Stylish Stockholm is the perfect destination for a city break. With its chic shopping streets, historic old town and surrounding archipelago of picturesque islands, you’ll be spoilt for choice by where to visit. It’s best to travel here in the summertime, when the city is in full swing and you’ll be able to enjoy fika in the sunshine by a cobbled square.
Eat & drink
The Swedes are known for their ritual of fika, a daily coffee and cake break where you enjoy a cosy catch up with friends. There are many great places to try it in Stockholm - try beautiful Rosendals Trädgårdskafé, where you can enjoy homemade cake and coffee surrounded by fruit trees or in a foliage-filled greenhouse, or Chokladkoppen, in Gamla Stan (the Old Town.) This cafe is located on Stortorget, a very picturesque cobbled square, and is perfect for people watching. For a taste of Swedish seafood, head to the historic Ostermalm Saluhall (food market) to restaurant Lisa Elmqvist (named after its chef) which serves traditional fish dishes. For lunch, try the classic snack Skagen - toast topped with fresh shrimp and your choice of roe. At dinnertime, Bakfickan is the perfect place to try further traditional fare. Don’t miss their meatballs with potato puree, lingonberries and pickled cucumber, which you can follow with cloudberry souffle.
Sleep
There are fantastic hotel options all over Stockholm. For a characterful boutique hotel in the atmospheric Old Town (Gamla Stan), stay at the Victory Hotel. It’s located in a tall, colourful townhouse on the cobbled streets of the island, and has a charming nautical theme that’s carried through from the watercolours of ships on the wall, to the naval antiques artfully displayed around the building. If you’d prefer to be based out of the city, rent a cottage in the archipelago. Choose a classic red wooden cottage with flowers blooming outside the porch - many are available to book online (see www.airbnb.com.) The city is just a short boat ride away, and ferries run regularly in the summer months.
Explore
Pleasure island Djurgården is the perfect way to start your adventure. Located here is Skansen, an open air museum and zoo that shows the way of life in Sweden before industrialization. Watch traditional craftsman in historical dress including bakers, carpenters and glass-blowers, and wander around the zoo which houses native Nordic animals like moose, bison and grey wolves. Located nearby on the island is Vasamuseet, which houses the world’s only preserved 17th century ship. Wander around the different galleries, which allow you to peer into a different level of the ship, and give you a strong impression of the vast size of the ship and the lives of the sailors who lived there. Back in the Gamla Stan (Old Town,) the still inhabited Royal Palace is a fascinating place to look around. One of the largest palaces in Europe and home to the Swedish royal family, sections are kept open to the public including the palace church, library, theatre, and the beautiful baroque garden - perfect for whiling away a sunny day.
Shop
Swedish design - from fashion to architecture - is renowned all over the world, and there’s no better place to shop than the capital. The best of Stockholm’s luxury shopping can be found in Sturegallerian, an exclusive mall which houses 50 luxury boutiques and has plenty of fine dining options when you’re ready for a break. It’s also a favourite of VIPs and the Swedish royal family who are often spotted shopping here. For vintage fashion, head to Lisa Larsson’s boutique located in Sodermalm. She’s renowned for her careful eye and the shop is a favourite of celebrities, stocking beautiful second-hand fashion from the 1930s to 1970s.