Three countries in northern Europe are hiding behind the name ” Scandinavia “. A few months ago, I added a spontaneous visit to Sweden and Denmark to Norway , which I ran by boat . I didn’t plan much, I only had accommodation booked and I went in the style of “I’m going and googlim.” Nevertheless, I returned with a lot of experiences and tips. Thanks to them, you will fully enjoy Sweden and Denmark, which have a reputation for more expensive destinations. In this article, I will tell you about Stockholm .
How to get to Stockholm
If you want, you can also go to Stockholm by bike, but the fastest way is to fly. There are 4 airports near the Swedish capital. The nearest, 9 km away Bromma, receives domestic flights. The main airport is Arlanda. It is 40 km from Stockholm and is used by most airlines.
Västerås also uses the low-cost ones for a few flights . Their main airport is Skavsta. It is called Stockholm, but in fact it is up to 100 km from the metropolis, near the city of Nyköping. I also flew here with Ryanair.
The ticket cost only € 9, which is not exceptional, as autumn is no longer the main season in Stockholm. If you want to go in the summer, look in advance . You can find out more about how to search for flights cheaply and cheaply in the article on finding cheap flights .
How to get from Skavsta Airport
By bus and train via Nyköping
The airport (the stop is called Skavsta Flygplat) is connected by public transport to the center of Nyköping. There is a bus there every hour, currently number 515. The ticket can be bought at the Pressbyrån store at the airport, via the app or the Sörmlandstrafiken website , and on the bus, where you can only pay by card. The destination of the line is 7 km away – railway and bus stations, from where there are also connections to Stockholm.
SJ trains run to Stockholm Central Train Station . You can buy tickets at the station, in the application and on the website. You will travel for about 1.5 hours.
Direct airport bus Flygbussarna
The shuttle bus connects Skavsta Airport with Stockholm Central and Norrköping and Linköping. You leave the terminal and there is a platform just around the corner, where you get on the bus and wake up in Stockholm in an hour and a half. It is quite cheap (199 SEK), compared to the journey by public transport only about 2 € more expensive and much more convenient. Tickets are bought at the box office at the airport, on the bus (only by credit card), in the application or on the website .
Flygbussarna adjusted the conditions through a pandemic. They are still very flexible. You do not buy tickets for a specific day and bus, but with a validity of 3 months, during which you can travel both directions. Unused tickets can be canceled (while valid). When buying via the web or application, it is even free of administration.
Bus departures from the airport are still adjusted to the actual arrival times, to which is added a reserve so that passengers can pass any tests and vaccinations. The timetable is regularly adjusted according to changes in the timetables that are still taking place. If the flight is canceled, the bus is automatically canceled.
Transport in Stockholm
I really enjoyed walking in Stockholm. The city is not so huge and its most attractive places are, with a few exceptions, quite a bunch. In the capital of Sweden, do not look for hygge, rather austere, even German. Thanks to it, everything works, including transport, for which you have endless possibilities. Classic taxis are also available, as well as shared transport services via applications such as Uber and Bolt.
Scooters
Scooters from Bolt , Lime , Voi , Bird , Tier and others are everywhere in the city . You will also find price information on the individual pages. I didn’t rent a scooter, because why would I go fast if I don’t know where I’m going. But it’s simple and it works like this:
- you download the application,
- create an account with a payment method
- you scan the QR code of the scooter you want to borrow,
- you ride
- you return to the place indicated in the application, where you confirm the return.
You can also rent a bike through the EU Bike application. That is, if the weather is right.
Public transport
Stockholm’s public transport consists of the metro, buses, trams and ferries. They cover the whole city, including the more distant islands from the center. Wherever they go, and at what times, you will search the site , just like in any other major city.
You can also get to single transport tickets very easily. In addition to vending machines and shops, you can also buy them by attaching a payment card to the reader and in the ” SL-Reseplanerare och biljetter” application , which is also used for trip planning.
Ferries are very popular in the city. Many places are also promoted by the Hop on & Hop off boat , which works similarly to a tourist bus. It runs its circuit, and when you buy a ticket, you can drive, get on and off at any stop all day. But there is also a public ferry to all places of this tourist ship or you can cross bridges there. Its only advantage is the audio guide on board.
Accommodation in Stockholm
I also wanted to live close to the center in the Swedish capital. It saves time, and when I go alone, I prefer to live in places where it lives more. I feel safer there than in the outskirts , especially when I go out in the dark.
I chose the Riddarholmen section. It is a small island in the center, which is part of Gamla Stan. Not to be missed is the church where several earlier Swedish monarchs were buried. From one part there is a beautiful panoramic view of the bay Riddarfjärden and the town hall in the background. There was also my hotel, more like a boat. I used to live on a boat, in a cabin with a view directly across the bay.
Accommodation at Mälardrottningen Yacht Hotel & Restaurant was original and excellent location and services. If you haven’t been on a ship yet, know that the cabins are quite small, you may have a claustrophobic feeling here.
In addition to Riddarholmen, I also considered accommodation right in the heart of Gamla Stan, the Old Town with all the sights and a bunch of places where you can eat or have a drink. And also Norrmalm, a modern and commercial area. Although it has fewer attractions, it is close to the main ones. In addition, it is a transport hub of the city with top shopping opportunities.
