A long weekend in Stockholm (Sweden)
Flying to Scandinavia
After several solo trips and digital nomad experience, I could finally travel somewhere with my boyfriend, without needing to think about work. We only spent three days in Stockholm, together with flying it was our long weekend around the 1st of May (national holiday both in Hungary and Sweden, and many other places).
For both of us, this was the first trip to the Scandinavian world, and I had known it would be different from everything else I had seen so far. I also had the feeling that it was going to be the opposite of the Mediterranean world and my journey to Italy and Spain. Well, it was, but it was also much more special and beautiful than we had thought it would be.
Our trip started on the 30th of April when we took an evening flight from Budapest to Sweden’s capital city. It was a calm flight, and we could experience an amazing sunset before landing. It was just spectacular, especially because we were above the fjords. I had never seen anything like that before! After a quick dinner at the airport, we were considering using public transport or taking a taxi, but because that express train going into the city center would have been very expensive, we decided to take a taxi. Sometime before midnight we finally arrived at our aparthotel.
Day 1: Downtown, Abba Museum and the port
On our first day in Stockholm, we could already see that this city is extremely clean, the people are calm and quiet, it’s not a crowded place and there is no overtourism like in many other European cities. We could also feel that the air was good, after all we were at the sea! The weather was cool and changeable, and it was always windy. But we were prepared with warmer clothes and although I was sometimes cold, it was a good feeling to walk around the city in such weather, especially when the sun was shining.
In the morning, we explored the downtown area and saw some beautiful buildings and quite little streets with cobble stones. After lunch, we headed toward ABBA The Museum (that’s its official name) where we had tickets for the afternoon. I was very excited as it is my favorite band, and I am fun of their music. I had thought it would be interesting for me, but it was even more fun! It’s an interactive exhibition where you can try out many things, and I had the feeling as if we were on a big playground for adults (and for kids). Even the women’s restroom was pink and nicely decorated. It was really worth a visit and I can only recommend it to you, if you like ABBA.
We still had some time until dinner time, so we decided to walk around a bit in the port and near the water. It was so beautiful and amazing in sunshine, with special lights or colors. I just cannot explain it well enough; the pictures can show it better.
Day 2: Vasa Museum and sightseeing
The Vasa Museum is the most famous museum in Stockholm, and you should definitely visit it, if you travel there. It is about a big military ship built in the 17th century, then sunk right after leaving the port and then found under the water many years later. In the museum, you can watch a short film about its history in English and in other languages, too. The ship is as big as a four-story building and the museum consists of seven floors. The dimensions are unimaginable! We spent three hours there and it was crowded with visitors. But it was worth it, of course! While the ABBA Museum was rather for me, this Vasa Museum was especially interesting for my boyfriend, but I was also amazed by this ship which is not just in the center of the museum, but the museum was actually built around it! It’s questionable how long this wooden ship can stay like this in its original form, so it’s a special feeling to see it for yourself, in life.
Stockholm is built on islands, there is water all around. Consequently, you can see numerous ships and ferries, and many of them can be used by your general public transport ticket or pass. We used the opportunity and took a ferry to get from the island where there are the most museums to the downtown area where we wanted to have lunch and continue sightseeing. It was very nice to walk around the center in the afternoon, and we even went to a gluten-free bakery because of me. By the way, there are many gluten-free options in the city, so it is a gluten-free-friendly destination. I could also have some cakes in the afternoons. After all, Swedish people are famous for their coffee and cake tradition.
Day 3: Royal Palace and Changing of the Guard
The main program for our last day was the visit to the Royal Palace. We wanted to do it in the morning, but finally had lunch before actually went into the building, as we spent some time there, experiencing the Changing of the Guard. We had to wait a long time for it to start and there were already many people around us, but it was a special experience and I’m happy we could see it. There was music and it was like a ceremony. Probably it was the first time in my life to experience such a thing.
For lunch we sat into a nice restaurant and my boyfriend could finally try the famous and delicious meatballs, which can be called the national food of Sweden, I think. I could only try a bit of it, as it wasn’t good for my diet, I chose something else. And after this delicious lunch, we finally went into the palace to see it from the inside, too. Unfortunately, all the tickets had been sold out for the guided tours, although we bought our tickets a few weeks before the trip. Still, we could go into some parts of the building, and it was nice as well.
After this visit, we just walked around in the city center and next to the sea, enjoying our last afternoon in Stockholm. I was already a bit sad that we have to travel home the next day. It was such a beautiful place, and we had a great time there, on our first trip together. We finished the journey with a nice dinner at a burger place where I could order gluten-free burger, of course. Then we went back to our hotel and prepared for the early morning flight.
The way back home
We had to get up at 3:15 a.m. in the morning and our taxi came half an hour later. Our flight to Budapest departed at 5:45 a.m. It was tough to get up at such time, but we could see a beautiful sunrise from the taxi (just like we enjoyed an amazing sunset from the airplane upon our arrival). We had a quick breakfast at the airport and then ran towards the gate as I hadn’t thought that it was such a big airport and that the walking distances could be so long. We have just caught our flight, it was already last call…
Of course, it was a bit strange to be in Hungary again, as Scandinavia is really a different world. But I was happy to talk about our experience and beautiful journey to the family. Both my boyfriend and me agreed that we would like to go back sometime. Either to Stockholm, or some other parts of the Scandinavian world. Because it was just amazing!
Extra: what was surprising for me in Sweden
– 1st of May is a holiday but different than in Hungary: shops are opened, demonstrations on the street
-Swedish people are very calm and quiet, but they were also very nice and friendly
-everyone speaks English well (although I had thought it)
-coeducated restrooms almost everywhere (at the station, in restaurants, etc.)
-prices were like in Budapest (in the downtown) (we had thought that they would be much higher)
-golf seemed to be a popular sport: people with golf equipment and golf balls in souvenir shops
-not so many tourists, especially not from Asia or Southern Europe, most tourists from Germany
-the city was so clear that we could hardly imagine that before
-you cannot pay in cash at most places, only card is accepted (Be prepared for your jorney!)
All in all, it’s a highly developed and beautiful city, and we enjoyed our trip. 😊