Stockholm, Sweden
a future gimlet traveler destination
Stockholm’s Old Town
We plan to spend at least 9 nights during our first visit to Scandinavia, divided up between Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. It will definitely be a late-spring or summer trip for the best weather and the longest (like super long) midsummer days. Flying between them takes about an hour non-stop, vs train at 5 hours +, or driving at 6 hours — which is why you won’t see a driving or train itinerary for this trip! There’s a chance that while we’re in Scandinavia, we’d also venture north to see the fjords in Norway and the uplands in Sweden, but that feels like a separate (much longer) trip once you factor in all the travel time. So, expect to find a separate itinerary (likely based out of Oslo, capital of Norway) in the future.
All of the hotels/sights/restaurants/bars/shops mentioned in the post below, and many others, are pinned in the city map at bottom, with links where applicable.
Exterior of the Bank Hotel
Hotels: Like most major cities, there are numerous viable options that align with our taste, but our top three (in no particular order) would be: Hotel Skeppsholmen, because of its sweet park-like waterside location (on a small island just over a walkable bridge from the Old Town) and its simple and bright Scandinavian design; Hotel At Six, which seems sexy and modern (with a buzzy-looking lobby bar and rooftop), though it may be a bit too large for us; and the Bank Hotel, a swanky boutique hotel housed in (yes) a former bank building with a posh restaurant and a couple of nice bars.
Public Art at Stadion Subway Station, Stockholm
Sights: We would first spend some time wandering around Stockholm’s picturesque Old Town (Gamla Stan), and exploring the various small islands that make up a portion of the city center. In keeping with our trend of touring various international opera houses and theatres, we would likely tour either or both of the Royal Dramatic Theatre and/or The Royal Opera House (the latter seems more spectacular by an edge). Drottningholm Palace is about a 10km boat ride from downtown Stockholm. Even though the royals still use part of the palace as their actual residence, you can tour much of the palace (including the intimate Palace Theatre inside) and its gardens. The Moderna Museet (Modern Art museum) has a pretty setting on Skeppsholmen Island across from the Old Town. And there’s the Vasa Museum, if you want to see an actual 17th century Swedish warship that sank in 1628 and was salvaged after 333 years on the sea floor. And I’d be remiss of course if I didn’t mention The Abba Museum. Stockholm’s subway system can be considered the worlds largest permanent art exhibition — made up of massive installations, sculptures, mosaics, reliefs and paintings by over 150 artists — installed between the 1950’s and today in stations across the system. Definitely looks very cool and worth a ride to see some of the more elaborate stations (tours are offered at off-peak hours). If we have enough time (and the weather is warm), we hope to get on a ferry or two and explore Stockholm’s Archipelago (which consists of anywhere between 14,000 and 30,000 small islands depending on whom you ask) that stretches out roughly 37 miles east of the city out into the Baltic Sea. Vaxholm is the gateway to the archipelago and ferries leave downtown often for the one hour ride. It’s easy to get from here to further-flung islands where you can hike, bike, or rent a small wood cabin for a relaxing overnight stay. Further south is the the larger summer-resort island of Gotland with its walled medieval city of Visby; flights are available regularly and it takes about 35 minutes from Stockholm (you could also take a train + ferry but that journey takes about 4 hours).
The dramatic main dining room of Operakalleren Restaurant
Restaurants: Here are only some of many that have caught our eye: Farang, a Southeast Asian restaurant with cool, dark decor, is located in what was once the old machine hall of the Stockholm Electric Company’s main generating plant; Svartengrens serves locally raised meat and produce in a crisp Danish/Scandi dining room with a small cocktail bar up front; Bar Central is another meaty restaurant with a bar, that supposedly serves the best wienerschnitzel (along with other Central-European food) in Stockholm; Luzette, a spacious, high-ceilinged, brasserie that’s good at any time of day, is located in the midst of busy Stockholm Central Station; Surfers is a very popular and well-regarded Chinese restaurant serving authentic small plates that recently moved to larger quarters in the ground floor of the Townhouse Nosh and Chow complex (see Bar section below); Restaurant Ag serves Swedish, American and Scottish beef, in a space with industrial decor on the 2nd floor of an old silver factory; Malarpaviljongen (try saying that three times fast), is set on a pier and floating pontoon in a lakeside park (only open in late spring and summer); it’s very gay-friendly, serves brunch, lunch and dinner, and hosts a variety of entertainment and live music shows throughout the season; Bonnies, the “coastal European” restaurant at The Bank Hotel, looks snazzy with Art Deco touches under a high, glass ceiling and seating on emerald velvet banquettes. And lastly, if you want to dine in old-school opulence, Operakallaren is located within the historic opera house in a lux, high-ceilinged room (original wood panelling decorated with gilded carvings and frescoes; massive chandeliers) and serves contemporary French food. Its Opera bar is adjacent, if you just want to stop by for a drink or a less formal meal.
Papillon Bar, The Bank Hotel
Bars: The four cute and cozy bars (Coco, Mono, Bernie’s and the Courtyard) one floor up in the Townhouse Nosh & Chow complex look like places we’d enjoy having a cocktail — and they’re all in the same building! Guldterassen (Gold Terrace), located on a terrace at the Royal Opera with views of Stockholm Castle and the Parliament building, looks lovely for a glass of rose in summer (seasonal). There are two cuties at The Bank Hotel: the swanky Papillon and the airy Le Hibou, a small rooftop boîte with a Parisian feel. The bars at snazzy Hotel At Six (both the lobby lounge and their rooftop) seem like a buzzing scene with quality cocktails, and Tak, a modern Japanese-Swedish Restaurant-bar-rooftop on the top levels of of a building adjacent to At Six has a cute indoor bar, a busy outdoor rooftop (maybe too busy for us!) and a great-looking dining room.
Food trucks at busy Hornstulls Flea Market
Shopping: There are a number of concept shops in Stockholm that feature an eclectic variety of Scandi home/fashion/kitchen design including Fablab, Grandpa and Designtorget (the last focuses specifically on ‘new’ Scandinavian designers). Svenskt Tenn is a fancier interior design store started in 1924 by an art teacher named Estrid Ericson, with 80% of its products of its own design, drawn from past and present. Very nice stuff, but not cheap. Hornstulls Marknad is a flea market held on every Saturday and Sunday from April through September in the Sodermalm neighborhood, which also has a bunch of popular food trucks on site for lunch. Nordiska Kompanen (NK) is the large upmarket department store in Stockholm.
Below is a city map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research, including those mentioned above. We may not visit all of them during our future trip, but all are at least of interest to us. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend. Map is best viewed on a computer, and pinned locations will include live links where applicable.