Whatever location you are considering, I recommend you book your accommodation as soon as possible (preferably one that offers free cancellation). I reckoned that when there was an off-season and a pandemic, there would be a lot of free and cheap rooms until the last minute, and I paid for it.
Food in Stockholm
What to taste in Stockholm
Before the trip, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Swedish food besides the famous meatballs. The country has a long coastline and forests, so its cuisine is dominated by fish and meat . Atypical reindeer meat is a favorite for us, part of the traditional Saami cuisine.
It is also common for everything he gives (and doesn’t) to load, preserve and ferment. For example, they are herring. Preserved and fermented herring, which calls Surströmming , is one of the most stinking dishes in the world . I didn’t dare, but I liked Gravad Lax, a loaded salmon with dill.
Swedes (and I) like cranberries in any form. They make jam from them, but they don’t just paint it on cakes. They have it with meatballs, steak, potatoes or mash. These are strange but tasty combinations.
Coffee and cake are also a very popular pair of flavors for Swedes. It is an important part of their culture. They also have a special name for her – Fika . It’s a coffee break, a claim they even have included in their employment contracts. They enjoy it everywhere – at home, in nature, in cafes. They drink strong filtered coffee, which is not such that real coffee makers fall on its ass, but it goes well with kanelbullar, Swedish cinnamon buns.
Where to eat in Stockholm
Sweden and Scandinavia are expensive, the sooner you come to terms with it, the easier it will be for you to breathe. But even here, there are a few ways to save and still enjoy.
Book your accommodation with kitchen and prepare your own meals. With the fridge in the room you have the opportunity to store at least something for breakfast. You can also run to the supermarket and make some sticky notes. It is not the pinnacle of the country’s gastronomy, but if you prefer non-culinary experiences, it will suffice. The most common and quite well-equipped supermarket is Coop .
Then there are shops like 7-Evelen and Pressbyran , which has a better choice. They have fast food, fruit, fresh and semi-finished sandwiches, drinks, sweet, coffee, cakes. Beware, there are few of them in Gamla Stan.
Unlike other metropolises, Stockholm is not even “infested” with pizza or kebab stalls. This is good news for the atmosphere of the city, a little worse for those who want to eat cheaply. Here and there you will find traditional Stockholm food trucks with varied and tasty food at an affordable price. If you want to know where they are parked, find their location on the map .
The good news is that you don’t even have to leave property for food in the restaurant. The “big” meal pays off most for lunch. In Sweden, they have a lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to the main meal, the menu also includes a drink, coffee or sweet.
Tips for cafes and restaurants in Stockholm
There aren’t many of them, as I ate in several places, but they didn’t impress me enough to recommend them.
- Café Fjällgatans Kaffestuga – here you can enjoy Fika even with a great view. Attention, it is open seasonally.
- Bun Meat Bun – an excellent bourgeoisie with several branches in the city.
- Meatballs for the People – has more than 10 types of Swedish specialty – meatballs. I did not have time to try it, but in addition to the official website of the city, several friends also recommended it to me.
What you should know about Stockholm
- Sweden is technologically very advanced. It has introduced applications to all aspects of life. Using apps and QR codes, you can buy a ticket for any transport, order in restaurants, rent a bicycle or scooter.
- There are toilet cubicles in the city, which you can easily unlock by attaching a payment card. They clean them quite regularly, they are in better condition than our public toilets. They are on every corner, especially in tourist places, so you don’t have to look for a cafe or a bush.
- Swedes are trying to eliminate cash from their lives . I was there for 3 days and I didn’t even see SEK. Make sure you have a working payment card, as you will not pay cash at all.
- Stockholm is under reconstruction, in some places until the end of 2022. Both the cathedral and the palace were covered with scaffolding, which disappointed me a bit. If you are going to the city because of them, wait for a visit. Slussen will be renovated perhaps even longer. It is a hilly neighborhood and elevators and stairs lead from the coast to its upper parts. But they are now closed and enclosed by scaffolding. It needs to be circumvented, and it’s not easy, as it seems to me that the closed routes of Google maps have not yet fully captured.
Scandinavia is a colder destination, suitable for late spring and summer , when it is warmest. The off-season, earlier spring and later autumn, is characterized by unpredictability of the weather. It is not so cold, it just spoils the showers. The big problem for me was the disgusting and cold wind, which was blowing especially near the water. It made him feel really cold in the shadows.
Rather than one thick jacket, I recommend that you layer your clothes, put something thinner on top, but not breathable and waterproof. You will need a hat and a thinner scarf. Don’t even bother with an umbrella, it will fly away. Better condition for quality raincoat. If you are going to walk around the rocky prospects, wear firmer shoes. When it’s wet, the rocks slip a lot.
Colors speak in favor of spring and autumn in Stockholm. There are trees everywhere and the city is magical when it is all green, and especially when the leaves are dressed in pastel. The advantage is the lower number of tourists, which in the summer is multiplied by cruise ships. The downside may be that some attractions aren’t running or running as often.
