Suitcase Sagas

As our cruise started and ended at Stockholm we decided to come a day early to enjoy this beautiful historical town. We landed on a Saturday afternoon and took the Arlanda express to Central station in the city (non stop 20 minutes ride). To keep things simple, we booked ourselves at Radisson Blu right outside central station…

Tourist Attractions 

Vasa Museum

• After quickly freshening up, we headed off to Stockholm’s #1 tourist attraction, Vasa Museum. We took the tram till Nordic Museum and then walked over to Vasa (Entrance cost: 130 SEK). We started off with the guided tour (every 30 minutes) where they explained all about the ship, including how it was built and sank on its maiden voyage. We then explored the various levels to see this well-preserved 17^Th century ship. We spent around 2 hours walking around. SS Tip: If you have additional time, check out Nordic Museum or Abba Museum nearby

Gamla Stan

• For dinner we headed to the old town, Gamla Stan. Once your cross the river and enter this old town, you walk into a different world. There are 2 main parallel cobblestone lanes winding between old buildings – it’s a mix of old and new with variety of modern stores and restaurants popping up on the ground floor. Do spend time walking and exploring these streets. SS Tip: The bridges make for some really scenic pictures!

• The area is surrounded with historic buildings including Royal Palace, Parliament house, Churches and various buildings which have now become museums…

• In Jul, the sunset is very later – around 10 pm. So after dinner, we headed off to Gondolen, a bar perched up on a hill to catch a glimpse of sunset.

• Another great spot was right at the end of Gamla Stan on the bridge…

 

Royal Palace

• Next morning we went to the Royal Palace (entrance fee: 160 SEK), which is a building complex with multiple museums included. This worked out very well as we were able to beat the crowd.
• We started with the cathedral and then went through state apartments. After grabbing breakfast in the café, we went down to the Treasury to see the crown and other regalia.

• We briefly went to some of the museums before heading back to the hotel…

• We then took the cab to the port to embark on the cruise! SS Tip: Take an Uber, the regular taxi drivers tried to cheat us with exorbitant rates!

 

 

City Hall

• Once we disembarked, we had time to kill before we took the flight. We left our luggage with hotel concierge and then headed to City Hall (entrance 110 SEK). We took the guided tour (tours every 30 mins). The tour was very interesting – especially facts about Nobel Prize banquet. After the tour, we spent some time in the garden overlooking the river. If you have additional time, go up the city hall tower (50 SEK additional) for some great views of the city. There are scheduled slots with 30 tickets sold per slot.

It was soon time to bid the city goodbye and we headed to the Airport in Arlanda Express again!

 

Miscellaneous

• Arlanda Express: You can buy tickets at the counter near arrivals or at the kiosk on the platform. While usual cost is 280 SEK per trip, based on offers you can get it for <150 SEK per trip.
• Hotel: We stayed at Radisson Blu near Central station. The room was clean but was definitely small! There are lots of hotel options around the station but while these aren’t cheap they make traveling easy!
• Currency: We converted some money at airport itself. The rates were reasonable and similar to rates in town. You can either use cash or credit card at the attractions and restaurants so it is not really mandatory.
• Travel: While some places are easy to access by walking, you may want to use the tram/ subway/ bus to make the most of your time. A good value for money option is purchasing the Travelcard – 120 SEK per day or 240 SEK for 3 days
• Information: In case you need details about any attraction, suggest you checkout official website visitstockholm.com . If you have more time, you should consider taking the ferry and visit the Archipelago. We skipped it as our cruise passed through these lil islands before making it out to the sea. If you are staying in Stockholm for longer and plan to hit more attractions including boat tours, you can consider buying the Stockholm pass