Stockholm
From Imakoopedia
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. It lies in the Svealand region of that country, and has approximately 750 000 thousand citizens and if you include the suburbs it is 1.7 million and increasing with about 20 000 people each year due to immigration from abroad and urbanization.
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Understand
Get in
By plane
- Arlanda Airport - The main international airport, located an hour by taxi from the city center. The airport buses run frequently to the city center and cost about SEK 89. The express train, which leaves from the lower level of each terminal, costs SEK 180 (90 SEK for people under 27 years of age) each way but gets you to the central station in 20 minutes.
- Skavsta Airport - Used by RyanAir. Lies 100km south of Stockholm. A shuttle bus (http://www.flygbussarna.com) (80 mins) overland link between central Stockholm and Skavsta airport. Departs from the City Terminal. Costs about 139 sek single and 199 sek double.
- Bromma Airport - Is a small city airport; very few scheduled flights land here.
By train
The main station lies directly in the city centre near the waterfront. It's connected underground to T-Centralen, the central hub for the subway system.
By ship
Ferries go to Finland and Estonia every day.
- Silja Line (http://www.silja.fi) ferries to Helsinki and Turku leave from Värtan port, some 500 meters from T Gärdet station.
- Viking Line (http://www.vikingline.fi/enhome/index_eng.htm) ferries to Helsinki and Turku leave from Stadsgården port to the south of the city. Buses shuttle passengers to T Slussen station, or you can get there on foot by following the coast line north for a kilometer or so.
Get around
Subway
There is a small, but efficient metro system called the Tunnelbana (T-Bana). There are passes available for 24 hours (95 SEK) and 72 hours (180 SEK), and a points-based strip for 110 SEK, good for about 7 rides depending upon distance. When you purchase the 72 hour transit pass, you also receive free admission to Kaknästornet (observation tower) and Gröna Lund (Stockholm's amusement park).
The Stockholm Card (http://www.stockholmtown.com/stockholmcard) allows free transportation and parking and gives admission to the 70 museums in Stockholm. There is also an extensive commuter train system which connects the city center to nearly all the suburbs and office parks.
Bus & Ferry
Stockholm has an extensive bus system to reach everywhere the Tunnelbana does not go. There are also a few ferrys that go to Djurgården and Skeppsholmen. Bus and ferry travel is included with any 24 or 72 hour transit pass.
Taxi
Taxis are on the expensive side. The meter is used to control the cost but always make sure that this is set when commencing a journey. Expect to pay about 100 SEK for a 5 minute trip.
See
- Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan) is the beautifully preserved historical heart of Stockholm. T Gamla Stan station is on the west side of the compact quarter, which is best covered on foot.
- The Royal Palace (http://www.royalcourt.se/net/Royal+Court/The+Royal+Palaces/The+Royal+Palace), built between 1697 and 1754 and located on the east side of the Old Town, is open to the public. The Royal Apartments, the Tre Kronor Museum, the Treasury and Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities cost 70 SEK each, with the sumptuous Apartments being the main draw; if royal regalia is your thing, you'll probably want to pay 110 SEK for a combination ticket and visit the Treasury as well. Open 10-16 daily in the summer, 12-16 and closed Mondays in the winter.
- The Stockholm Public Library at Sveavägen 73 was built in 1928. The interior of the cupola-shaped building is spectacular, with three floors of bookshelves covering 360 degrees of circular wall, capped by a high dome. Books (both fiction and non-fiction) are available in many different languages, including English and German. On the cliff overlooking it is the old Observatory, which has a fine view of the city to the east. There is a small cafe.
Museums
Stockholm has more than 70 museums (http://stockholmsmuseer.com) all around: Butterfly Museum, Army Museum, Dance Museum to name but a few.
- Vasa Museet (http://www.vasamuseet.se/indexeng.html) is a museum with the actual sailing ship from 1628 which sank just after being launched. Well worth a visit since it is uncertain whether current methods of preservation will be able to maintain her condition in years to come.
- Kulturhuset (http://www.kulturhuset.stockholm.se/) The House of Culture - a bit comparable to the "Tate Modern" in London - with an Internet Café (called Access IT), exhibitions, theater, restaurants and much more.
- A very nice one is the Tekniska Museet (http://www.tekniskamuseet.se), the museum of Science and Technology. Also commendable to smaller children.
