Three Summer Days in Stockholm

 story and photos by Marcia Simon  ©2026

one of many restaurants in Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town

Swedish meatballs, open-faced sandwiches, fika and ABBA. These staples of Swedish culture become clear when you visit the capital city of Stockholm.
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Stockholm, the city built on 14 islands interconnected by 57 bridges, is largely defined by water. For obvious reasons, the waterfront is a prominent feature of daily life. The city sits at the edge of a massive 30,000-island archipelago that is easily accessible by boat tours and ferries.
 
It's no surprise that island hopping through the inner city and beyond is among the most popular tourist activities. Once you look at a map to fully understand the network of islands connecting the sections of Stockholm, the hop-on-hop-off ferry makes a lot of sense. Aside from being visitor-friendly, it's often the fastest way for locals to get around, too.
 
Stockholm's public transportation system is efficiently run across buses, trains, trams and the metro (subway or tunnelbanan). In fact, the underground metro has been called "the world's longest art gallery" because of the creative painting, sculpture, and mosaic designs staring at you as you come down the escalators to the tracks.
Arriving at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport, the fastest way to get to the city center is the Arlanda Express, a dedicated train that runs all day between the airport and Central Station, and gets you to the city in less than 20 minutes.

​​Day 1 – Ice Bar and Gamla Stan
Coming to Stockholm from the Arlanda Express, you'll be right at the Ice Bar when you exit the train station. (Arriving at Central Station by train from other cities, it's less than a five-minute walk.) So why not stop in for this unique experience?

Ice Bars are currently trending and popping up in major cities, but this is the first permanent ice bar, established in 2002 and made popular by Sweden's acclaimed Ice Hotel north of the Arctic Circle. Even if you show up wearing summer shorts and sandals, you'll be given a warm jacket and gloves to protect you from the constant 23° F temperature. This keeps the ice (bar, glasses, seating, walls and ice sculptures) frozen. Choose a cocktail or mocktail themed around arctic berries and your favorite spirit. If you have luggage, you can store it securely for free at the next-door Hotel C.

We stayed at the Berns Hotel, ideally located for its easy walk from Central station, and to the harbor, Royal Palace, Gamla Stan (Old Town) and other sites and ferry stops. (It's a wonderful boutique hotel, but the night clubs at Berns can get noisy, so request a room in the quiet section of the hotel if concerned about that.)

​Gamla Stan, the historic heart of Stockholm, dates back to 1252. It's recognized as one of the best-preserved medieval city centers in Europe. Today it's loaded with souvenir shops and restaurants, not to mention colorful old buildings. One traditional food is plank salmon (laxplanka) or plankstek (steak), grilled and surrounded by piped duchess potatoes, cooked and served on a wooden plank. If you order a Caesar salad it will include bacon and grilled chicken. And then there are the Swedish meatballs – always served with a brown sauce, creamy mashed potatoes and a serving of lingonberries. Just about all restaurants have appealing options for people on vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets. After all, this is Stockholm, as modern as it is old.
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After getting our bearings and walking around Old Town Gamla Stan on our first night at the end of June,  we were surprised that it had already become 10 pm and it was still light out. Welcome to the Midnight Sun!

Day 2 – Exploring the Archipelago
Watching the Changing of the Guard at Stockholm's Royal Palace is very popular for visitors. It's outdoors, it's easily accessible and it's free. It's also very crowded. If you are seriously into watching ceremonial Royal activities and getting good photos, check the schedule and arrive early.
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Next stop was a walk to the waterfront at Strandvägen, where there are lots of choices for lunch before an afternoon boat tour of the thousands of archipelago islands extending Stockholm's reach into the Baltic Sea. Booking a four-hour speedboat ride with Rib Stockholm provides plenty of time to see more of the archipelago that you could ever see on one of the more frequently booked lunch or dinner tours. This tour combines thrills with quiet appreciation depending on the marinas, communities, wildlife habitats and stretches of open water. Sustainability and clean travel take priority for all boats in this pristine water environment.

Day 3 – Vasa and ABBA
The Vasa is a Swedish war ship built in 1626 and adorned with some of the most elaborate woodcrafting you'll see on any vessel. It sank on its very first journey out of Stockholm Harbor. It was top-heavy, possibly because of the cannons onboard, possibly combined with bad ballast in general. Today, stopping in to take a look is worth the time.

From there, it was on to learn more about Sweden's biggest export, which – as one guide said – "is ABBA." The band dominated much of the European pop charts in the late 1970s, and Swedes still take pride in the band's popularity. The ABBA Museum may sound corny, but it's fun and has some interactive features, such as stations filled with headsets, all looking into a simulated music studio set up with rhythm guitar, bass guitar, snare drum, piano, etc. With the press of a button, you can isolate any of the instrument tracks. Another station lets you mix the separate tracks and lets you know how close you are to the original master files. By the way, ABBA is an acronym for the four band members names –Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid.
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Getting around in Stockholm
You didn't bring cash? Good. It's pretty much a cashless society.
You don't speak the language? No problem. During one of my earlier visits to a Stockholm konditori (bakery cafe) for a fika (usually coffee and a sweet pastry) I asked, "Do you speak English?" The answer: "Of course I speak English. I'm Swedish." Next visit, I tried my best to order in Swedish and the reply was, "Can you please just speak English? It's easier to understand you."
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Swedish communication is very straightforward. No beating around the bush. Although not intentionally rude, Swedes respect privacy - theirs and yours. So don't expect strangers to make eye contact or smile at you when you walk down the street, or engage in random small talk. But if you're lost and need to be pointed in the right direction, you'll get a solid answer - as long as you're talking with a local and not a tourist who is equally disoriented.
Visiting Stockholm does not give you a true feel for Sweden as a whole. It's a glorious city, it's modern, tech savvy and design conscious. To more deeply experience Swedish culture, you need to get into the forest and rural areas where life is slow, nature surrounds you, and you're always welcome to pop in to visit a neighbor for fika. As far as capital cities – consider Stockholm a "must do" destination when traveling to the Nordics.

Marcia Simon is a travel writer and advisor specializing in green travel, sustainability, Scandinavia and barefoot luxury. Connect: [email protected] or on Instagram and Facebook @friendlygrouptravel.