Festive Weekend in Stockholm

For the last couple of years my sister and I have been exploring Europe on long weekend jaunts. Last December we decided to spend some time in Cologne, Germany, to explore the Christmas markets and generally get into the festive mood! This year we decided to try something a bit different and went for a Scandinavian treat: a weekend in Stockholm.

We flew Ryanair to Stockholm-Arlanda-Airport to Stockholm Airport and took the Flygbussarna (transfer bus) into the city, which takes around 1.5 hours. We stayed in the Hilton Stockholm Slussen Hotel situated just across from Gamla Stan (the old town). I have to admit it took us a while to find the Hotel (we walked from our drop off spot by the central station), but when we arrived we discovered an elegant hotel in a great location with comfortable rooms and free wi-fi.

Most of our time over the weekend was spent exploring the city’s beautiful old streets, museums and of course the Christmas Markets! Key highlights included the Vasa Museum, home to an astonishing seventeenth-century ship which sunk in Stockholm harbor, The Royal Palace which is still home to the Swedish Royal Family, the Fotografiska (photography gallery), the City Hall – home to the Nobel Prize banquet with breathtaking interiors, the Modern Art Gallery and the Nordiska museet, the museum of Nordic life.

We tried some of the local food including delicious cinnamon buns, cardamom buns and traditional saffron buns with coffee for breakfast. Of course my sister (the meat eater) tried some of the world famous Swedish meatballs whilst I enjoyed vegetarian dishes. One big bonus is that almost every single shop, restaurant and attraction has free wi-fi, perfect for someone like me who is addicted to checking in on swarm or instagramming photos straight away.

I really enjoyed the weekend in Stockholm. It felt very festive with most of the buildings covered in delightful decorations, shops selling beautiful Scandinavian trinkets and the cold days which started getting dark around 3pm! Here are some photos of the lovely Stockholm. I really do recommend it as a weekend getaway, especially if you’re looking to get in the festive mood on the run up to Christmas.