Stockholm Itinerary - Winter 2015
Sometimes, you feel the need to travel not because of wanderlust. Sometimes, the whole reason you travel will be because of the absurdly cheap fare that you have come across as you obsessively track the ticket prices. That happened to us this Thanksgiving when I came across two $274 round-trip tickets from New York JFK to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. The irony of the situation was that despite being cheaper to get there than to Chicago, it ended up being quite an expensive five-day getaway.
The North Bridge Bay (Nybroviken).
They often say there is no bad time to travel to Scandinavia. That is true, but I could honestly say there is a cost-effective time to visit Stockholm, and it is not the end of November. With only 7 hours of daylight a day and generally cloudy weather, November in Stockholm requires some mental prep work and a warm sweater. Just be prepared, and you will have a great time!
Day 1
My arrival at Arlanda Airport in the mid-afternoon confirmed my previous assumption: this would be a gray and rainy vacation. Also right in our face was the fare of Arlanda Express, the express train to central Stockholm. At 280 SEK, or approximately $31 USD, it was a bit of a sticker shock. Our hotel, Scandic Upplandsgatan, is a stylish boutique hotel that offers tiny rooms but stylish and roomy recreational public space. It was the way to stay in Scandinavia. After check-in, we rode the metro to Gamla Stan, the old Stockholm. Gamla Stan is not just the medieval part of the city but also the institutional, cultural, and religious heart of Sweden. The cobbled lanes are seemingly straight from the fairytales and picture-perfect Scandinavian. Just off the main square was the Nobel Prize Museum, a place that tells the history of the Nobel Prize, a uniquely Swedish institution. It was certainly a little disappointing. But then again, I don’t know how interesting such a museum could be.
ABBA Museum is surprisingly fun and energetic!
When it came to grabbing a meal in Gamla Stan, among the recommendations in Rick Steve’s guidebook is Vapiano, an international Italian chain. This was when you knew you had entered a country with a less-than-stellar traditional food culture. There were plenty of better and more authentic restaurants in Gamla Stan. We just needed to seek them out during our short trip. As we wrapped up our late lunch at 3 pm, the darkness descended onto Stockholm. Thankfully, there were plenty of fantastic museums right at the heart of Gamla Stan. With our Stockholm Card (now discontinued) in hand, we headed the Nobel Museum and the Royal Treasury. Afterward, it was time to hit the most interesting museum in all of Scandinavia: the ABBA Museum!
Outdoor concert reenactment.
Reconstructed apartment of ABBA members.
Not well versed in Western pop culture, I must admit that I knew virtually nothing about the Swedish pop group before this museum visit. In all honesty, I read about this museum about knowing their music. It was definitely the most talked about tourist attraction in Stockholm. ABBA was arguably the most important Swedish culture export to the world. Housed in the basement of an otherwise nondescript industrial building, the ABBA Museum did not look like much from the outside. However, I could attest the exhibit was highly engaging, even to an ABBA novice like me. In addition to a full collection of ABBA memorabilia, there are plenty of interactive activities such as personal recording studio and dance sessions. It was a genuinely fun museum experience that was unexpected. We wrapped up our day with a quick dinner stop at K25 Food Court, a beautifully designed space with a wide variety of international cuisine. While delicious, we struggled with the sticker shock with my 120 SEK dumpling plate.
Day 2
Today is our first full day, and we are tackling the marquee sights of Stockholm. The first stop is a visit to Stockholm City Hall. In a typical Scandinavian fashion, the city’s skyline is not dominated by the cathedral but the town hall. This architectural dominance reflects Scandinavia’s emphasis on good governance and civic engagement. But what made Stockholm’s city hall a particular interest among tourists is the fact its main audience hall, known as Blue Hall, hosts the annual award banquet of the Nobel Prizes (except the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo). Amazingly, the hall could accommodate as many as 1,200 guests simultaneously. The association with Nobel aside, the city hall's architecture is impressive. The National Romantic style combines the austere modernism of the early 20th century and the stoicism of Nordic folklore allegory. It was such a majestic building, both inside and out, and the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan could hold its candle to this building.
The forecourt of Stockholm Town Hall.
The Stockholm City Council chamber.
