When in Europe, DON'T MISS Stockholm!

Hello steemians!

Happy Thursday to all of you! In today's post, I am gonna tell you about my experience in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm! I visited last year in March and it is one of my favourite cities. We left on Friday and stayed until Monday, we stayed three nights and four days because we arrived early in the morning and left on the evening, but it wasn't enough so I will be planning a new trip in the near future.

Even though it was early spring, it was quite cold outside and rained a bit, but we managed to visit some of the main attractions, we left something for the following trips here. We went to the B&B, where we drank our coffee and then we went on our walk. The city is not that big, you can easily walk, so we walked a lot.

Our first stop was at the City Hall which is also known as Stadhuset, one of the main attraction in the city so we couldn’t miss it. The tour was very pleasant! I saw the place where Nobel Prize Banquet is held annually. There is a lot to discover so you will visit it with a guide.

Window view from the City Hall

Golden Hall it’s so amazing. There are more than 15 000 000 of gold mosaic tiles.

()

I liked very much these statues, designed by Carl Eldhs, a known Swedish artist and sculptor.
The song

Next stop was at Stockholm Old Town aka Gamla Stan. It was built in the 13th century, I love the medieval look, with narrow alleys, cobbled street, colourful houses.

On the streets of Gamla Stan are only allowed pedestrians. If you are here, you shouldn’t miss Stortorget, the most important square of the old town.I am sure you didn’t know what happened here in 1520, there was the Stockholm Bloodbath. If you visit Stockholm in December, here you will see the Christmas Market.

Stockholm by night!

Everything was closing really early, around 18:00-19:00, so we went back to our lovely B&B.

On this island where is situated Gamla Stan, you can see also the Royal Palace, which is a huge and beautiful piece of architecture, has approximately 600 rooms. You can eat a cinnamon bun or drink a hot chocolate in one of the cafes around the palace.From Gamla Stan, I bought also my souvenirs. Gamla Stan is the core of the city, here is the main attraction, so you can visit Nobel Museum, Royal Chapel, the Post Museum, Royal Armory or Stockholm Cathedral.

I am really sad that we missed the changing of the guard, so maybe you will be lucky to see it! There are some free walking tours if you are interested, press here.

I got to see my lovely birds!

Unfortunately, we didn’t visit the Royal Palace, but we managed to see only the Royal Armory which happens to be the oldest museum in the whole country so you shouldn’t miss this too. You can see lots of artefacts. I will definitely visit this palace on my next visit because I heard only good things about it, it’s considered a masterpiece and it’s the home of the royal family.

We took the ferry and enjoyed our time and sun.

Vasa Museum is my favourite museum from this city and one of the most popular in the country. It was opened in 1990, but here you have the occasion to see a ship in a great shape from the 17th century. The ship sunk in its first voyage, but 333 years later it was recovered! It’s a masterpiece this ship, I would visit it on every occasion!

A miniature of Vasa

My second favourite museum is the Skansen Museum and Zoo, the first open-air museum in the world. Here you can taste some of the Scandinavian cultures. The whole museum is so special, you can see houses, pharmacy, domestic animal, wild animals, gardens! It’s a great place to visit if you are travelling with your little ones!

The Riddarholmen Church is a medieval church built more than 700 years ago, it’s the place where the royal family have their final rest.

If you love to see the city from above, like I do, you should not miss the Ericsson Globe SkyView. We walked a lot to get here, but it was worth it. It takes 130 metres, above sea level and the views are amazing. There are only two gondolas and the duration of the tour takes less than 30 minutes.

One beautiful bridge which connects the islands.

National Theater

Unfortunately, Gröna Lund Amusement Park was closed because of the cold weather.

Important fact
When I visited Stockholm I paid all by card, so you don’t have to exchange your money in korona (SEK).

It was a pleasant city break and I would love to be back anytime!

We should take an example!!

Why to visit this city:

• Architecture
• You can visit ABBA Museum
• if you want to know about Vikings history

How to get from the airport to the city:
Stockholm has the following airports: Arlanda Airport, Bromma Airport, Skavsta Airport and Västerås Airport.

