Stockholm Old Town, Stockholm County, Sweden

5Sheila R 5:00 PM Mar 3, 2020

Scandinavian delight
Stockholm is a brilliant city to visit in its own right, but the old town has a charm all of its own. Its cobbled streets and attractive buildings are a delight to wander around and there are several cafés and restaurants in which to linger. For those of you who prefer tea to coffee, there is a dedicated teahouse in Svartmangatan (opposite the Tyska kyrkan) called Chaikhana. It offers a very large selection of different teas as well some very tasty snacks. While in the old town (Gamla Stan), the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) is a must to visit. Every room bears testament to the grandeur and power of its kings and queens. There are at least two tours a days in English but you can also wander around on your own with an audio guide. Stockholm has several interesting museums, among them being the Vasa Museum, which houses the 17th century ship Vasa. Having sunk in 1628, the Vasa had been left to rest on the seabed. However, 333 years later, it was finally salvaged and brought to the surface. It was miraculously mostly in tact, with only the rope rigging and sails having rotted. Although minus the sails, the rope rigging has subsequently been replaced. Now on permanent display in the museum its presence is breathtaking. As far as the weather is concerned, it is probably best to visit Stockholm in June, as it is much warmer then. Because we were celebrating a special occasion, we went at the end of February and were greeted with snow and freezing temperatures. However, even then it did not spoil our visit as we were well prepared with warm clothing. With the aid of a map, we found it easy to get around. Although you can buy passes for the hop-on-hop-off buses, the best way to see Stockholm is on foot. Places are closer to get to than it looks on the map. Everyone we spoke to was friendly and helpful, and to our shame spoke immaculate English – although they did appreciate our efforts to use the very few words and phrases we had learnt before our visit. The only downside to Stockholm is that it is very expensive to eat out, especially if you like to drink alcohol with your meal. Even mineral water and soft drinks can bump up the price. However, if you hold on to your empty water bottles, most restaurants and hotels will allow you to refill them with tap water. For us though, living in London meant we were already used to high prices. All in all, I can thoroughly recommend Stockholm as a city break destination.

5AmarillaArvika 5:00 PM Dec 9, 2020

Quaint
If you like small independant shops, small cafes and restaurants, in a historical setting, then this is the place to go. The only setback in this time of Corona, is that not everything is open, but it’s still good. I recommend going in the afternoon when it is almost dark, and walk up and down the little alleys, and looking into the shops that interest you. A must see and do for Stockholm.