When we first moved to Sweden, we thought our first stop would be Stockholm but due to the Corona curse, that was postponed twice. The first time we thought we had Covid, the second time we did!

Now nearly 12 months into our Swedish adventure, we finally made it. A mere 90min direct train from where we live, it was so simple getting there and as our hotel was next door to Stockholm Central Station, it was a complete breeze.

We decided to spend 3 nights in the city so we could explore the things we wanted to at our own pace. We are not fast paced people. We like waking up naturally, grabbing a coffee and breakfast before we head out. We pick one thing we want to do each day that is planned and let the rest of the day dictate itself.

Day 1 was Rob’s choice and he opted for the History Museum which has become somewhat of a travel staple for us. By visiting the history museum, it allows us to learn about the country we are in and often gives more context to landmarks and attractions that we then come across during our stay.

We headed to the Swedish Historiska Museet, a beautiful 30min walk from our hotel along the water but easily reached via the metro if need be.

It is free entry and provides audio guides for a small fee. The museum focus very much on the medieval period of its history and follows a semi chronological order if you move around in the correct way… unfortunately we did not, we got lost. However there was a lot to do and some incredibly fascinating stories to be read I particularly enjoyed learning about Christina of Sweden who was coronated a King.

We had lunch in the museum restaurant with Rob enjoying his pancakes and I opted for the Viking Plate which was really smoked salmon with cooked vegetables. There is plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor in a very quaint courtyard.

The rest of the day was spent shopping, finishing off with dinner at a restaurant called Jacqoulines with its dreamy interior design.

Day 2 was my choice and I wanted to spend the day exploring Gamla Stan with my camera. Again it was a beautiful day and within 20mins walking via the Parliamentary Buildings, we reached Gamla Stan or the ‘Old Town’.

We circled round the Royal Palace grounds then found our way wandering in and out the cobbled streets of the old town. In front of the famous coloured buildings we came across a painter whose work we really liked. He had a gallery down a side street so we decided to take a look and came away with a very reasonably priced souvenir.

The streets felt very old world European, which is very different from the clean, modern lines of Tokyo. They were a delight to walk around and photograph.

There was another reason from exploring Gamla Stan and that was to visit the Stutterheim store. It is a small Swedish business that sells the most incredible waterproof coats and they only have one store in Stockholm. A great practical souvenir worth buying.

The rest of our time was spend enjoying the sunshine and taking photos and we loved it.

During our stay we did a very small fraction of what Stockholm has to offer. Being a 90min trip away, we wanted to pace ourselves, saving some of the top tourist sights for future trips with the numerous visitors we anticipate hosting once the travel corridors reopen. We did something we both wanted, we got a feel for what Stockholm has to offer whilst leaving plenty to explore in the future. It was perfect.

Stockholm is a beautiful city and we cannot recommend visiting this place enough. We will certainly be back, many many times we imagine, but until then…

SP x