Stockholm, Sweden

Originally the city center was Gamla Stan but now Stockholm is much larger with the main areas being Norrmalm, Ostermalm, and Sodermalm. Stockholm is made up of 7 large islands with an archipelago surrounding it. 3 days in Stockholm is not nearly enough time to fully enjoy this beautiful city. Stockholm, like Oslo, is very easy to navigate and walking is a great way to get around.

Below Ostermalm is Alberget, an island that houses Grona Land Amusement Park, The Viking Museum, The Vasa Museum, The Abba Museum, a large park, and several restaurants like Oaxen Slip, a wonderful old boathouse restaurant.

The Vasa Museum houses The Vasa, 1 17th century warship that sank during its maiden voyage in 1628. The ship remained buried for over 300 years until finally in 1957 they started the process of trying to raise her from the mud. In 1961 the Vasa was raised out of the water and transported to a dry dock for restoration. We were amazed at how massive this wooden ship was when we were able to view it.

After leaving the Vasa Museum we headed back towards Norrmalm walking along the harbor on Standvagen. We stopped at Strandbistron for a Swedish lunch consisting of Swedish meatballs, lingonberries, potato mash, and a pickle. Touristy? Yes, but worth it.

To the south lies Soldermalm. An island filled with shops, restaurants, churches, parks, and views of Gamla Stan. The best views of Gamla Stan can be seen from the sky bar of Himlen or from the top of the Katarina Elevator which is just across the bridge.

Looking for a good pizza in Sweden? try Omnipollos Hatt in Soldermalm. The craft beer is excellent and if you are lucky you can get a table outside. After a late lunch head to the West Bridge for a different photo opportunity of Gamla Stan then continue across to the public beach of Smedsuddsbadet.

Our favorite place in Stockholm is Gamla Stan, the cities old town with cobbled streets and 17th – 18th-century buildings. You can stroll for hours looking in shops, stopping for drinks, and visiting historic churches and The Royal Palace.

The oldest church in Gamla Stan is Storkrykan, Church of St. Nicholas. The church’s pulpit is fashioned in the French Baroque Style and is quite impressive. The church also houses the wooden sculpture of Saint George and The Dragon. If you visit only one church in Stockholm, it should be this one.

There are many things to see and do in Gamla Stan. The candy shop Old Town Polkagriskokeri is a must. We watched them hand roll candy canes while there and bought several to bring home.

There are many pubs and small cellar restaurants to be found. One recommendation would be Kaffegillet I Gamla Stan. An interesting bar to visit would be Pharmarium in the Stortorget right across from the Nobel Museum. Set in al old Pharmacy, they have many interesting concoctions to sample.

Looking for oddities? Search for the second thinnest alley in Europe and the statue Jarnpojke, “little boy who looks at the moon”, the smallest sculpture in Gamla Stan.

The next place to visit in Galma Stan has to be the Royal Palace. There is a great bit of history to the building and even its windows. It consists of over 1400 rooms and contains the Royal Chapel, Offices of The Royal Court, The National Library, and many others. We used Our Way Tours for a tour of Gamla Stan and it was well worth the money.