Stockholm: Planning My First Trip Abroad

Are you planning a vacation to Stockholm? Let me tell you, my May 2022 trip to Stockholm was nothing short of an amazing experience. My boyfriend’s family invited me on their holiday to Stockholm and Copenhagen, and they asked me to plan it. This was my first trip that I officially planned all by myself (like a real adult), so I was eager to do and see as much as we could. I tried to plan stuff that all of us would enjoy. In addition, I planned for us to see some local places, along with the touristy things. Fortunately, we had 5 full days to visit the area plus 1 travel day, so I will share the places that I highly suggest to anybody seeking an excellent Stockholm travel guide.

How We Got There

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to book the flights. I flew to Nashville from Newark to meet them in order to travel all together. Then, we traveled from Nashville, where they reside, to Washington, D.C. to Amsterdam to Stockholm to begin our tour. A taxi drove us from the airport to the hotel at the Courtyard Marriott in Stockholm.

As an anxious person, flying out of the country for only the second time, I did not handle delays and long lines as well as I would’ve hoped. I panicked quite a bit on the way there. However, for those anxious people out there, you must remember that everything will work out, and you will arrive at your destination. One way to help is to make sure you don’t plan anything for the first day you arrive. Another thing to keep in mind when traveling to Europe is that they will probably make you check your bag, even if it fits as a carry-on in the US. Because I thought my luggage would be lost, this made me particularly nervous. However, everything was fine and none of our bags were lost.

Our Stockholm Hotel

Thankfully, I didn’t have to book the hotel either as my boyfriend’s father had Marriott points for it. I highly recommend using points here if possible because this hotel was great. We got to have drinks each night at the bar, and yes, I’m 22 😉 . We used credit from their points and the included breakfast was amazing! The breakfast was different from U.S. hotel breakfasts with yummy, fresh fruit and Swedish pancakes. The hotel was in a lovely place with an easy commute to the touristy locations. The Courtyard Marriott was even within walking distance to the boat to Drottningholm Palace where we went on our first day. That walk was not only short, but very scenic. This made exploration possible and economical with nice walks or short Uber rides.

How We Got Around

Since I walk a lot with my family, and my boyfriend’s family mentioned they like to walk, too, we tried to walk everywhere once we got to our first location for the day, as long as it was under about 25 minutes. Otherwise, we would Uber as they had set prices and the drive would be reasonably short.

We certainly made a couple wrong turns at points because there was lots of construction that wasn’t mentioned in Google Maps, which made me anxious about missing activities. However, getting lost in a new city should add to the fun, which was something I tried to tell myself, and that helped a lot! Remember traveling is supposed to be an adventure so don’t panic about the hiccups/delays/etc.

The Specifics of My Trip to Stockholm

You may arrange your journey to include all of the places you wish to see, or you can let the “route” carry you through Stockholm’s many amazing sights that are not to be missed. I chose to plan the places I wanted to see since I don’t travel out of the country that often.

However, since it was recommended to me not to plan anything for the first day, we decided to explore Gamla Stan for dinner and wandered into a place that looked cool. It was delicious, especially the steak my boyfriend ordered. As I was a little worried about my stomach issues, I ordered salmon and the best mashed potatoes, saving half to take back to the hotel to eat later. Although I wasn’t sure if it was common for people to take home leftovers in Europe, they allowed me to do so, and I enjoyed the rest of the meal in the comfort of my room. 🙂 After we finished eating, we took a few pictures, but we would be coming back to Gamla Stan another time. So, we headed back to the hotel for some drinks and dessert, then called it a night for a busy day ahead.

Day 1

After the long journey, I knew I wanted to have something fun for the first day. Earlier that month, I booked a boat ride to Drottningholm Palace (where the Swedish Royal Family lived) that left at 10 am and arrived at 11 am. If you want to take the boat tour, I highly recommend booking it early. We took a nice walk here from our hotel after breakfast and arrived 25 minutes early, so we got to take lots of pictures.

On the boat, we enjoyed a small fika (coffee and pastries) along with the beautiful sights. You can get to the palace through other forms of transportation, but we loved the boat ride. However, if you are taking the boat ride, you have to keep an eye on time since there are limited boat rides. We bought the tickets that included the Chinese Pavilion, but we didn’t realize how far the walk was and almost missed our boat ride back. We decided to eat lunch on the way back and I had my first taste of Swedish meatballs, which were delicious!

After this, we walked around the Södermalm neighborhood. In terms of style and energy, Södermalm is more vibrant and trendy. Every corner has a store. We also stopped for another fika break 🙂

After walking around Södermalm, we headed to Drottninggatan Street, which is the main shopping street. This is a must-see in Stockholm as it’s super popular with big and small stores. They have a huge H&M here, including H&M Home, which started in Stockholm. You must check it out. My favorite was Åhléns, a huge department store on this street.

For dinner, I booked a reservation at a place on this street called Rolfs Kök. I would give this place 5 stars for food and service. Accidentally, I ordered a fish that looked like a fish with bones. I have somewhat of a fear of eating food that looks like what it is, but I decided to be adventurous and go for it and it was delicious.

