The Swedish capital Stockholm, a colorful and vibrant city
Maybe there is still a misconception about financial inaccessibility of northern cities, but that is for quite some time now not true anymore. The capital city of Sweden offers a lot of opportunities for all types of visitors. My student's pocket in the three days that I have spent in this place did not dry up too much. You only have to be well organized and purchase the transportation tickets in advance, which can thus be very favourable.
I stopped in Stockholm during my long summer trip. Excitement over the city remains, because upon the arrival you instantly feel a mixture of different nature and cute infrastructure. Traffic connections with other major cities in neighbouring countries are excellent, buses and airplanes being the best choice for the traveller.
I found my temporary home in the
hostel STF Skeppsholmen, which in the 19th century functioned as the main castle woodshed, which is located not far away. On the opposite side stands the famous
STF af Chapman – hostel, located in a beautifully preserved boat. Both hostels are connected, sharing a reception, a breakfast room and large external surfaces. Not far away there is the station of public transportation from where a little boat takes you to the nearby islands. You can buy the ticket at the reception. Rooms are of different price ranges, and sitting on the deck but a unique experience.
There are quite a lot things that are worth visiting. For an intense tourist visit I recommend you to buy a Stockholm pass, because it contains the information about many museums and public transportation prices. Students bring also your student card, because with it you get at least a 10% discount almost everywhere.
One of the most interesting attractions in the city is the Vasa museum. After more than 300 years in the sea the sunken ship 'surfaced' again at the end of the 20th century and is now presented as a perfectly preserved specimen and the only preserved 17th century ship. The sea around Stockholm, which is not as salty as the Mediterranean Sea, has left it virtually untouched for centuries, so the fact that this is the most visited museum in Scandinavia is not surprising at all. And confirmed, worth a visit! Not far away, on the same island named Djurgården, also called the island of museums, there is a museum mostly for the children –JUNIBACKEN, which is dedicated to the work of Astrid Lindgren. But for music enthusiasts or loyal viewers of Eurovision song contest is almost mandatory to visit the museum dedicated the ABBA band.
City, also called the Northern Venice stretches over 14 islands, so for better orientation and integrated experience try out the many boats, which run from one island to another.
The old town or Gamla Stan in Swedish is located on the Stadsholmen island. Narrow streets and colourful crowded houses, with ground floor local products and souvenir shops are a must-have photo site. The island is connected by two bridges, and on it it’s still legal to fish without a permit since it was once a right for all citizens, struggling with famine. The water is very clean, so there are many fishermen sitting in the sun.
If you come here with full pockets, a few kilometres long Drottninggatan street, can be a shopping paradise. Well known H&M retail chain is located at each corner. But for a more relaxed shopping you can wander into a colourful marketplace – the Hötorget market – located in front of a concert hall, which annually hosts the Nobel prize ceremony.
The reputation of meatballs that people are happily eating at the end of a busy shopping in Ikea is in Stockholm replaced by the diverse range of sandwiches. These are offered in cafes with enticing shop-windows and cosy atmosphere, and are always a good choice after a long day. One of my favourite stops was a Koloni Strömparterren cafe. In general, the food in Sweden is rather expensive, especially if you want to eat in restaurants. Therefore, even the locals do not eat out as often, and personally I used the kitchen in the hostel a lot. Affordable breakfast offer was not to be rejected, as the choice of food was great, and the dining room was full of interesting travellers, sharing ideas for a new day exploring this beautiful city, whose visit (also during winter months) I highly recommend!