• Arlanda Airport
  You can choose one of the options below:

1. The Arlanda express train. In just 20 minutes you are in the city!
   One way ticket is approximately 28 €, the return is approximately 53 €.
   It’s important to remember that Sweden has his own local currency, krona (SEK), even if this country is an EU member since 1995, you can’t pay in euro, the rate is 1 EUR =9.81251SE
2. Flygbussarna Airport Coaches, the trips takes longer than the Arlanda Express, approximately 35-35 minutes.
3. Flixbus coach, you reach the city centre in 40 minutes and the price of one ticket begins from 29 SEK.
4. If you are not in a hurry, you can also take commuter trains.
5. Taxi - Taxi- most expensive way to get to the city.
   I recommend the taxi only if you are in a hurry, you are losing the plane or something.

• Bromma Airport
  A coach company which operates here is Flygbussarna Airport Coaches.
  One way ticket = 75 SEK
  Return ticket =150 SEK
• Skavsta Airport
  A coach company which operates here is Flygbussarna Airport Coaches.
  One way ticket = 139 SEK
  Return ticket =278 SEK
  If you travel with Ryanair or Wizzair you will land at Stockholm Skavsta Airport. It’s located 100 km of Stockholm, two hours away from by bus!
• Västerås Airport
  A coach company which operates here is Flygbussarna Airport Coaches.
  One way ticket = 139 SEK
  Return ticket =278 SEK

Accommodation:
We found a B&B really close to the city, so we walked a lot, we had breakfast included, so it was perfect!
I recommend you to find an accommodation near a metro station if you prefer public transportation! Reserve at least three weeks before your travel, to be sure you find something decent.

When it’s the best time to visit:
In my opinion, the best time to visit is on summer because the day is long, the weather is warmer and you have more time to discover the city, but it’s totally okay in every season, so it’s up to you. I heard also that Stockholm is amazing in spring when cherry blossoms tree. I even saw a post here on Steemit about Stockholm on winter time and it was so Christmassy.

Public Transportation:
If the weather doesn’t help you or you don’t want to walk too much, I guess the best option is the travel card for the tourists!
Travel card for 24 hours: SEK 125
Travel card for 72 hours: SEK 250
Travel card for 7 days: SEK 325
If you will make an occasional journey with the metro or bus, probably the best option would be buying a single journey ticket. By the way, it’s cheaper to buy directly from the ticket machine instead of buying directly from the conductor. (41 SEK vs 62 SEK)

Prices:
As you already know, the Scandinavian countries are more expensive than other European countries, so the Capital of Scandinavia it is not an exception, but after I visited Iceland and Reykjavik I know for sure Stockholm is cheaper.
For a main course at a restaurant you will pay at least 200 SEK, but don’t worry if you are on a budget you can eat very good at some Chinese restaurants where you can find different menus All you can eat.
Of course we couldn’t leave Stockholm without eating some meatballs with mashed potatoes, cream Sauce and lingonberries. If you love sweets, you can try their princess cake and cinnamon buns.
Even if you shop from a supermarket you will find higher prices than an Eastern Europe country for example! Still water is a kind of expensive, but we found out on our last day that the tap water is perfect to drink, so it makes sense. You can use your bottle and fill it, in this way you will protect the environment.

Did you know that?
I am sure you didn’t know that this capital is build on 14 islands.

Prices of the main attraction:

• Vasa Museum – 130 SEK
• Skansen Museum – Starting from 120 SEK
• Stockholm City Hall - 110 SEK
• Ericsson Globe SkyView - 150 SEK
• Abba Museum – 250 SEK, you can book online
• Nordic Museum – 120 sek, but Tuesday is free from 13:00-17:00!
• Gröna Lund – Admission to the Amusement park costs 120 SEK
• Stockholm Palace – 160 SEK

Hope you enjoyed my post.
Best regards,
@alexandraioana26

Sources

• https://sl.se/en/fares--tickets/
  http://www.skansen.se/en/this-is-skansen