Sweden – Long Weekend in Stockholm

Since I am part Swedish, I have had a desire to go to  Sweden for the longest time. In early May one year, I had a project at work that was winding down, so I booked flights to Stockholm for a long weekend.

I arrived on a Friday morning, which left me almost three full days to explore. The first two days, I spent around Stockholm. On my final full day in Sweden, I took a day trip to the Stockholm Archipelago. I then flew out Monday morning.

Day 1 - Overnight Flight to Stockholm

Day 2 - Exploring Stockholm

• Gamla Stan
• Swedish lunch & coffee

Day 3 - Exploring Stockholm

• Morning run around Djurgården
• Vasa Museum
• Lunch as Östermalms Saluhall
• Fotografiska Museum
• Tasting Menu at Gastrologik

Day 4 - Day Trip to the Stockholm Archipelago 

• Exploring Sandhamn

Day 5 - Flight Back Home

• Nobis Hotel: A really nice, modern hotel that’s part of Starwood’s Design Hotel brand. Centrally located (right by Berzelii Park), it is a 15 minute from the train station and from Gamla Stan. Moderately priced.

DAY 2: EXPLORING STOCKHOLM

I arrived in Stockholm around 9 AM after an overnight flight from the U.S. Once passing through customs, I made my way to the airport train station and took the Arlanda Express downtown. It was only a 20 minute ride and was more cost effective than a taxi (~$40 roundtrip for youth - i.e. people under 26 or $67 for adults). 

I then walked 15 minutes from the central station to the hotel. I checked in and got settled before setting out to explore the city. 

Gamla Stan

I spent the morning wandering around Gamla Stan, which is the old part of the Stockholm. On my mini tour, I walked by The Royal Palace, Storkyrkan Church and Riddarholm Church. It was a beautiful area but also quite touristy.

Exploring Gamla Stan

Swedish lunch & coffee

After walking around for an hour or two I headed towards the Södermalm neighborhood, south of Gamal Stan, for lunch. I ate at a cafe, Kalf & Hansen. I didn’t understand the menu so I picked something at random, which turned out to be meatballs with potatoes and bread. I enjoyed my delicious lunch at one of their outdoor tables looking out at a park.

Following lunch I walked around the area and then stopped for an afternoon coffee, also known as fika, at Drop Coffee. I read while sipping on my coffee before heading back to the hotel to do a little work.

On the way back I happened upon Mariaberget, which had a beautiful panorama of the city.  

View of Gamla Stan from
Mariaberget

DAY 3: EXPLORING STOCKHOLM

Morning run around Djurgården

I started the day off with a 6 mile run around Djurgården, an island that is part of Stockholm. It was a beautiful run through the park. The island also has several museums, including the Vasa Museum, the Nordic Museum and Skansen, an open air museum and zoo.

Vasa Museum

After breakfast and a hot shower, I decided to head back to Djurgården to check out the Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet), which houses an intact 17th century ship that sank right outside of Stockholm in the 1600’s. Entry was ~$16. While it was cool to see the ship, I wasn’t impressed with the actual museum. 

Vasa Museum

Lunch at Östermalms Saluhall

Following the museum, I stopped by Östermalms Saluhall for lunch. It is a food hall that first opened in 1888. The hall has produce stands and cafes selling prepared food. I then stopped by Fabrique Bakery, to pick up a pastry for breakfast the next morning.

Note: The hall is closed on Sundays. 

Fotografiska Museum

After lunch I headed south of Gamla Stan to Fotografiska, a photography museum (~$17) that was an 30 minute walk away. The museum had a few really interesting exhibits and was worth stopping by. 

Note: Apparently the museum has a neat bar and stays open until 1 AM. 

Tasting Menu at Gastrologik

After the 30 minute walk back to the hotel, I decided to take it easy before my 7 PM dinner reservation at Gastrologik, a Michelin star, innovative Scandinavian restaurant. It was $200 for an 18 course 3.5 hour dinner. Although it was expensive, it was hands-down the best dinner I’ve ever had. I had reserved a spot at the community table. Either the chef or a waiter came out to explain every course, each of which was made with locally sourced ingredients.

After an amazing time and a full belly, I headed back to my hotel to go to sleep.   

Dinner at Gastrologik

DAY 4: DAY TRIP TO THE STOCKHOLM ARCHIPELAGO

Exploring Sandhamn

I woke up and took the Stromma Cinderella ferry (you can either buy tickets online or at the ticket stand) around 9:30 AM to the island of Sandhamn. It took around 2 hours to get there from Stockholm and was one of the islands that was farther out in the archipelago. However, it was a cute island with 90 permanent residents. 

Exploring Sandhamn

Despite the cold and overcast weather, I set out to explore the island. It had several beaches, restaurants and walking paths through the woods. Since it was cold I only wandered around for a few hours before catching the early afternoon ferry back.

Exhausted from my cold day of exploring, I warmed up at the hotel and then had an uneventful dinner a few blocks away.