General Information
Stockholm, Sweden’s beautiful capital, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges on an extensive Baltic Sea archipelago. The Heart of Stockholm is Gamla Stan. Which doesn’t mean anything else as “old city”. It represents the historic part of the capital. It’s mind-blowing that this area has been settled since the Stone Age
Arrival
Since Arlanda Airport is the only airport of Stockholm that welcomes international flights, your stay will most likely begin there. The airport is located about an hour north of Stockholm and can be reached by car and public transport from the inner city.
When traveling there, we mostly had booked a rental car that would allow us to travel independently to all places within the Stockholm are and beyond. But a car is definitely no necessity in a city like this one. Especially the inner city is connected extremely well. You can go by bus, tram and metro. And you won’t wait long as they arrive every 5 minutes on all days of the week.
In case you are interested in renting a car as well, you can do so at Arlanda Airport. I will link the location of the rental car services below so you can check them out for yourself!
Of course, Hertz is not the only company you can rent from, but it is one of the better ones and we have used it several times in the past!
If you choose not to rent a car and travel with public transport, you are also provided with a number of options!
Go by Train
The Arlanda Express train operates from Arlanda Airport to/from Stockholm Central Station every 15 min. throughout the day. The travel time is only 20 min. It costs extra to purchase a ticket on board the train, so check prices and book tickets online for the best price.
Commuter trains to Stockholm depart twice an hour from Arlanda and take around 45 minutes.
Go by Bus or Taxi
You can also travel by bus or taxi. The Flygbussarna Airport Coaches depart every 10-15 minutes between Arlanda Airport and the City Terminal (next to the Central Station) and travel time is around 35-45 minutes.
Flixbus has also started a route to Stockholm city, getting you directly to or from terminal 5, with multiple departures to choose from.
Taxis take around 40 mins to central Stockholm.
Go by Car
By car it takes approximately 40-45 minutes to drive the 40 km from the airport to central Stockholm. You take the E4 southwards all the way.
Stay at the Airport
In case your flight times are too exhausting to continue your travel right after landing, you also have the chance of staying the night at ARN.
Right around the corner of the arrivals there is a Radisson Blu you can spend the night. They even have a pool and a gym in case you still need to loose some energy! Find the place in the link below!
Hotels
There is a high chance you already booked a hotel to stay at during your trip to Stockholm, but if you are still in the planing phase, here is a list of ok the different high quality hotels you can stay at. I provided you with a list of them down below, scroll through to see what looks intriguing!
Most of these are located right in the center of the city. Some are located a little outside of the center area. These are accessible by the metro so don’t worry about being stuck at your hotel all day!
The best Hotels to Stay at in Stockholm
This list features all the best Hotels to stay at if you decide to visit Stockholm!
Food and Drinks
Well, now that you finally have all your bags unpacked it’s time to hit up a restaurant and get some snacks into you. In the list below you can find the best restaurants and bars in town that you definitely have to check out!
Doesn’t matter if you are looking for a quick snack on the go, a nice Italian meal or an American Burger, Stockholm has it all!
Stockholm’s Bars and Restaurants 🇸🇪
Here you can find a guide to the best bars and restaurants Stockholm has to offer! 🇸🇪🍾🍔
Insider:
Stockholm has countless rooftop bars that overlook the whole city of Stockholm! Nothing better than pouring some drinks while watching the sunset behind the horizon of the city, right?
Places to Explore and Visit!
Stockholm has more to offer than just exciting places to get food, it is also a very historical city!
Stockholm is one of the most crowded museum-cities in the world with around 100 museums, visited by millions of people every year.
The Vasa Museum (Swedish: Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum on DjurgĂĄrden which displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.
The Nationalmuseum houses the largest collection of art in the country: 16,000 paintings and 30,000 objects of art handicraft.
Skansen is a combined open-air museum and zoo, located on the island of DjurgĂĄrden.
ABBA The Museum is a Swedish interactive exhibition about the pop band ABBA that opened in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2013.
Of course, these are not all essential ones to visit but these will definitely keep you busy for a day or two!
Historical Sights
The Royal Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace (Swedish: Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. Stockholm Palace is on Stadsholmen, in Gamla stan in the capital, Stockholm
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. Built on the island Lovön, it is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces
AF Chapman
Af Chapman is a full-rigged steel ship moored on the western shore of the islet Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, Sweden, now serving as a youth hostel. On a sunny day you can even enjoy lunch and a coffee on board of the ship.
Shopping
In case you want to escape all that stress of catching trains and busses and shoving yourself through the crowds at the Royal Palace, then you can spend hours upon hours in countless shopping centers across the city.
Especially on rainy days these will be an advantage since you can spend the whole day shopping, eating etc.
Nature
Another way to escape the busy city life is heading a little outside of the city. There you will be able to find stunning forests, beaches and archipelago. There are even several beaches really close to the city!
Being located in the north of Södermalm, Stockholm’s most southern part of town, Hornbergs strand provides a perfect way to take your mid off of things and relaxing without having to travel far. With easy water access you can even go swimming during the hot summer days!
But be aware, the water is not always as warm as you might be used to in Summer as water temperatures don’t often exceed 20° C (68°F)
If you’re looking for recreational activities in Swedish nature, Hellasgården has it all. Located only 20 minutes from Stockholm city, this outdoor activity centre offers activities such as swimming, fishing, canoeing and cycling!
This will conclude my Stockholm guide! Hope you will have a fantastic time exploring the city and checking out all of my recommendations!
Have a save trip full of unforgettable experiences!
Best Wishes, Niklas!
If you want to get in touch with me regarding travel or other questions, hit me up on my Instagram @niklasjuritsch
You can also find a link to it on my profile on here!
Cheers!
