9 things to love about Stockholm

By Ronnie Forsberg & Patrique Lindahl 

1. Boats and ferries

Stockholm is a city on water and what else should be the natural thing to ride than a boat! You can ride commuter ferries with timetables, huge Baltic cruiseships, steamships to the archipelago, traditional sightseeingboats and much more. The most important is that you get on the water - you will experience Stockholm in a totally different way. The cheapest and most central boat is the small ferry to Djurgården from Slussen, which only costs a busride and takes you through the most central and beautiful parts of the city.

2. Outdoor cafés

Paris has its street cafés, so does Stockholm but also a lot of outdoor cafés situated in more relaxing surroundings, in small cottage like houses, on top of high hills or on the water! Order a coffee and a cinnamon roll and just breathe the fresh Stockholm air and relax. To name but a few, Mälarpaviljongen on Norr Mälarstrand, Lasse i Parken close to Hornstull on Södermalm, Fåfängan close to Danvikstull on Södermalm (excellent view of the Stockholm harbour), Vasaslätten in Hagaparken just north of the inner city...

3. Castles

Sweden is probably one of the countries in the world with most castles per capita and this is a fact that is obvious in Stockholm. The Major Castle is of course the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan where the king has his office. Tours will take you through magnificent rooms and salons including the famous Bernadotte apartment. Try also to see the smaller, more intimate castles like Rosendal on Djurgården and Kina Slott close to Drottningholm Castle (nowadays the Royal residence.)

4. Food halls

In Stockholm most of the specialty shops for food have disappeared due to the expanding supermarkets. But there are still three havens for food in a non-supermarket atmosphere.

Stuck together are cafés, restaurants, fishmongers, bakerys, meat shops, cheese shops etc.

The classic one is Östermalmshallen, the international one is Hötorgshallen and the modern one is Söderhallarna.

5. Lunch concept

The myth that Sweden is expensive still permeates, but nowadays it has become not cheap, but at least more price-worthy. One of best deals is the daily lunch offer in many of the citys restaurants. You will get a main dish, beverage, side salad (often a buffet), bread, coffee and sometimes a cake for around 70-80 SEK. This will recharge your batteries and get you going in the afternoon.

6. Design stores

Scandinavia is famous for its rather strict and clean design and where is the best place to see it or shop it if not in Stockholm. There are of course the expensive ones like Nordiska Galleriet, Svenskt Tenn and ROOM. But focus on the less expensive ones like Granit, Stockhome and Åhléns. Clever design to reasonable prices, and don´t forget Designtorget, a mish mash of different designers put together in one common showroom/shop! There are several locations for Granit, Stockhome, Åhléns and Designtorget.

7. SoHo

Even in Stockholm there is a SoHo (South of Hornsgatan betweeen Götgatan and Ringvägen), competing with neighbouring SoFo to be the most hip area on Södermalm. SoHo is more down to earth and more relaxed and mature. You will find excellent food, hotels, design shops, fashion and more. For example Rival Hotel is one of the hotspots with hotel, café, bar, cinema and bakery! Owned by former ABBA member Benny Andersson. Nitty Gritty, Brandstationen, Judits/Judits Herr, Paper Cut, A.P.C., Konditori Chic, Sjögräs Restaurant, Wigerdals Värld, Bric a Brac are other names to look out for in Stockholm SoHo.

8. Foreign food

Since Sweden is nowadays a nation of immigrants the food culture has rapidly changed. In every street corner there is kebab and sushi places. Thai and Indian cuisine is expanding all over the city,

Especially for dinner the foreign cuisines are often a better deal than the traditional Swedish food

Some areas good for foreign cuisine is central Södermalm for kebabs, Luntmakargatan area next to Sveavägen for Asian cuisine and Sibirien area for Indian cuisine

9. Public transport

The metro (tunnelbanan) is the core of the public transport in Stockholm, complemented with buses, trams and commuter trains. Transport is modern, rapid, frequent and runs all night on weekends. Tunnelbanan is also a place to watch art for free, almost every station has its own design by artists who contributed with work of arts or installations. Especially the blue line from Kungsträdgården out to Akalla and Hjulsta is recommended for art spotting. Get a daily or multiple day pass - it´s the best deal.

Ronnie Forsberg and Patrique Lindahl are both from Sweden.

Photo by Nicho Södling - Stockholm Visitors Board