After our guided tour and the gift shop visit, we headed west to Skansen, another top attraction of Stockholm. Just across the street from the ABBA Museum, Skansen is the world's oldest and largest open-air ethnographic museum. The cornerstone of Skansen includes a vast collection of reconstructed buildings from every part of Sweden. From farm buildings to schoolhouses, these reconstructed buildings allow us to experience rural Sweden's architecture and landscape in the center of Stockholm.
Even in the depths of winter, it was truly a delightful place to spend an afternoon. Our favorite was visiting the blacksmith shop and glass blower’s studio. It turned out to be a wonderful place for souvenir shopping. Unsurprisingly, everything about Skansen exudes the stereotypical Scandinavian elegance and coziness. After taking out ‘Fika’ at Restaurant Gubbhyllan, we explored the quirky Skansen Aquarium. For whatever reason, their gang of baboons was surprisingly mesmerizing.
Skansen in winter.
The sculpture Saint George and the Dragon in Storkyrkan.
After Skansen, we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Royal Stable. Much to our delight, our visit coincided with their annual Christmas market. This was our first Christmas market in Europe, and it did not disappoint. The vendors fanned out across the cavernous stable and provided a unique atmosphere. Aside from Christmas shopping, the market has plenty of food stalls selling all sorts of traditional Scandinavian desserts. We certainly wished we had planned more time and stocked up on Christmas decorations.
We visited the city's main cathedral, Storkyrkan, to cap the night off. The ‘mother church’ of the National Church of Sweden, the church is a great architectural gem. But the true highlight is Bernt Notke’s Gothic sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon. Made of elkhorn, the sculpture is undoubtedly a masterpiece. We noticed a concert scheduled for tonight when we walked by the tourist office yesterday. It was Handel’s Messiah and seemed a good way to spend an evening. Little did we know that the part of Messiah that we all know was only the last five minutes. We were mentally and physically exhausted when we reached that point. We wrapped up our day with dinner at Vapiano Kungsbron… sadly.
Day 3
Like any good tourist, our first visit is about to hit all the greatest hits. Among all the museums, the most popular and unique in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet). Like Skansen and the ABBA Museum, this museum is also located on Djurgården Island, just west of the central business district. Vasa Museum is dedicated to its namesake: Vasa. An early 17th-century warship for the Royal Swedish Navy, Vasa was the largest warship in the world at this time. Its scale and height were unparalleled, leading to her demise on the maiden voyage of a mere 1.4 kilometers. With massive festivity went with the launch, the top-heavy Vasa capsized on a calm day just off the Gamla Stan to the horror of onlookers.
Model of the Vasa as it appeared on its day of sinking.
Sweden at the center of Scandinavia.
After the navy salvaged the valuable cannon, the shipwreck lay on the bottom of the harbor and was forgotten for over 300 years. It was not until 1961 that she was rediscovered and salvaged. The unusual salinity quality of Stockholm Harbor inadvertently helped preserve the massive warship in pristine condition. Even fine details like King Gustav’s royal coat of arms are still perfectly intact. Honestly, I think this is perhaps one of the most enjoyable museums in Scandinavia. The museum is essentially a grand exhibition hall with all galleries facing the museum ship. The museum has a plethora of recovered artifacts and exhibits on life on board Vasa. Well, to be honest, there was no life since it only sailed less than an hour.
Just across from the Vasa Museum is the Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet), Scandinavia's largest general history museum. The museum covers various collections and exhibits ranging from Swedish decorative art and the indigenous Sami culture to the north and the nation’s green industry. The definite highlight of the collection is the oak statue of King Gustav Vasa by Carl Milles. This enormous seated statue sits at the main niche of the main hall and greets all visitors. The enigmatic colossus and its semi-realist modern style may be the most interesting representation of a historical figure I have ever seen.
Ship Vasa in Vasa Museum.
Massive sculpture of King Vasa in the grand hall of Nordic Museum.
