On Sunday, I touched down back in Manchester after a 4-day break in Stockholm, Sweden. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, but Scandinavia, in general, has always been somewhere I'd been really keen on going so gathered that Stockholm - being the biggest city in Scandinavia and all - would probably be a good place to start. And boy, I wasn't disappointed...
Day one
We landed in Stockholm airport on Thursday afternoon and took the Arlanda Express to the center of the city - the return ticket coming in at around £23. I later learned that it's the fastest and most eco-friendly route to take from the airport, which is a huge bonus! It was then around a ten-minute walk to our accommodation - the Generator hostel on Torsgatan 10, 111 23. I'll admit, I was extremely skeptical about the whole hostel thing as I'd never done it before but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. My friends and I stayed a private room with 2 bunk beds and an ensuite. There were plenty of plugs, it was clean and overall, it was well worth the money.
We didn't have too much planned for the day as we needed to get our bearings so we ate in McDonald's (I know, you don't have to tell me how bad that is). One thing we did have planned, however, was an ice hockey game in the evening at the Hovet arena, which we had pre-booked before the trip. The match saw Djurgården and Luleå go head to head, and while admittedly, I wasn't too sure what was going on, the crowd was so lively and the atmosphere was incredible!
Day two
Our first full day kicked off with breakfast at a coffee shop chain named Wayne's coffee. I believe that most of the shops are located in Sweden, but there are a few in other areas such as Cyprus and even the UK! We then headed for a browse around the shops, a walk along the harbour, picked up a very delicious halloumi burger for lunch (Stockholm was very on its game when it came to vegan and veggie options), before taking a trip over to the ABBA museum - because of course, you can't go to Sweden and not go to the ABBA museum, right?
I have to say, the ABBA museum was a huge highlight of the trip for me - it was so much better than I was expecting! Admission was around £21 (we'll get to Stockholm prices later on) but it was so worth it. There was a whole host of ABBA memorabilia to feast your eyes on as well as interactive activities like performing on stage with the infamous ABBA holograms (yes, I did perform dancing queen, no, I have no regrets) and props to take pictures with. The museum also boasted tons of the band's original outfits, instruments, tour memorabilia, and awards. And of course, there was a Mamma Mia (as in the movie, not the song) section too.
The museum was also pretty big - taking us a good hour to get around the whole thing so it was well worth the admission fee. Oh, and for anyone who is looking for something to remember their visit by, there's a gift shop at the end too.
After finishing up at the ABBA museum, we were desperate to get onto a boat as it was something we had wanted to do at some point during the trip. So, we took the ferry to another island. To be truthful, we had no idea where we were going (turns out we were heading the opposite way from where we needed to be) and we ended up having to get a bus back to Stockholm Central but it was all worth it just to be on the water! Although, while it was fun, I would recommend probably knowing where you want to go first, especially if you aren't a confident traveler.
Day three
Our third day was another one jam-packed with exploring - which I adore. After seeing the sign on the previous day, we decided to go to the Sven-Harry art museum located on Eastmansvägen 10, 113 61, for the "Art in Fashion" exhibition that they currently have there until 31st May.
Entry into the exhibition is free for under 19s, £7 for students and around £10 for full-price admission and I have to say, I was blown away.
The exhibition wasn't massive but it was so good! The aim of it was to showcase and explore the importance and the role of art in fashion. The exhibition brings together works by Nikoline Liv Anderson, BITE, Martin Bergström, Ann Bonander Looft, Selam Fessahaye, Mark Kenly Domino Tan, Linda Nurk, Astrid Olsson, Diana Orving, Stina Randestad, Olivier Saillard, Bea Szenfeld, Henrik Vibskov and Wilhja, under the direction of fashion expert and journalist, Cay bond.
As you'd expect, there's a (very aesthetically pleasing) gift shop at the entrance to the museum that boasted the likes of fashion books, postcards and even pressed flower bookmarks but sadly, it was very expensive - just a programme for the exhibition came with a hefty price tag of £20. So, I came away with 2 small postcard prints for around £1.50 instead.
