The last stop on our Northern European trip was Stockholm, Sweden, and both myself and my fiance were blown away by how much we loved the city.
Stockholm revolves around water and is built up of dozens of little islands, each with their own feel.
Read on for the ultimate Stockholm Travel guide, along with suggestions for each day. (You can also read our guides to Amsterdam and Copenhagen)
Day 1:
Bike Tour: After landing in Stockholm and dropping off our luggage, our first order of business was a bike tour to get acquainted with the city and learn more about its history. For this, we turned to Stockholm Adventures, a great tour guide group that offers a wide variety of activities from bike tours to five-day treks ice skating across Stockholm’s many frozen ponds!
Our two-hour tour of Stockholm covered lots of ground, bringing us to areas such as Gamla Stan and Djurgarden and everywhere in between. Our guide was incredibly well-informed on Stockholm’s history, architecture and other fascinating bits on information that we gladly absorbed as we took in the sights.
We like a good bike tour because it’s a great way to learn a city’s layout and earmark specific sites to visit later on in the trip. We also like the ability to be active on vacation, where we are consuming a lot more food and alcohol than we normally would!
Everyone in Stockholm bikes everywhere, so getting around was surprisingly easy and enjoyable, despite a little cold in the air. After the tour, we decided to rent the bikes we used for the entire weekend so that we could continue to see Stockholm by bike!
Lunch at Vete-Katten: After our bike tour we were hungry. We happened upon a super delightful cafe/tea parlour called Vete-Katten that I absolutely fell in love with.
This restaurant reminded me a lot of Laduree in Paris in its style. They serve their coffee in porcelain cups, have amazing pastries and have decor appropriate for the turn-of-the-century building it is located in. While you order your meal at a counter filled with pastries, the experience is very elegant.
We went in for lunch, and I ordered a quiche while the fiance had a salad and croissant. We had lots of coffee to warm up before doing some more exploring.
Sunset at Monteliusvagen: Stockholm has some epic sunsets, so one the flight there we searched the best vantage points to catch one. Monteliusvagen kept coming up in the results, so we took our bikes there in order to get the views. It’s a bit of a steep ride at times, but the sunset makes it more than worth it.
Apertifs at Tweed: One of Stockholm’s buzziest bars is very English in nature. Tweed, which has tartan-print decor, a large wooden bar and other fixtures that make you feel like you are entering a members-only club in London, also serves up some great cocktails. Make a reservation in advance, as it is nearly impossible just to walk into this bar. The ambiance and drinks are equally nice.
Dinner at Backstugan: On an island that used to be Stockholm’s Hollywood, where films were shot is Backstugan. This rustic restaurant in Solna has such a cozy atmosphere, with exposed wood beams, a giant fireplace, and woodsy elements that make you want to curl up next to the fireplace with a book and glass of wine after an amazing dinner.
We arrived for a late dinner and sat down at a cozy table perusing the menu. I started with a very fresh salad of lettuce, mushrooms, lingonberries and radish. My fiancé had a cream-based soup with shrimp. For mains, I had an amazing eggplant roulade with tabouli and roasted tomatoes, whereas my fiancé had a steak cooked to perfection along with some French fries. We paired our meal with a great red wine.
Vasa Museum: One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Vasa Museum. This famous Stockholm maritime museum is dedicated to the history of the Vasa, a Swedish war ship that sunk on its maiden voyage in 1628.
The entire ship was found, dug up and restored in the 1950s and to see it in person is truly a marvel. The video and exhibitions dedicated to it at the museum are just extraordinary.
Archipelago Boat Tour: As mentioned, Stockholm is a city comprised of 14 islands, but its archipelago has more than 30,000 islands, each with its own feel. We spent a day at sea getting to cruise by these famous islands, taking in their history and unique architecture. This three-hour tour covers a lot of ground and gets you to some really beautiful, scenic places. We highly recommend!
Corner Club: After the boat tour, we wanted to warm up with some cocktails. The day prior, we passed Corner Club and were intrigued by its decor, so we decided to bike there after the boat.
Located in Gamla Stan, this cozy bar has really eclectic decor that makes you feel like you are stepping into a bar in a mix of Havana, London and Stockholm, given its different vintage-inspired pieces. The cocktail list is super interesting and complex. I had one of the best cocktails I think I’ve ever had before — it was a tequila cocktail with spice in it that went down way too easily.
Dinner at Ett Hem: I had one of the best meals of my life at Ett Hem, which is tucked inside a five-star boutique hotel that feels more like a private manor home than hotel.
We embarked on a tasting menu and wine pairing that truly ignited all the senses. The meal started with a celeriac and apple foam with crispy potatoes and smoked olive oil, that the head chef personally delivered to our table. Next, we nibbled on Swedish squid, choi sum, crispy buckwheat and grilled jalapeno butter, which was such a complex dish. The next dish was one of my favorites — roasted cauliflower with brown butter cream and truffle. It was the most decadent preparation of cauliflower I’ve ever had, and it was delicious.
We then sampled venison with caramelized sunchoke puree and pickled chanterelles as well as cabbage with kale, autumn peas, fried sunchoke ad sumac butter.
For dessert, we had baked apple with grilled apple juice, miso caramel with rosemary and maple syrup ice cream. With each round, the sommelier brought out a different wine for us to try that was just exceptional.
Day 3:
Rosendals Tradgard: After waking early, we hopped back on our bikes and headed to the Royal Gardens to do some proper exploring. This led us to the rose gardens to a just stunning restaurant, shop and cafe in the middle of the natural beauty of the garden. It’s as farm to table as it gets.
Inside the rose garden is Rosendals Tradgard, which is a cafeteria-style restaurant in the most delightful of settings. Think hanging lanterns everywhere, rustic wood table sin a greenhouse and a beautiful spread of brunch items on a giant oak table featuring everything from pastries to decadent carrot cake to savory brunch food.
They also have the most charming plant shop and bakery as part of this, which made me longing for a similar type of restaurant/shopping experience in Central Park. Being there truly made us feel like we were in an enchanted forest, and we can’t recommend it enough.
STHLM Tapas: Our last meal of the trip was a delicious mix of wines and tapas in a cozy setting. We ate at STHLM in Vasastan, a restaurant with a casual yet cool setting and some of the best tapas I’ve ever had.
We ordered a variety of different small plates to eat while sipping red wine. Some of the standout dishes were their portobello carpaccio, chilli con carne (this is a must order), grilled halloumi, calamari and octopus. Each dish was seasoned to perfection, and their presentation was just top notch. We also loved the hospitality of all of our waiters and bartender.
Read More Of Our Travel Guides:
The Ultimate Amsterdam Travel Guide
Travel Guide: Copenhagen, Denmark
Travel Guide: London’s Notting Hill
Travel Guide: Where to Eat & Apres Ski in Zermatt
Travel Guide: Zurich’s Hotel Glockenhof
Travel Guide: Zermatt’s Riffelalp Resort