Day 2

We started our Day 2 in Gamla Stan, which is the old town of Stockholm. These days, it is the ideal location for leisurely strolls and savoring beverages thanks to the many cafés, restaurants, and souvenir stores that line the narrow cobbled alleyways. Some sights we saw:

• Royal Palace
  • This is one of the most famous attractions within Gamla Stan. From my understanding, this is the previous residence of the royal family and is the current setting for most of the monarchy’s official receptions. Within the Royal Palace, there are museums to visit.
• Stortorget
  • The Nobel Prize Museum is located in this square and I got to learn about the prestigious Nobel Prize.
• Parliament House
  • We looked at the beautiful exterior.
• Riddarholmen Church
  • It serves as the final resting place for the Swedish aristocracy and monarchs.
• Storkyrkan
  • Overlooking the Old Town is Stockholm’s Great Cathedral. The Swedish Royals are wedded and crowned here.
• Iron Boy
  • According to legend, the sculpture will bring luck to anybody who strokes the boy’s head or presents him with modest gifts. 
• Mårten Trotzigs Gränd
  • This is the narrowest street in Stockholm.

When it came time for lunch, I directed my group to a local favorite that I found called Barobao. The menu is short but extremely well chosen, and the idea is to choose a few dishes to share rather than just one entre. We had a lovely afternoon lunch here. You come here not to stuff yourself but rather to enjoy every meal. Foodies must try this place! There weren’t many employees, so the food took a little bit of time, but it’s worth it!

For dinner, I made a reservation at Woodstockholm. By chance, I came across this location after being attracted by the name during my research online. It is a little restaurant that serves fine cuisine and is located on Mosebacke Torg, not far from the city’s highest point. The quirky menu has a monthly theme change. The cuisine was delectable, stylish, and skillfully prepared. In particular, considering the caliber of the cuisine they offered, the rates were fair. If you’re in Stockholm, I highly recommend checking out this eatery.

Day 3

One of our Uber drivers recommended seeing the cherry blossoms in Kungsträdgården, so we started the day here. However, they had not bloomed yet. Despite the park being beautiful, if you are limited on time, I only recommend this place if the cherry blossoms have bloomed.

For lunch, we walked to Urban Deli. This place has a deli and restaurants. It has a really laid-back setting with excellent meals and courteous service.

We continued our day in Djurgården. There are several lush, lovely gardens and parks in Djurgården that are ideal for walking through, exploring, or going for a picnic while strolling along the seaside promenade.

I am not a fan of most museums, but I planned some for my boyfriend’s parents. What I didn’t expect was how much I would enjoy the Vasa Museum. The Vasa, the only nearly completely undamaged 17th-century ship ever recovered, is on exhibit in the museum. I loved it so much that I bought my brother a souvenir shot glass from here.

For dinner, I made a reservation at Tennstopet. It is a highly regarded eatery with top-notch cuisine and attentive service. They do take your coat, so make sure you are dressed properly. I recommend trying some of the classic Swedish foods in particular, such as the Swedish meatballs.

Day 4

We started our Day 4 with an archipelago tour that I booked in advance. I don’t want to lie, it was a nice tour, but a bit boring and hard to follow. You won’t see anything noteworthy despite the tour guide’s engaging narrative. The boat just travels through the canals on a lengthy, tedious path without stopping at any islands. On board, we ultimately looked at our phones and almost dozed off. However, if you need to fill 2.5 hours with wine, treats, and relaxation, this is for you!

We had lunch at Hötorgshallen, which is an indoor market. We explored the market stalls and embarked on a culinary adventure. An organic butcher shop called Helbergs offered samples of smoked brown bear, reindeer mousse, and wild boar sausage. I only tried the wild boar while my boyfriend sampled all of it. In the food hall, we also tried other international foods and I picked up a souvenir for my mom: coffee beans!

Though it is definitely meant for tourists, we visited the ABBA Museum. I knew I had to visit because I love ABBA and they are part of Swedish culture. The exhibit took us on an interactive tour of one of the greatest pop musical careers in history. Even though my boyfriend is not the biggest ABBA fan, he still had so much fun. I’ve never seen a more interactive museum that made me want to sing and dance and not care who was watching. After this, we made a last minute reservation in Stortorget. I don’t remember the name of the place, but it was delicious as I’m sure many restaurants are in the area.

Day 5

We started our last day in Vasastan. The panoramas from Vasastan’s Observatory Park are breathtaking. Luckily, this was next to the seminar my boyfriend’s dad had to give, so he could join us before he had to leave.

I didn’t plan a specific place for lunch, but we were in the mood for Ramen and found Take Ramen. The noodles were great, and the broth had a delicious flavor. I chose the one with pork belly, which was quite tasty and tender. It was a really enjoyable experience.

Another place to highlight is StikkiNikki. The gelato is tasty and has the proper texture. The portion is also very generous as you can see in this picture below. My favorite was the blueberry gelato.

After this, I planned to see the metro art, but we didn’t actually take the metro and you need to buy a ticket. Instead, we headed to Långholmen. The island of Långholmen is relatively small. It offers a lovely artificial beach area that didn’t become too crowded and was the ideal place to see the main island and canals. If you want to take things slowly, the entire island includes a lot of nature trails.

We crossed the Långholmsbron Bridge for a short walk to Hornstull. On the westernmost point of Södermalm, at Hornstull, things are changing to a hipster utopia. Around the retail center Hornhuset and along the shoreline, restaurants, bars, and stores are opening one after another. Hornstull offers a hip mood while maintaining a welcoming and open atmosphere.

Then, we walked on the wrong side of a long bridge to meet my boyfriend’s dad for dinner near our hotel.

Final Observations on Visiting Stockholm

Stockholm is so adorable and lovely! You don’t necessarily need 5 days to do everything in Stockholm. In fact, sometimes it was hard stretching the itinerary, so we filled lots of time with fika breaks. Personally, we visited in May and we loved the weather. It wasn’t too cold or warm and we got very lucky with very little rain. There also weren’t too many crowds.

Be sure to check out my upcoming post on the second half of my trip: Copenhagen! If you want to see other travel posts, check out my post on Tampa!