Visit Europes most livable city (Stockholm)

Member Name: lm09

Product:	Stockholm
Date:	25/03/09 (193 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning natural beauty meets stylish Swedish design and chilled out Vikings

Disadvantages: Cost

I visited Stockholm in June 2006. I was in the city to run in the Stockholm International marathon (which is the prettiest marathon to run in my opinion - more of that later).

Stockholm is the capital of sweden with a population of 800,000. It is a city built on lots of islands which gives each part a distinctive boundary and indentity. With waterways being a central feature, it is a stunningly beautiful city in which you are never more than five minutes from either parkland or a waterway.

At the time we travelled, Scandinavia was an expensive holiday option with Sweden having one of the highest living costs of any country, coupled with the highest living conditions. Also at the time we flew no budget arilines flew directly to Stockholm. We flew SAS (Scandanavian Air Services) whom we had flown with before to Copenhagen. This airline is very efficient and the planes clean. The flight landed at Arlanda airport which is about 20 miles outside of Stockholm. The airport, like all of Scandinavias major hub airports is amazingly modern and well organised. Trains leave the purpose build airport station every 30 minutes and take around 45 minutes to arrive at Stockholm central station.

Our hotel, The Adion Hotel, literally 100 meters away from the central station was ok. We chose it purely for price and location rather than style and elegance so in this respect it met our needs. We had a room on the inside of the building away from the busy Vasagatan road so the room was quiet and the beds comfortable.

From our hotel everywhere of interest in the city would be walkable, with the exception of the old Olmpyic Stadium for the start of the marathon. However Stockholm does have really good bus, train and tram systems so getting about is no problem at all.

Being summer (late May) the days were really long and sky an amazing blue colour. This gave all the buildings a stunning glow and the reflection of the water on Gamla Stan was stunning. Having seen photos of winter in Sotckholm this too looks a really nice time to visit with ice and snow giving the buildings a beautiful setting (however photographs don't emit warmth or cold so personally I am glad to have been in Stockholm in summer!).

As a capital city it never really has the rush or vibe of energy you would expect. This is not only after the capital of Sweden but also vies with Copenhagen to be the capital of Scandinavia. Only in the very heart of Klarabergsgatan do you fell the rush of people going to work. The Swedes seem to have their lives beautifully balanced with work as the means to an end rather than a means to existance.

With water all around one in three Stockholmers owns a boat and on summer weekends the waterways are full with sailboats heading away from the city, usually to a hut in the forest upcountry (apparently!). Stockholm, for this reason, really appealled to me and of all the European cities I have visited (costs excluded) Stockholm for me is the most livable. Given half a chnace I would happily re-settle here.

Sadly though I had four days so here is what I did. For reference prices are shown as Swedish Krona (skr). At the time of my visit the British pound was worth 13skr.

The obvious place to start exploring is the Old Town, Gamla Stan. This is the oldest part of Stockholm and is stunningly beautiful. Under the blue Scandinavian sky with water on all sides the colours and tones of the buildings are so photogenic. There are a number of really amazing buildings on Gamla Stan but the real beauty of the place is just to wonder around its narrow streets and alleyways. It is amazingly compact at only 300 meters squared but packs such a punch.

So for Gamla Stan's key sights then. The first place you should explore is Storkyran (the Cathedral which is free). It is here that the Kings and Queens of Sweden used to be crowned. Look out for (I say look out for but you really cannot miss it) the massively opulent pulpit. From here continue the royal theme and visit the Kungliga Slottet (Newq Castle) (5skr). If you can, try and arrive just after 12pm to catch the changing of the guard which takes place. It is, unlike others around Europe, actually interesting to watch. Inside the castle you get a free English speaking tour of the Royal appartments and the Royal Treasury which shows the wealth and opulence that Sweden has historically held.

After this take a look at how the other half live, you just need to wander through the streets of Gamla Stan to appreciate the atmosphere and beauty of the place. It is packed on the Southern end with bars and cafes to re-fuel.

Linked to Gamla Stan is another small island, Riddarholmen. This island, maybe 100 meters square, is like Gamla Stan - packed with sights. From the main square, Birger Jars Torg you are surrounded by the pretty photogenic buildings. The Riddarholmskyrkan (20skr) with its massive iron steeple dates back to the 13th century and is the final resting place of many Kings and Queens of Sweden.

Across the square to the north is Stenbocksa Palaset and to the west Wrangelska Palaset. Walk through Wrangelska Palaset for one of the best views of Sotckholm. The view from the Western shore of Riddarholmen over the water to to iconic city hall (Stadhuset) is stunning. With a blue sky and warming sun there aren't many better places in Europe to sit and take a view in my opinion.