We then headed over to Cha-Talk on Rådmansgatan 58, 113 60 for a bubble tea. This small but cosy café exclusively serves natural bubble tea (which is slightly different than the artificial bubble tea they serve at places like Bobo tea in Manchester, for example). For many of the flavours, we were able to choose how much ice we wanted and the level of sweetness so there really was an element of being able to tailor the drink to your personal taste. Cha Talk offered traditional bubble tea with tapioca in flavours such as Taro, brown sugar and Matcha. However, if that doesn't tantalise your tastebuds they also did strawberry, banana and watermelon (to name a few). Fruit teas without tapioca were also on the menu. I opted for a medium strawberry milk tea with tapioca, which set me back a reasonable £3.70 (anyone who is a bubble tea obsessive will know it ain't exactly on the cheap side anyway).
After (once again) having a wander around the shops (and stumbling across a very cute open ice skating rink) we headed back to the hostel for a game of ping pong. I got well and truly thrashed, to say the least, but it was good fun and one of the big positives of staying in a hostel - there really is a wonderful social element to it.
Then, it was time to head out for tea. We opted for the very stereotypical trip to Hard Rock Café on Sveavägen 75, 113 50, where I ordered (surprise surprise) the "Big Cheeseburger" and a cocktail. Sadly, I didn't really enjoy the meal that much as, while it wasn't exactly bad, it came in at £26 for what was really just a basic burger and chips - personally, I'd have much preferred to hunt down something Swedish instead. But hey, you win some, you lose some!
Pom & Flora is pretty much any Instagram mogul's haven - everything from the interior to the coffees and food is presented so well (the breakfast is pictured in the above collage at the top left). I ordered a standard latte and the "100% eggs" dish which consisted of half an avocado, scrambled eggs, cheese, chilli and cress on toast - totaling up to £13.16 for the lot. The food was nothing short of delicious, the staff were extremely friendly and overall, it was well worth the wait for the table!
After our breakfast at Pom & Flora, it was time to (reluctantly) catch the Arlanda Express back to the airport for our flight home. The journey back and to from the airport takes around 20 minutes, with the trains running roughly every 10 to 15 mins.
Final thoughts
Of course, it was impossible to include every little thing we did during our trip in this post for fear of boring you all to death, but over the 4 days, I truly fell in love with Sweden... so much so that I would literally move there. From the endless fresh flower markets scattered along the streets, fabulous food options and scenery to the lack of litter and brilliant atmosphere, there wasn't anything to complain about... apart from 2 things, that is. The first being the prices. Of course, Stockholm is a capital city, so its bound to be more expensive. But, I noticed that certain things were very overpriced - namely drinks, touristy stuff (probably to be expected, to be fair) and anything shopping-related. The food, on the other hand, wasn't too bad. So, if you're planning a trip to Stockholm, definitely prepare yourself to spend a bit more than you initially planned.
Secondly, the only other complaint I have is that I simply felt like I couldn't squeeze enough into the 4 days. Usually, when it comes to city breaks, I find that just shy of a week is enough (for example, when I visited Budapest back in 2016 for a week, I actually felt like I had too much time on my hands)- but in Stockholm, this was a whole other story. Given the sheer size of the city and how spread out everything is, it's so hard to get everything done. So, I would definitely like to return at some point to see more of this amazing city.
I also wish that I had the time to try out more local places eat and drink too - especially given how impressed I was by Pom & Flora.
All-in-all, Stockholm was a truly magical experience. It was a city that not only wowed me but made me fall head over heels in love with it. I'm really not lying when I say I would live there.
My amazing friend Naz filmed the trip and edited this travel vlog, so, I thought I'd pop it in at the end of this post!
Until next time, Sweden. x
Entry into the exhibition is free for under 19s, £7 for students and around £10 for full-price admission and I have to say, I was blown away.
The exhibition wasn't massive but it was so good! The aim of it was to showcase and explore the importance and the role of art in fashion. The exhibition brings together works by Nikoline Liv Anderson, BITE, Martin Bergström, Ann Bonander Looft, Selam Fessahaye, Mark Kenly Domino Tan, Linda Nurk, Astrid Olsson, Diana Orving, Stina Randestad, Olivier Saillard, Bea Szenfeld, Henrik Vibskov and Wilhja, under the direction of fashion expert and journalist, Cay bond.
