One Perfect Day (or Weekend) in Stockholm
A guided tour for the capital city of Sweden.
If arriving to Stockholm by plane:
When you land, I’d recommend immediately connecting to the Stockholm airport WiFi and going to flygbussarna.se to buy a one-way ticket from Arlanda Airport to Stockholm C. You get a QR code directly to your phone. You can also buy a ticket at the bus stop, but it’s kind of a hassle and I think this is WAY easier because then you’re prepared. It’s 119kr for one way. Also don’t even think about paying for the Arlanda Express train. It’s expensive as shit and not that much faster.
To get to the right spot, walk through Sky City from terminal 5 (I assume this is where you’re arriving), admire the glass walls overlooking the tarmac, the wooden planks underfoot, the shiny Volvo on the pedestal, and walk through to the down ramp. This will spit you out in terminal 4. The flygbussarna stop is at 7 (the first door). It leaves every 20 minutes.
You’ll be dropped off at the bus station, which is connected by an underground escalator to the train station. Head there!
Once at Stockholm C via Flygbussarna or train:
Escalate down one more level where you'll find lockers and a bathroom. After the lockers, head to the subway up and to the left. You can head straight for the gates and tap to pay with your card. You’ll tap out when exiting at your destination.
Hotel? Never mind, continue on!
Ok, here’s where you should visit, in this (most efficient) order:
Quiche for fika at Robin Delselius.
1. Robin Delselius Bageri on Södermalm
Address: Renstiernas gata 19, 116 31 Stockholm
Take the 17, 18, or 19 line south to Medborgarplatsen. Walk directly east from the subway stop.
Here’s where you should eat a breakfast of quiche or a sourdough sandwich with a coffee and (required) kanelbulle on the side. They have the best goddamn cinnamon/cardamom rolls in Stockholm in my opinion.
2. Fotografiska Museet
Address: Stadsgårdshamnen 22, 116 45 Stockholm, Sweden
After you’ve eaten, head directly north on Renstiernas Gata until it ends with a stairway down to the highway below. This staircase leads directly to Fotografiska museet but may still be under construction; if so, head left toward Slussen to get down there.
Aross the highway you’ll arrive at Fotografiska. It opens at 10, and I’d recommend spending at least an hour here. There are at least 3 exhibitions at a time and they have a top floor cafe worth visiting for its views over the eastern archipelago. Don’t eat lunch here though—that’s coming up and is well worth the wait.
3. Mariaberget
Address: Monteliusvägen, 118 24 Stockholm, Sweden
For a sweeping view of Stockholm, walk straight out the door of Fotografiska along the waterfront until you hit “Slussen” where there will be a staircase/tunnel situation (they’ve been working on this area for 5+ years, so I honestly don’t know what state it’s in) that leads to the subway entrance and upper streets. Walk straight across the plaza in front of Slussen and tuck into a street called Bastugatan that veers slightly right. Beware, it’s an ankle breaker of a combination: giant cobblestones and a hill.
A few blocks up, past the sunshine-hued buildings and walking bridges, tuck left onto Monteliusvägen. It’s marked on the reference map if you get lost. The Mariaberget walkway begins at the end of the alley.
Gape at the architecture and archipelago for a bit as you stroll down the planked walk— the most stunning building, Stadshuset (featured at the top of this post!), in Stockholm is front and center from this view, as is Gamla Stan.
Once you’ve filled your cup with fresh air and views, head back the way you came to Slussen.
Cobblestones galore.
4. Gamla Stan!
Good news, you can walk to Old Town Stockholm from Slussen! Your feet may be tired at this point, but the goal is to work up an appetite.
Walk north across the bridge and you’ve arrived in the old part of the city. The island is small, but there is quite the complicated web of pedestrian-only alleyways. I’d recommend wandering a bit and then make sure you visit this gorgeous courtyard called Brända Tomten, see the Royal Palace, and walk by the Parliament (where Greta Thunberg hangs out on Friday’s) on your way out. This island is almost always mobbed with tourists, but you'll see why. Very picturesque.
Rosendals Trädgård
5. Djurgården/Rosendals Trädgård
Address: Rosendalsvägen 38, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden
Depending on which northern bridge you took, you can either walk up Vasagatan until Klarabergsgatan, where you'll turn right, walk a few blocks, and hop on the streetcar going east. There is a conductor on the streetcar who takes payment via contactless card. If you do this, hop off at the stop called Nordiska Museet/Vasamuseet. Alternatively, if you took the northeast bridge, you can just walk along Strandvägen on the waterfront until you hit the island Djurgården. It's a big one, so it won't look that island-ish.
Once you're on the island, walk along the gravel path on the northern side for a bit until you see signs for Rosendals Trädgård. This place is one of my favorites in all of Stockholm and where you'll eat lunch. In the first greenhouse, you'll find the cafe, where I would order their lunch of the day since it's usually the best deal, along with some coffee (because yum). Find a spot to cozy up and enjoy the atmosphere. Then, wander around the garden and visit the store/bakery on the way out. They usually have bread samples and are INCREDIBLE at baking.
At this point, you may be utterly exhausted and just want to turn in for the day. That’s ok! If you’re feeling invigorated still, here are all the rest of the places I recommend for finishing the perfect day, weekend, etc. in Stockholm (in no particular order):
Eastern Djurgården for bird watching (tons of herons!) and single track trails
The Vasa Museum for a fascinating story about a ship that sank in the harbor on its maiden voyage
Klättercentret Telefonplan for climbing— one of the coolest climbing gyms ever according to my boyfriend (bouldering only, you have to take a full on course for any rope climbing in Sweden)
Stadshuset on Kungsholmen for more great views
Stora Bageriet in Östermalm for lunch/pastries
Norrmalm neighborhood for nightlife
Knut restaurang on Regeringsgatan for exquisite north Sweden cuisine (go for dinner, and get the charcuterie!)
Café Pascal in Vasastan for fika/breakfast/lunch