Fika. Meatballs. Fish in a tube (?).
Yes that’s right. Stockholm!
Oh and how could I forget, the (arguably) most important export to come out of Sweden: ABBA.
And Ikea.
Okay the Swedes clearly just know what to do.
I spent four nights in Stockholm and as this trip was during Covid, I kind of heavily emphasized the ‘lazy’ aspect of the Lazy Person’s Guide to Travel.
Day one: Vasa and Abba Museum
Except… That first day I actually accidentally ended up walking 16km. Because I cannot read maps. There. I said it. I’m a millennial who is map reading impaired.
If you ever travel with me, you’ll have the most detailed itinerary, ever, but you’ll need to take over the reigns when we actually get there so we don’t walk unnecessarily long distances.
Or the wrong way.
Basically what happened was I was walking across a bridge (
maps told me to) to go to an island that would let me walk to that island with all the museums.
What I of course did not see was that part of that walk was a ferry ride.
And. Right as I arrive at the ferry, it leaves.
SO. I retraced my steps, walked 3 different islands.
At least it was pretty.
I decided to be cultural and I went to a museum where: I saw a boat! It was a big boat.
Literally, the first thing I said as I entered the museum was:
Wow. That’s a big boat.
As you can see, I’m incredibly observant while on holiday. It was a cool boat. It traveled a whole 15–20 minutes before it completely sank. A Dutch guy engineered it, so. You know.
Just, btdubs, this was called the Vasa museum and I do highly recommend it.
I felt as though I hadn’t walked enough, so I decided to keep going.
I saw the Abba museum! I did not go into the museum, but I took a commemorative picture (which I can no longer find anywhere).
Having said that, I have heard incredible things about this museum, so if you do find yourself with just enough energy, then I would visit it as well.
Day two: Hike
I like hiking.
Not having learned my lesson from the day before, I thought I should walk a bit more. BUT. I only walked 13km. It was an improvement.
I saw more boats! I ate a huge falafel.
And meatballs. And a cinnamon roll.
As you can see, Stockholm involved a lot of walking and eating. It was amazing.
On your day two I recommend you venture into the nature a bit on your own. But just bear in mind how much you’re walking. It’s not a bad idea to fika or hang around your hotel.
I ended up reading a lot this trip because I finally gave myself the time to actually read.
Day Three: City tour
I LOVE city tours.
You get to learn so much.
You get to see so much.
And you end up seeing all the little things you normally wouldn’t.
Example: a weird tiiiiny baby statue that if you rub it you end up having a baby 9 months later?
Clearly, I did not rub the creepy baby.
I also used the opportunity to find the best cinnamon roll place.
Yeah okay I’m obsessed what do you want with me.
The best part about this walking tour was that I did not need a map. There was so much I wanted to see in this city but I kept getting lost. There’s a reason Stockholm is called the Venice of the north.
Gamla Stan for example. It’s a beautiful part of Old Town Stockholm but alone I would never have found it.
What wasn’t part of the tour was Djurgården. Which is understandable as it would have required us to walk another 10 km from the other side of town.
But thats why you have day four!
Day four: Djurgården and general wandering
Day four is a bit up to how you’re feeling and what you’re in the mood for.
I would recommend taking strolls here and there, maybe take a boat ride?
Or, and while I didn’t do this but was recommended to me, was the Skansen Open Air museum. It’s apparently great for kids.
Basically, Skansen is old time Sweden with an aquarium and a zoo.
And being out in the open that would be a wrap on your city trip to Stockholm!
As I mentioned before, I really honed in on the ‘lazy’ aspect of this trip.
Lazy Person’s Itinerary:
Day one: maybe don’t do as I did and walk 16km? It’s not really all that recommended. Instead, I recommend grabbing food, coffee and meandering around the city.
Day two: okay NOW you can walk 16km if you want. Go to Museum island and see all the museums that suit your hearts desire. Which ones? Vasa, Abba and if you can, Skansen.
Day three: if you didn’t do Skansen the day before, then today might be the day. Alternatively, take the opportunity to enjoy your hotel. I love hotel rooms. It’s like an adventure in itself. Or do a city tour! Or both! In any case, I do recommend the city tours.
Day four: relax, listen to Abba, take a boat tour. You get the idea.
Scandinavia is all about comfy, cozy and relaxed. So take a lesson out of their playbook and adapt your life to that. You won’t regret it.
