Last Updated on 20/01/2020 by secretmoona
A couple of weeks ago I visited Stockholm in Sweden. It is the second time that I have visited the country and will not be the last. My previous post is a detailed guide to all the things you can do for a long weekend. However, today I wanted to show you the things you can do if you only have one day in Stockholm.
The city expands across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The main islands are Norrmalm, Vasastaden, Östermalm, Södermalm and Skeppsholmen.
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How One day in Stockholm
I had mixed feelings at the beginning of my trip due to the strange weather. One moment it was beautiful and sunny and the next it was grey and rainy. To be honest, I was too optimistic and over-excited while planning my trip and I had too many things on my to-do list.
11 am – Discovering the Old Town
After a typical Swedish breakfast at ‘Fabrique’, we started our day tour in Gamla Stan. The Old Town is THE charming location of the city. From Norrmalm, you can reach the small island by crossing the Riksbron bridge. On the way, you can visit the Royal Palace. This little island is lined with pretty, colourful ancient houses and buildings. It is very touristy but perfect to delve into and is packed with bars, restaurants, artisan boutiques and quaint bakeries; you will have a hard time choosing one of them.
The picturesque square of Stortorget is perhaps the most animated part of the city where both tourists and locals mix but don’t linger there. Keep heading down the medieval streets and wander along the cobblestones streets, be sure to keep an eye for the city’s narrowest street – Mårten Trotzigs Gränd – and wrestle with other tourists to take the perfect shot. Walking in the streets of the old town, I had the impression that I was a place crossed between Brittany and Madrid. It reminded me of Brittany because of the medieval architecture and Madrid because of the colours to paint their houses (lots of oranges, yellows and reds).
12 noon – Hop on a Boat Ride
With the Stockholm Pass, you get to have access to over 60 museums, monuments and hop and off buses and boats. Since it started to rain once again, we decide to jump on the boat and explore the surrounding islands and that without getting off!
The boat takes you to different attractions like the Vasa Ship Museum, TivoliGröna Lund and Skeppsholmen island.
We were able to save money on the card by visiting the museum of photography, Royal Palace and boarding the hop and off the boat. Every little helps especially if you are travelling on a budget. This is the first time I have used a card and highly recommend it. I would also suggest that you decide before getting the card, the attractions you would like to see and do. You will then be able to see the potential savings.
13:30 pm – Lunch at Wayne’s Coffee
As we got off the boat, our stomachs were grumbling, so we decided that it was the perfect time to grab some lunch. We headed to Wayne’s Coffee since we’ve tried it previously and it was good. Wayne’s Coffee is a cross between Starbucks and Caffe Nero. The drink and coffee menus are very varied ranging from bagels to open sandwiches. We opted for the “ciabatta with pesto & mozzarella” and “chicken & avocado wrap” with our coffees. The coffee shops had a very relaxed and urban atmosphere with beautiful design. The clientele is mixed too with students making use of the free wifi and business people having meetings.
Address: Hornsgatan 3, 118 46 Stockholm
15:00 – Stroll through Fotografiska
Of course, you can do lots of things when the weather isn’t on your side. Visiting museums is a great example and with so many to choose from I picked the museum of photography: Fotografiska. Located on Södermalm island, Fotografiska has a great collection of contemporary photography, and also holds exciting exhibitions.
On the top floor, there is a restaurant with stylish decor. It was packed with people enjoying a coffee break and the magnificent view over Gamla Stan.
Address: Stadsgårdshamnen 22, 116 45 Stockholm
4 pm – Time to fika
The art of fika is taking a coffee break accompanied by something sweet to eat. It is similar to the British afternoon tea; the difference is that they favour coffee and take fika at any moment of the day. Fika is a deeply rooted in the Swedish culture. We were introduced to this concept in Malmö and enjoyed it so wanted to experience it again.
Stockholm is full of traditional bakeries, but our favourite was Fabrique. They have shops all over the city. I think Stockholm is the city where I saw the highest numbers of bakeries outside of France.
Their kardemummabullar (cardamom rolls) and kanelbullar (cinnamon rolls) are the best I have ever eaten.
Address: Rosenlundsgatan 28, 118 53 Stockholm and Drottninggatan 102, 111 60 Stockholm
5 pm – Wandering in the opposite direction of SoFo
We continued our stroll to in Sodermalm. We aimed to head towards the hippy part of the island called SoFo (from SOuth of FOlkungagatan), but we ended up on the reversed side. Blame my map reading skills! Instead of being faced toward the so-called cool shops, bars and restaurants, we found ourselves on the residential side. However, our failed attempt to go to SoFo on this occasion took us to Hornstulls Marknad.
Address: 6, Hornstulls strand 4, 117 39 Stockholm
8 pm – Enjoy some Swedish delicacies
Stockholm has a significant number of Nordic and international restaurants but sadly like in most Scandinavian countries, they are costly. I was very keen to try out the local dishes and was really happy to have found out about Bakfickan after a good recommendation. Tucked in by the Royal Swedish Opera(Kungliga Operan) this restaurant is visited by both locals and tourists. The fact that booking isn’t possible in this restaurant means that you might have to queue a little if you visit during a busy period. We waited for about 30 minutes, but the wait was really worth it. We loved our meatballs served with puree and pickles and plate of lamb fillet.
Address: Jakobs torg 12, 111 52 Stockholm
10 pm – Back at the hotel (Miss Clara by Nobis)
When booking a hotel room away, the idea is to book in the city centre to make all your travel the most comfortable possible. With that in mind, Miss Clara by Nobis is a perfect choice. It’s located close to the central station as well as Hortoget. The elegant decor, relaxed feel makes it a great hotel. The hotel has a lovely bar where guests can unwind over a drink. However, I ran a relaxing bath and went to bed!
Address: Sveavägen 48, 111 34 Stockholm
Just spending a day might not be enough to explore the extent of the Swedish capital, since there are so many things to do in Stockholm. But if you are transiting to another city, this little “one day in Stockholm” itinerary should help you get a feel of the Scandinavian Venice.
Have you been to Stockholm? Do you think 24 hours in Stockholm or any other city is enough to explore?
Disclaimer: We were given two 48 hour Stockholm City Cards from Visit Stockholm. Opinions are, as always, honest and my own.
What a great use of the hours! Stockholm looks beautiful!