General Information
Stockholm, Sweden’s beautiful capital, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges on an extensive Baltic Sea archipelago. The Heart of Stockholm is Gamla Stan. Which doesn’t mean anything else as “old city”. It represents the historic part of the capital. It’s mind-blowing that this area has been settled since the Stone Age
Arrival
Since Arlanda Airport is the only airport of Stockholm that welcomes international flights, your stay will most likely begin there. The airport is located about an hour north of Stockholm and can be reached by car and public transport from the inner city.
When traveling there, we mostly had booked a rental car that would allow us to travel independently to all places within the Stockholm are and beyond. But a car is definitely no necessity in a city like this one. Especially the inner city is connected extremely well. You can go by bus, tram and metro. And you won’t wait long as they arrive every 5 minutes on all days of the week.
In case you are interested in renting a car as well, you can do so at Arlanda Airport. I will link the location of the rental car services below so you can check them out for yourself!
Of course, Hertz is not the only company you can rent from, but it is one of the better ones and we have used it several times in the past!
If you choose not to rent a car and travel with public transport, you are also provided with a number of options!
Go by Train
The Arlanda Express train operates from Arlanda Airport to/from Stockholm Central Station every 15 min. throughout the day. The travel time is only 20 min. It costs extra to purchase a ticket on board the train, so check prices and book tickets online for the best price.
Commuter trains to Stockholm depart twice an hour from Arlanda and take around 45 minutes.
Go by Bus or Taxi
You can also travel by bus or taxi. The Flygbussarna Airport Coaches depart every 10-15 minutes between Arlanda Airport and the City Terminal (next to the Central Station) and travel time is around 35-45 minutes.
Flixbus has also started a route to Stockholm city, getting you directly to or from terminal 5, with multiple departures to choose from.
Taxis take around 40 mins to central Stockholm.
Go by Car
By car it takes approximately 40-45 minutes to drive the 40 km from the airport to central Stockholm. You take the E4 southwards all the way.
Stay at the Airport
In case your flight times are too exhausting to continue your travel right after landing, you also have the chance of staying the night at ARN.
Right around the corner of the arrivals there is a Radisson Blu you can spend the night. They even have a pool and a gym in case you still need to loose some energy! Find the place in the link below!
Hotels
There is a high chance you already booked a hotel to stay at during your trip to Stockholm, but if you are still in the planing phase, here is a list of ok the different high quality hotels you can stay at. I provided you with a list of them down below, scroll through to see what looks intriguing!
Most of these are located right in the center of the city. Some are located a little outside of the center area. These are accessible by the metro so don’t worry about being stuck at your hotel all day!
The best Hotels to Stay at in Stockholm
This list features all the best Hotels to stay at if you decide to visit Stockholm!
Food and Drinks
Well, now that you finally have all your bags unpacked it’s time to hit up a restaurant and get some snacks into you. In the list below you can find the best restaurants and bars in town that you definitely have to check out!
Doesn’t matter if you are looking for a quick snack on the go, a nice Italian meal or an American Burger, Stockholm has it all!
Stockholm’s Bars and Restaurants 🇸🇪
Here you can find a guide to the best bars and restaurants Stockholm has to offer! 🇸🇪🍾🍔
Insider:
Stockholm has countless rooftop bars that overlook the whole city of Stockholm! Nothing better than pouring some drinks while watching the sunset behind the horizon of the city, right?
Places to Explore and Visit!
Stockholm has more to offer than just exciting places to get food, it is also a very historical city!
Stockholm is one of the most crowded museum-cities in the world with around 100 museums, visited by millions of people every year.
The Vasa Museum (Swedish: Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum on DjurgĂĄrden which displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628.
The Nationalmuseum houses the largest collection of art in the country: 16,000 paintings and 30,000 objects of art handicraft.
Skansen is a combined open-air museum and zoo, located on the island of DjurgĂĄrden.
ABBA The Museum is a Swedish interactive exhibition about the pop band ABBA that opened in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2013.
Of course, these are not all essential ones to visit but these will definitely keep you busy for a day or two!
Historical Sights
The Royal Palace
Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace (Swedish: Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. Stockholm Palace is on Stadsholmen, in Gamla stan in the capital, Stockholm
Drottningholm Palace
The Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Swedish royal family. It is located in Drottningholm. Built on the island Lovön, it is one of Sweden's Royal Palaces
AF Chapman
Af Chapman is a full-rigged steel ship moored on the western shore of the islet Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, Sweden, now serving as a youth hostel. On a sunny day you can even enjoy lunch and a coffee on board of the ship.
Shopping
In case you want to escape all that stress of catching trains and busses and shoving yourself through the crowds at the Royal Palace, then you can spend hours upon hours in countless shopping centers across the city.
Especially on rainy days these will be an advantage since you can spend the whole day shopping, eating etc.
Nature
Another way to escape the busy city life is heading a little outside of the city. There you will be able to find stunning forests, beaches and archipelago. There are even several beaches really close to the city!
Being located in the north of Södermalm, Stockholm’s most southern part of town, Hornbergs strand provides a perfect way to take your mid off of things and relaxing without having to travel far. With easy water access you can even go swimming during the hot summer days!
But be aware, the water is not always as warm as you might be used to in Summer as water temperatures don’t often exceed 20° C (68°F)
If you’re looking for recreational activities in Swedish nature, Hellasgården has it all. Located only 20 minutes from Stockholm city, this outdoor activity centre offers activities such as swimming, fishing, canoeing and cycling!
This will conclude my Stockholm guide! Hope you will have a fantastic time exploring the city and checking out all of my recommendations!
Have a save trip full of unforgettable experiences!
Best Wishes, Niklas!
If you want to get in touch with me regarding travel or other questions, hit me up on my Instagram @niklasjuritsch
You can also find a link to it on my profile on here!
Cheers!