Just across from the Nordic Museum is the aptly named Museum of Spirits (Spiritmuseum), which is dedicated to the history of drinking culture and liquor production in Sweden. It was not the kind of museum we typically visit, but having the Stockholm Card made it warrant a quick visit. While I am not a big drinker, I would not pass up on such an unusual museum. Like wine museums, there is an exhibit dedicated to scents, which is a lot of fun. But the pride and joy of the place seem to be its Absolut Art Collection, inspired by the famous Swedish liquor.
On the way to the Vodka Museum!
After the day of museums, we were off to a late lunch in Gamla Stan. I made a reservation at the historic Den Gyldene Freden. This is not only the oldest restaurant in Sweden but also holds the distinction as the ‘second oldest restaurant in the world to have the same surroundings”. It was surprisingly good for a well-known historical restaurant, and the ambiance was second to none. After dinner, we went on one of the most underrated tourist activities in the city: riding the Stockholm Metro. Not surprisingly, I had already made a list of stations to visit before the trip, and we were able to visit some of the most beautiful ones this evening.
Day 4
It was another gloomy day in Stockholm and our last full day. I was looking through the brochure of our Stockholm Card to determine the best value to recoup the pass cost. However, I have already had a destination in mind: Millesgården. But given its location on the city's outskirts, I spotted the conveniently located Hallwyl Museum, steps away from the Kungsträdgården tram stop. The museum was a gift to the Swedish state by Wilhelmina von Hallwyl. The condition of the gift was to preserve the house and all of its interior and arts. As a result, it is one of the most perfectly preserved house museums in Europe.
Poseidon, by Carl Milles (1930)
Millesgården is about half an hour away from the city center. After a subway and a short bus ride, it was a delightful walk through a residential neighborhood before arriving at the understated museum. Why Millesgården, you ask? This is the home and studio of the famous early 20th-century Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. I first knew Milles and his work when I was just a freshman at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One of my favorite sculptures on the campus is his charming Diana Fountain. Just half an hour away was the university’s park and conference center, which hosts an impressive replica of another of his famous works, Sun Singer. To say that I was excited about visiting Millesgården was a big understatement.
Hands of God is Milles' most iconic work.
The museum and garden overlook Stockholm and are a world away from the bustle of the city. As many of his sculptures are meant to be seen from below, they were mounted on high plinths, creating dazzling effects from afar. Among them all, the sculpture Hands of God was the most beautiful. Milles’s distinctive style is emblematic of Scandivania’s unique National Romanic style.
Upon return to the city center, we spent an hour or two at the Christmas market at Stortorget. Between shopping, we took our Fika at the venerable cafe Grillska Huset. Run by Stockholms Stadsmission, a charitable organization to help impoverished children, the quaint cafe is an excellent place to sample Swedish classics like kanelbullar and klassisk prinsesstårta. We felt so fortunate to have a full Swedish Christmas experience on this trip!
Tensta Metro Station.
T-Centralen Station on the Blue Line.
Today’s dinner was the one meal I was excited about. I made a reservation at Restaurang Kryp In in Gamla Stan. In all honesty, the reason we are here is that it is the restaurant that is featured in Rick Steve’s episode Stockholm episode. As silly as it sounds, we are excited to sit just across from the table that Rick and his crew sat at. Although it is not a famous restaurant, the food was excellent. The reindeer steak is especially tasty. To round out my evening, I spent another two hours finishing up the remaining metro stations on my list.
Day 5
Before leaving the hotel, I last explored a few of the city’s metro stations. I am happy to report that I have visited all the stations that I wanted to visit on this trip. Before heading out of town, we managed to sneak in one more activity before catching our early afternoon lunch. It was one activity that we had held off on previous days, pending the better weather: the Royal Canal harbor tour. Included in our Stockholm Card, the hour-long cruise took us back to many sights we visited previously, such as the Nordic Museum, the Vasa Museum, and the Stockholm City Hall. It was just a perfect way to cap our Stockholm visit.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten).
Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
Before boarding Arlanda Express, we did take the opportunity to try out Max Burgers, Sweden’s answer to American fast food. It was surprisingly good, but my favorite part was the prices. We arrived at Arlanda Airport and were greeted with a bright blue sky. As is often the case, we got a moment of sunshine right before our departure. While having a crisp blue sky would have been nice, we had a wonderful time in Stockholm. We are glad that we did not let bad weather deter us.