As you'd expect, there's a (very aesthetically pleasing) gift shop at the entrance to the museum that boasted the likes of fashion books, postcards and even pressed flower bookmarks but sadly, it was very expensive - just a programme for the exhibition came with a hefty price tag of £20. So, I came away with 2 small postcard prints for around £1.50 instead.
We then headed over to Cha-Talk on Rådmansgatan 58, 113 60 for a bubble tea. This small but cosy café exclusively serves natural bubble tea (which is slightly different than the artificial bubble tea they serve at places like Bobo tea in Manchester, for example). For many of the flavours, we were able to choose how much ice we wanted and the level of sweetness so there really was an element of being able to tailor the drink to your personal taste. Cha Talk offered traditional bubble tea with tapioca in flavours such as Taro, brown sugar and Matcha. However, if that doesn't tantalise your tastebuds they also did strawberry, banana and watermelon (to name a few). Fruit teas without tapioca were also on the menu. I opted for a medium strawberry milk tea with tapioca, which set me back a reasonable £3.70 (anyone who is a bubble tea obsessive will know it ain't exactly on the cheap side anyway).
After (once again) having a wander around the shops (and stumbling across a very cute open ice skating rink) we headed back to the hostel for a game of ping pong. I got well and truly thrashed, to say the least, but it was good fun and one of the big positives of staying in a hostel - there really is a wonderful social element to it.
Then, it was time to head out for tea. We opted for the very stereotypical trip to Hard Rock Café on Sveavägen 75, 113 50, where I ordered (surprise surprise) the "Big Cheeseburger" and a cocktail. Sadly, I didn't really enjoy the meal that much as, while it wasn't exactly bad, it came in at £26 for what was really just a basic burger and chips - personally, I'd have much preferred to hunt down something Swedish instead. But hey, you win some, you lose some!
Day Four
Check-out time at Generator was 10am, so we dragged outs;ves out of bed and hunted down somewhere for breakfast. We ended up settling on a wonderful place called Pom & Flora, located on Odengatan 39, 113 51. Honestly, if you ever go to Stockholm, this place is a must! The only downside was that it was really busy - in fact, at one point the queue for a table was out of the door, so if booking is an option I would definitely urge you to make a reservation!
After our breakfast at Pom & Flora, it was time to (reluctantly) catch the Arlanda Express back to the airport for our flight home. The journey back and to from the airport takes around 20 minutes, with the trains running roughly every 10 to 15 mins.
Final thoughts
Of course, it was impossible to include every little thing we did during our trip in this post for fear of boring you all to death, but over the 4 days, I truly fell in love with Sweden... so much so that I would literally move there. From the endless fresh flower markets scattered along the streets, fabulous food options and scenery to the lack of litter and brilliant atmosphere, there wasn't anything to complain about... apart from 2 things, that is. The first being the prices. Of course, Stockholm is a capital city, so its bound to be more expensive. But, I noticed that certain things were very overpriced - namely drinks, touristy stuff (probably to be expected, to be fair) and anything shopping-related. The food, on the other hand, wasn't too bad. So, if you're planning a trip to Stockholm, definitely prepare yourself to spend a bit more than you initially planned.
Secondly, the only other complaint I have is that I simply felt like I couldn't squeeze enough into the 4 days. Usually, when it comes to city breaks, I find that just shy of a week is enough (for example, when I visited Budapest back in 2016 for a week, I actually felt like I had too much time on my hands)- but in Stockholm, this was a whole other story. Given the sheer size of the city and how spread out everything is, it's so hard to get everything done. So, I would definitely like to return at some point to see more of this amazing city.
I also wish that I had the time to try out more local places eat and drink too - especially given how impressed I was by Pom & Flora.
All-in-all, Stockholm was a truly magical experience. It was a city that not only wowed me but made me fall head over heels in love with it. I'm really not lying when I say I would live there.
Until next time, Sweden. x
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