, not the main entrance; I bought the (cheap) ticket to take the funicular up to the top, which put me up in the animal zone of the park, long before the school group and tourists arrived up there.
• Vasa Museum - despite the high praise for this museum, my expectations for myself were low; I was surprised by how much it captured my interest!
• City Hall Tour and went round and round, up and up, to the top of the Tower for the views.
• Nobel Museum - I paid for the 45 minute guided tour and enjoyed that, perhaps more than the exhibits.
• Drottningholm Palace - followed the excellent forum advice to take the ferry to the Palace and the bus back, with a stop at the café before I left.
• Gamla Stan historical walking tour that ended at the Palace, just in time for the changing of the Guards.
• Nordic Museum - you could spend multiple days; the website has suggestions for how to spend a few hours, a half day or a full day; I used the in-depth audio guide to visit the Top floor - "Nordic life" - then breezed through the other floors.
• Uppsala - this was a lovely day trip away from the big city, which started out with a proper Swedish Fika by the river with forum member Sandancisco. That was a perfect day already! After services ended, we toured the 2 lovely old churches, and watched as bicycle racers sped around the curves, again and again. We walked through the Botanic Garden and had a lovely outdoor lunch at their café.
Meeting friends in Uppsala was the perfect way to spend a day out of Stockholm!
Where I Stayed
I loved my stay in the art nouveau decorated Hotel (Best Western) Esplanade. It looks nothing like a Best Western in the US, I promise!
I paid for a few nights with Best Western points for a cozy little single on the side street, listening to the horse guards clip-clopping their way back to base; then splurged with my savings for a room with double French doors and a balcony facing the harbor, listening to the clang of the trams, watching the ferries taking tourists out sightseeing and the streams of bicycle taking commuters in to work.
You can read my commentary about the hotel in response to this forum question:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/stockholm-lodging-anyone-stayed-in-hotel-esplande
For my tastes, I was glad I had chosen the location along the esplanade, rather than a hotel in Gamla Stan.
Weather in August
I'm glad I didn't take stock in the early, rainy forecast. The weather was perfect, in the 70's, probably 20, or even 30 degrees cooler than home.
Preparation
I was feeling like I hadn't done enough, but once I got there, I realized I had actually made things quite easy for myself. Even in August, I bought most of my tickets the night before or even the morning of my visit. I bought my (refundable) ferry ticket to Drottningholm, in advance.
Transit apps I set up in advance:
○ SL app for Stockholm city transit
○ SJ app (which I didn't end up using) for a regional train to Uppsala
○ Arlanda Express app for a round trip ticket to/from Arlanda Airport
Transit and 7 Day Pass
• I bought the 7 day transit pass; I didn't do the math on the cost, I just knew I wanted it for flexibility.
• As I had read was advisable, I chose my hotel, in part, because it was steps from bus stops and tram stops, which I used extensively to tame distances and save time, sometimes criss-crossing town to reach places, just because it was so easy.
• The number 7 tram is crowded, but will drop you off steps from Skansen, Vasa, Nordic Museum and ABBA Museums.
Cash - I did not get any. I paid for nearly everything with Google Pay, except the hotel where I needed my physical card. Even when I bought a postcard, the museum told me that they preferred card and didn't even have cash to make much change.
Where I Ate
• Museum cafes - I ate lunch at nearly every museum café, for convenience, good value, and surprising quality. At city hall, I enjoyed their Swedish buffet option.
• I had dinner several evenings at the food trucks at Kultur Festival
• Svenskt Tenn - inside this colorful retail shop is an equally colorful little café, for a charming lunch, recommended by our forum friend, Sandancisco
• Prinsen - I've read mixed reviews; my dinner and evening was lovely, with beautifully prepared food. It wasn't an evening for the "party of 2" that I had hoped for, but the service was still very attentive for this solo diner.
• Grand Veranda - I prebooked a special dinner for their Smorgasbord and tried all sorts of herring and seafood. Solo diner though I was, they gave me a very nice table and stealthily attentive service, with my plates whisked away each time I went back to the buffet. It was a perfect treat!
SUMMARY
I love spending a week getting to know a city, and my week in Stockholm was a perfect introduction. Even better during Kultur Festival!
Stockholm was cool, and didn't feel chaotic or over-crowded in August, which made for an even greater contrast with my next 8 nights in Istanbul!!
Lovely report and I am glad the change of meeting topic spurred you to write it! I am even sorrier than you that your Prinsen dinner was a table for one.
