Stockholm – Sweden

Hi everyone!

I thought I would share some blogs based off of my travels that I went on before I made my blog! Today’s is on Sweden and in particular, Stockholm. I went to Sweden a few years ago and have decided to share all my: top tips, recommendations, accommodation and experiences within this blog! I hope you like it!

I was only in Sweden for a week, but during the time that I spent in this beautiful country, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of attractions and interesting sights for tourists to see!

Arriving on a Saturday evening, my family and I immediately went and found our accommodation. We were staying in a house in the heart of Stockholm which was spaced across three floors, making it perfect to suit my family’s needs! The following morning we found ‘Espresso House’ café which was situated ideally from our accommodation (only five minutes away) and was extremely close to the centre of the city! We would usually eat some pastries, granola or muffins for breakfast each day and get some tap water or buy a few bottles of water. Espresso House also had amazing coffee (definitely the best café we could find that made coffee closest to our coffee preferences!)

We visited the ‘Vasa Museum’ which is a maritime museum in Stockholm where you can explore the world’s only preserved 17th century ship. The Vasa was a 64 gun warship and capsized and sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. However, today we are lucky enough to see the almost-intact ship ourselves in this remarkable museum, which I could not recommend more! This museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia, receiving well over one million visitors each year, making it incredibly difficult to buy tickets and a painfully slow experience when standing in the infinite queues that snake around the building. I would definitely recommend getting to the museum as soon as it opens!

Later in the afternoon we visited ‘Skansen’ Zoo in Stockholm. When Skansen opened at the end of the 19th century, initially the open-air museum only consisted of a few historical buildings, yet today has 150 historical houses on its site and remains one of Stockholm’s most popular tourist attractions. If you are a history fanatic like myself, then this is definitely a museum you should visit, as there is so much to do and see! All of the historical buildings which include: farms, workshops and stores are completely furnished typical to the time period and even the museum staff wear the quintessential clothing of the region. Since 1924, Skansen has had a zoological department featuring many exotic and rare animals and today more Scandinavian wildlife such as: wolves, brown bears and moose. There is also an aquarium too which is home to many tropical fish and other sea creatures and is as equally impressive as the animal department, although an additional separate fee and ticket is required for its entrance.

I could not recommend Skansen more! It is the perfect place to explore if you have young children and is suitable for families!

Next we visited the renowned Abba museum. The museum did not disappoint as it was packed with Abba’s collected work and included an interactive exhibition about the pop band. Additionally, there were many original costumes of the band member’s, as well as their own possessions! More importantly, there were plenty of opportunities for karaoke! This museum is a must-visit if you are a pop fan or if you are interested in learning more about the most famous Swedish band and arguably one of the best bands there has ever been.

The next day was spent outside of Stockholm (on the outskirts) where we met some friends who were staying there.

On Tuesday, we took the train and bus to Drottningholm Palace, one of Sweden’s largest and grandest palaces. The palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It was originally built in the 16th century and served as a regular summer residence of the Swedish royal court for a lot of the 18th century. Comparable to Versailles for its beauty and historical importance, exploring the palace grounds is unforgettable if you love History and want to get some amazing photos! This world heritage site did not fail to impress and my family and I even had lunch in the Drottningholm Palace café!

Later , we visited the Chinese Pavillon in the Drottningholm grounds, which I also recommend!

At the end of my week in Sweden, before we flew back to the UK, we went on the Royal Canal Tour of Sweden. It was extremely pleasant and is the best way to spend a day due to the great narration within the hour from the tour guides and the variety of sites that are covered! Fabulous views of Stockholm are boasted through the different perspective of being on the canal tour and the tours are guided in up to 11 different languages and have crayons and activities to keep children occupied on board. I would definitely recommend the canal tour if you want a relaxing but also interesting and educational hour in the city!

Those are all the places I visited during my short stay in Stockholm. I would love to know if anyone else has visited Sweden and if there were any other places they would recommend visiting in Stockholm.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! Please like, comment and share if you liked it!

Beth Lucy