- Nobelmuseet (http://www.nobel.se/nobel/nobelmuseum/) has lots of material on the Nobel prize, including videotaped speeches by laureates. Located in Börshuset (old Stock Exchange house), Stortorget, Gamla Stan. Open till 17:00, Tuesdays till 20:00. NB: some of their material claims that they are open until 18:00, but that is incorrect.
- Skansen (http://www.skansen.se/eng/) The first open air museum of the world, as well as a zoological garden specializing in Nordic fauna. Located on the island of Djurgården it features over 150 historic buildings from the last centuries. Hosts and hostesses in historic costumes are a further attraction and domestic occupations such as weaving, spinning, glass blowing are demonstrated. Usually open 10 AM to 4 PM, with longer hours until 10 PM in the summer; pricing is equally variable but figure on SEK 70 in summer and SEK 50 in the winter. Get there on bus 44/47, or a ferry from Slussen.
Do
Walk around. Stockholm is a very easy city to enjoy by foot with no steep streets. Particularly in the summer months (which can be a very short time), the city shows itself at its best. Stay informed. You can find internet cafés and terminals at many locations with prices between 15 and 20 SEK for an hour. Watch a movie. There are many Cinemas in Stockholm. Most movies aren't dubbed but subtitled, so if your English is good enough this is a good opportunity to spend some time.
Buy
Famous for glassware and design. "Gamla Stan", the old town, is very popular area in which to shop. And there are many department stores like Åhléns City and NK in the city center.
- Science Fiction Bokhandeln is a bookshop at Västerlånggatan 48 in Gamla Stan selling sf, fantasy, horror, role-playing games, some popular science, and a lot of it is in English. http://www.sfbok.se/
Eat
Stockholm features a big variety of restaurants, including Asian, Indian, Mexican and fast food, many of them offer rather cheap but good 'eat all you can'-lunch buffets. It is far more difficult to find authentic Swedish cuisine, though.
- Buddha Bar. Very nice restaurant; eating there is very good. Downstairs is the Buddhabar, with good music. http://www.buddha.se
Drink
Coffee
As the Swedes like drinking coffee, there are many coffee-bars all around. Beware - Swedish coffee is strong compared with the way it is prepared in in the US and UK.
- Muggen in Götgatan 24 (Slussen)
Alcohol
Can be summed up in three words: expensive, expensive and expensive. If arriving from outside the European Union and visiting relatives, friends or even just business colleagues, a bottle of whisky, gin or vodka makes a very acceptable gift.
- IceBar (http://www.1ststockholmhotels.com/nordic_sea_hotel.html) in the "Nordic Sea Hotel", Vasaplan. Entrance: 125 sek., including warm clothes and one drink.
Sleep
Hotels
- Rex Hotel, Luntmakargatan 73 (near Metro Rådmansgatan), +46(0)16 00 40. Nice small mid-range hotel north of the city center. http://www.rexhotel.se
Youth Hostels
You should have an STF or Hostelling International membership card since you get discounts in Swedish youth hostels (vandrarhem). The standard is quite high.
- Zinkensdam, Zinkens väg 20 (metro: Zinkensdam), 08-616 81 00. Very nice and fairly big youth hostel and hotel. It's clean and the prices are fair, however the rooms are rather small. Features a fairly big guest kitchen, a nice garden, internet terminals, laundry machine/dryer. http://www.zinkensdamm.com/
- Backpacker's Inn, Banérgatan 56, 08-660 75 15, is actually a school, more or less converted into a youth hostel in summer. The showers are in a separate building (since the only ones available are those at the gym hall) not as clean as one would hope, the sleeping rooms (16 beds) are classrooms. If you need a cheap place to stay (120 SEK in the dorm) this is probably for you, if you have a little more money to spare, consider choosing another place.
Get out
Events
- Late June: Midsommar (Midsummer). A great party held to celebrate the summer solstice. One of the best times to be in Stockholm.
- June: Marathon
- 13 December: Santa Lucia pre-Christmas festival
- Stockholm Is Never Boring (http://www.stockholmtown.com/events)
- YoSthlm, nightlife in Stockholm! (http://www.yosthlm.com/main.asp)
External links
- http://www.stockholmtown.com/ official site for tourists in 9 languages.
- http://www.terragalleria.com/europe/sweden/stockholm/stockholm.all.html Very nice pics of Stockholm
