Weekends are great for a short trip, and if you are lucky enough to have the Friday and maybe even the Thursday before off, it’s even better. So I started to look into destinations I didn’t really know, places where I hadn’t been before. So searching through different travel websites, the place that got stuck in my head was Stockholm. The flights were really cheap and heading north in January meant I’d get to experience some real snow.
Plus, if you Google pictures of Stockholm in winter, don’t they just make you want to go there even more?
So, let me take you to a city trip that I will never forget, to a country which I didn’t know much about beforehand.
The first thing I remember when I think of that weekend trip is arriving at the airport and looking for a bus to the city centre. There were some sings and (as a native German speaker) I read them and said “ah sure, it’s that way…”, so we went to that office to get our tickets. Then I wondered “wait, that wasn’t German, that was Swedish on the sign”. So if you can speak a little German, you will see loads of things that look really familiar.
Arriving into Stockholm made one thing clear – it’s just as beautiful in winter as you see in those Google pictures. It was snowing, it was cold, but that made it perfect. The architecture gives the city so much charm – the warm colors on the buildings, the way they are built – all this together makes it a lovely place to go to.
So what can you do in Stockholm during the day in the winter time? A lot! For example the Gamla Stan (old town) is worth walking around, with little alleys, pretty shops, and friendly people everywhere. It’s the best way to absorb the vibe of Stockholm, so just have a look around, have a warm drink somewhere and enjoy. When you are strolling around the city centre, make sure that you have a look at the Royal Palace, a really impressive building. Not that far away you will also find the City Hall – another impressive building (Stockholm has loads of them). With the three golden crowns on it, it looks very imposing, and features on many postcards (just like the beautiful skyline of Stockholm).
I would recommend taking one of the hop on hop off tours, as they probably give you the best overview of everything and then you can pick out the attractions that you are most interested in. We did this and discovered the photography museum. It’s not an actual stop on the tour, but as I am really interested in photography, we got off near by and just made our own way. The Fotografiska Museet is really impressive; it’s got different areas where different artists and photographers present their work. Photographers like Elliott Erwitt and Corinne Mercadier were on the exhibition when we went there, and the pictures were amazing. There were many more, but these two impressed me the most. And don’t worry, if you are not a photographer, it’s still really interesting to have a look. My friend was really amazed, too.
Here are some other tips and suggestions if you’re planning a weekend break to Stockholm:
The Vasa Museum
On its maiden voyage in 1628, the Vasa battleship sank, the voyage lasting approx. 20 minutes. 300 years later, the ship was raised and preserved and a museum built around it. The Vasa Museum is now one of Stockholm’s most visited tourist attractions and contains not only the ship itself, but also reconstructions of its cabins, and exhibitions about the building, sinking, salvaging and preservation of the ship.
The Skansen Open Air Museum
This gives you a great opportunity to see how Sweden once was. The Stockholm Zoo is also here, so if you have kids with you, make sure you head to this idyllic place.
Sky View – The Ericsson Globe 
One of Stockholm’s modern landmarks, the Ericsson Globe offers you the Sky View. From 130m above sea level you’re guaranteed a stunning view of the whole city. Don’t miss this!
Royal National City Park
Pack a picnic and head up to the royal national city park, lay back, enjoy the sun. Locals and tourists flock here so be prepared to hear a variety of languages. And if you venture into the park’s forests, you might even see some foxes or deer. Be prepared to get to know the real Swedish life!
Boat sightseeing
You’ll see lots of boats on the sea during the summer, so make sure you go on a boat trip (maybe even when it’s dark) and see the city from a different point of view. I love boat tours a lot, as they really make you feel that you are on holidays!
Sauna tours
If you think you can handle the cold, make sure you try out a sauna tour. This is something you should do if you are visiting during the winter. The sauna tour is a guided tour to a sauna on a small houseboat in the Baltic Sea. First, you enjoy the warmth of the sauna (up to 115 degrees), and when you think it’s too hot, go outside and jump into the sea (you can also just climb down some steps, which is a lot easier), but make sure that you dip down in the water even with your head. Trust me, it feels absolutely great! After the jump into the cold, you can hang outside the sauna and enjoy the view. But make sure that you get into the sauna quick so you can heat up and do the whole routine again.
How to get from the Arlanda airport to Stockholm city centre
Arlanda airport is about 45km from Stockholm city centre. The best two options for getting from the airport to the city centre are:
- The Arlanda express – The train takes you right into the city center, leaving every 15 minutes (most of the day) and takes 20 minutes.
- Flygbussarna Airport Coaches – You can also get a bus to the city centre, departing every 10-15 minutes and taking 35-40 minutes.
Where is everything?
To help you get your bearings, here’s a map of Stockholm with everywhere mentioned in this blog.
Click here to see a larger version of this map of Stockholm in a new tab.
Where to book weekend breaks to Stockholm
ClickandGo Holidays has a great range of cheap city breaks to Stockholm including Aer Lingus flight from Dublin and choice of central hotels.
Images from www.visitstockholm.com
