Stockholm, Sweden

Civilized.  Peaceful.  Picturesque.  A lovely city with clean aesthetics.  Here are my recommendations for a trip to Stockholm.

SEE + DO

Östermalm is a posh district in Stockholm with upscale restaurants and shopping.  Be sure to walk along Strandvägen boulevard to enjoy the magnificent views of the beautiful architecture and boats. 

Sodermalm is a more hip and bohemian area with boutiques, art galleries, clubs, and good restaurants.

Gamla Stan, the historic Old Town, is touristy but definitely worth visiting.  It has charming buildings, cobblestone streets, alleys, and historical attractions like the Royal Palace and Nobel Museum.

Djurgården is a pretty island in Stockholm with parks, forests, and museums like the Vasa museum which has a 17^th century warship.  You can walk there from the city center or take a ferry boat, bus or tram.

  

FOOD + DRINK

Lisa Elmqvist is a traditional seafood restaurant inside a food hall.  Share a seafood platter with skagen toast for a casual meal.

Wedholms Fisk is a seafood restaurant in a pleasant location.  The bright and airy dining room was classy yet comfortable.  Extensive menu with fish prepared in many different ways.  Highly recommend.

Also be sure to partake in the Swedish tradition of "fika":  a coffee break with delicious Swedish pastries and socializing.  

SHOP

The shopping in Stockholm is world class.  You’ll find most of the high end luxury brands as well as many H&M stores; large department stores and small design shops.

NK is a prestigious department store that carries Swedish and international brands, good for souvenirs

Mood is a Swedish mall with various shops and restaurants

Ahlens Swedish department store chain with reasonable prices

Granit sells nice accessories for home and office in mostly black, white, and neutral colors.  A good place to pick up some necessities and small gifts. 

Svenskt Tenn is a Swedish interior design company with beautiful textiles by Josef Frank.

Swedish pharmacies (“apoteks”) are fun to explore, especially for reasonably priced skincare products.  Swedish people seem to have gorgeous skin and there are so many great Swedish skincare brands at various price points available at high-end stores and also local pharmacies. Some products are labelled entirely in Swedish so it’s fun to try to figure out what they are.  I bought some wonderfully rich hand cream.  

SOUVENIR IDEAS

Housewares, textiles, design products, skincare products

Clothes in the classic understated Swedish style

Thanks for reading!