After the view I wanted to get up close to the Sadhuset so headed back across the bridge to the mainland. The Stadhuset is probably the building that you will have seen in brouchures for Stockholm (if not this building it will have been of the view of Gamla Stan). From the top of the tower (15skr) you get possibly one of the best views over Gamla Stan. The tower is topped with a massive golden spire and the three gold crowns symbolic of Swedish power. This is the city's iconic power base.

After a hard morning exploring the Old Town, where better to cool off than another of Stockholms iconic sights. Just by the central station part of the Nordic hotel has to be the most atmospheric bar in Stockholm. The Icebar (125skr entrance) is a fairly unique drinking experience. Your entrance fee gets you the rent of a silver duffel coat, fur lined boots, gloves and entrance through to a bar made entirely of ice. The glasses, tables, even the bar itself are all made of ice and the cocktails taste amazing. I had and can recommend the Stockholmer, a mix of peach vodka, blue carraca and galliano. This tastes so very nice and in the cold temperatures is so easy to bolt!

Another day then and another island. Our plans for the day were to visit the Vasa museum and also the Skansen open air site. Both of these are some walk from the central station so you may wish to look at using the tramservice. I love walking though and the walk takes you right through the busy heart of Stockholm and along Standvagen. Trams run the length of Standvagen up to the front door of Skansen. Both the Vasa and Skansen are on Djurgaden island.

We took a boat trip around this island from one of the many boat tour companies on the quayside, which was great. It really shows just how green and close to nature Stockholm, a capital city is.

Another place I need to mention (but unfortunately I forget its name) is the floating bar that is by the bridge on the mainland side before crossing over to Djurgaden. This open air floating bar is such a lovely setting right on the water with views back to Gamla Stan and of the picturesque bridges.

Next up then the Vasa museum (Vasamusset) (70swk). The Vasa for those of you not clued up on your Swedish nautical history was to be the flagship boat of a proud Swedish fleet in the 17th century. To the Swedes with Viking heritage the seas and their maritime heritage is something they take immense pride in.

The Vasa then was, in its time, a massive ship with many tonnes of heavy cannon and gun. On the 10th August 1628 the Vasa was lauched and within just 10 minutes it sunk. The vessel with its guns was top heavy and met the bottom of the saltsjon within minutes of its launch with the loss of most of its crew. The ship has been painstkingly raised and pieced together and is truely magnifisnat to see. Having seen the Mary Rose (a clipper) before the fire the Vasa has to be easily 5 times this size. It is an amazing if utterly flawed vessel. The museum with the boat as its centre has a great museum built around it which includes the skeletons of some of the downed crew. The museum with labels in English is really interesting and takes around two hours to do it justice.

From this great museum to an even better one. Skansen (70skr) is a massive open air museum which sets out to show every aspect of Sweden in one place. It has 150 houses and property types showing the many styles of architecture of this diverse country from the Artic circle to the warmer south. Set in beautiful parkland, this museum is a days worth of exploring and I would advise you to buy the guidebook on entering the site. Included in the admission fee is entrance to a mini zoo and aquarium.

The zoo is great as it lets you get so close to the animals and the enclosures are really well done with the animals happiness put first. The lemurs cage allows you to walk right through and get climbed on by the lemurs. Away from the mini-zoo the park also has bigger more native creatures. Wolves, bears and reindeer are all on show (caged) in again really nice settings. Skansen is one of the World finest museums and if you are in Stockholm this is a must see site.

The above gives you a rough guide to Stockholm. This gives merely the highlights of my trip but there are so many other places that I visited and really enjoyed. Stockholm is a great city to explore on foot and just wander. It is has incredible natural beauty and the buildings and architecture alomst play second fiddle to nature. This seems odd for a city but you really need to see it to understand this.

As for the marathon, well it is my favourite marathon to date (8 different cities done). It is a two lap run, 13 miles each lap starting and finishing in the Olympic stadium. This is, for the fit and healthy, a great way to see this beautiful city passing through Gamla Stan and out over to the west of the city. The views back across the city from the big bridge are inspiring and as a runner it gives you a massive lift. For any marathon runners I would 100% advise you to run in Stockholm. The organisation is fantastic and the crowds are really good through the centre of town. Finishing in the Olympic stadium is pretty neat too.

The only downside to Stockholm that I can see is the cost. Sweden and Scandinavia in general are a really expensive place to travel with a beer in a modest bar costing anything from £5 upwards. Cost aside though, Stockholm is pretty much perfect. If I could live anywhere in Europe it would be Stockholm.

Summary: Perfect city break with something for everyone