Stockholm is officially my favourite European city! After spending a weekend in the Swedish capital, I fell in love with the laid-back vibe and beautiful architecture and ticked another destination off my bucket list. If you’re planning a weekend in Stockholm, I’d recommend staying at the Nobis Hotel in Norrmalm. The hotel is centrally located and beautifully designed with a very personable service. Additional perks include the flagship Acne store (housed in the same building) and one of the best bars in the city!
Eat/Drink
One thing you absolutely must try in Sweden is ‘kanelbullar,’ Swedish cinnamon rolls. There are tons of suggestions on the best in the city, but I went to the beautiful Vete-Katten. This stunning café serves other sweet treats making it the perfect place to ‘fika’; the Swedish tradition of meeting for coffee and pastries.
You have to trust me on this next one, but Max fast food outlet is an absolute must! We wandered into the branch opposite our hotel after a night out for a quick munch. At 3am the restaurant was pretty chaotic, but self-service machines were easy to order from. Now I’m not sure what kind of unicorn tears they use to make the burger sauce, but this is the best fast food I’ve tasted…ever! The added bonus of a greaseproof sleeve to eat the burger from, skin on fries and delicious chicken wings make Max restaurant a solid 10/10!
Riche restaurant and Brasserie Vau De Ville are also popping, I’d recommend alfresco dining/drinking at either place; Vau De Ville has a great sound system which adds to the vibe. We personally loved Vigårda for drinks, the burgers were lacklustre but the old school hip-hop/r&B and outdoor seating won us over along with the rosé cider and fries. EAT Summer Garden (pictured) is upstairs from Vigårda and has a beautiful terrace, perfect for daytime drinking. Both are located in the MOOD Stockholm shopping mall which is also worth visiting for the interior alone!
Vete-Katten, Kungsgatan 55, 111 22 Stockholm.
Max, Vasagatan 7, 111 20 Stockholm.
Riche, Birger Jarlsgatan 4, 114 34 Stockholm.
Vau De Ville, Norrmalmstorg 6, 111 46 Stockholm.
Vigårda, MOOD Stockholm, Norrlandsgatan 13, 111 43 Stockholm.
EAT Summer Garden, MOOD Stockholm, Norrlandsgatan 13, 111 43 Stockholm.
Koh Phangan, Nybrogatan 8, Östermalm in Stockholm (Thai).
Café Schweizer, Västerlånggatan 9, 111 29 Stockholm (beautiful, quirky café serving fresh orange juice).
StikkiNikki, Mariatorget 1C, 118 48 Stockholm (homemade organic gelato).
Tak, Brunkebergstorg 4, 111 512, Stockholm (rooftop bar and restaurant).
Explore
Gamla Stan, the Old Town, is described as ‘one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centres in Europe’. Get lost in the windy, cobbled streets which are filled with restaurants, cafés, bars and shops. The area literally smells of cinnamon and waffles, you’ll be spoilt for choice! Definitely make this area a priority for Instagram-worthy pics.
Stockholm is filled with museums, Wikipedia says 70, but I’m convinced it’s closer to a million. There’s no shortage of things to see, but finding the time may prove difficult and very expensive. A few of the highly recommended ones are ABBA The Museum (yes, really), Vasa Museum (a preserved 17th-century warship, one of a kind) and the Fotografiska.
Gamla Stan, Stockholm.
ABBA The Museum, Djurgårdsvägen 68, 115 21 Stockholm.
Vasa Museum, Galärvarvsvägen 14, 115 21 Stockholm.
Fotografiska, Stadsgårdshamnen 22, 116 45 Stockholm (contemporary photography).
Experience
A weekend in Stockholm would not be complete without experiencing the local nightlife. I use the term local very loosely because I was hellbent on going to a club that played soca and/or dancehall. A quick google revealed Club Silk as the place to be every Friday and Saturday for African and Caribbean music. We opted to visit Kraken Sthlm and saw Wayne Wonder (ultimate throwback) perform live. Locals informed me that this is the spot for dancehall events in Stockholm. We had a great time and would definitely go back! Follow Nuh Linga Sweden for the latest event info.
Our concierge Rasmus is the ultimate party animal and recommended a variety of clubs across the city. Generally speaking, Norrmalm and Östermalm are more upscale areas which is reflected in the dress code and price. Whilst venues such as the outdoor megaclub Trädgården has a more carefree vibe and relaxed dress code.
ICEBAR by ICEHOTELis the world’s first permanent ice bar and definitely worth experiencing, especially if you’ve never been to one before. It’s cold as f*** (-5 Celcius) but worth it. Be quick with the selfies because your phone will die a sudden death. I’m sure the kind staff at reception will let you revive your phone after if you ask nicely!
Club Silk, Högdalsgången 34, 124 54 Bandhagen Stockholm.
Underbara Bar, Östgötagatan 33, 116 25 Stockholm.
Kraken Sthlm, Rökerigatan 1D, 121 62 Stockholm, Sweden.
Trädgården, Hammarby Slussväg 2, Stockholm.
ICEBAR by ICEHOTEL, Vasaplan 4, 111 20 Stockholm.
Solidaritet, Lästmakargatan 3, 111 44 Stockholm (popular EDM night club).
Shop
A trip to Sweden isn’t complete without shopping at the quintessential Swedish brand Acne. The flagship store (conveniently located at the Nobis Hotel) is housed inside a former bank where the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ originated following the 1973 bank heist. You can still visit the bank vaults via the store – pretty cool if you ask me!
There are tons of places to shop in Norrmalm. Within close proximity to the Nobis Hotel you have everything from Céline to COS; as someone who hates brick and mortar stores, I would definitely plan a weekend in Stockholm just to shop. Götgatan is another prime area for shopping filled with high street brands such as H&M and Monki. I’d definitely recommend checking out APLACE, a fashion store and magazine which is like a grown-up, Scandi version of Urban Outfitters.
One thing that stood out to me was how minimalist and well merchandised the clothing stores are, is that the secret to impeccable Scandi style?
Acne Studios, Norrmalmstorg 2, 111 46 Stockholm.
APLACE, Norrlandsgatan 11, 111 43 Stockholm.
Top Tips for your weekend in Stockholm
- Carry your card everywhere. A lot of places are cashless, so you’re better off using a Travelex card etc. rather than changing up tons of cash.
- It’s expensive. Cider is the same price as juice, but other than that you can expect to splash the cash. You could do things on a ‘budget’ but it definitely isn’t a budget destination.
- Our hotel was walking distance from almost everywhere, we bought travel cards for peace of mind, but you could probably use single-use tickets.
- Lastly, with so much to see outdoors, I think Stockholm is truly a summer city, so plan your visit for June or July. Also don’t be fooled by the 22 Celsius average, when the sun shines it is hot.
I had an amazing weekend in Stockholm and would definitely revisit. The vibe is incredible, the people are friendly and stylish, not to mention everywhere blasts music from great speakers. I’d love to revisit in summer 2018!
Have you been to Stockholm? Comment below with your favourite places in the city.
This is a very fascinating read. I felt as if I was in Stockholm with you, the way you expertly described the vacation. I particularly liked the category breakdowns and the curated list of recommendations for section. The city is on my travel list, so when I eventually go, I’ll see sure to come back to your blog post for inspiration.
So informative! I love the details. I hope to travel more often in the future?
I love this post and I like how detailed you are. I hope I can travel one day and put this to use❤️