Stockholm, First stop

This summer, my son and I started our Europe trip early to catch the Green Day concert in Stockholm. We arrived on June 22 and spent three days exploring with his friend.

Arrival & Rental Car TipsWe flew into Arlanda Airport and picked up our rental car. Note: this is a project with luggage. There’s a bit of a walk to the bus stop, followed by a shuttle ride. I’ll get back to the tips on how to return it later.

After getting the car, we stopped by the Radisson across the street to eat breakfast—a solid way to ease into the day.

Day 1We spent the first day just walking around, trying to get over jet lag.

Day 2We went to the Vasa Museum—highly recommend. They offer a free English tour every 30 minutes and it only takes about 30 minutes. The cost to get in is about 170 SEK and the tickets were easy to purchase on their website https://www.vasamuseet.se/en

After that, we walked over to Junibacken for some real Swedish lunch: meatballs, pancakes, and cinnamon buns. Junibacken is a beautiful playhouse built around Astrid Lindgren and her books. If you’re not familiar, she wrote Pippi Longstocking. If you have younger kids, I suggest you take some time and spend time there.

Where We Stayed We stayed at Backstage Hotel, a very nice boutique hotel next to Gröna Lund, a historic amusement park. The ABBA Museum is also attached to the hotel—we went, and it was good.

You can also catch the Changing of the Guards outside the Royal Palace every day. It’s free, and if you’ve never visited the palace before, it’s absolutely worth going inside.

The architecture in Stockholm is incredible. You can easily spend hours just wandering and admiring the buildings and waterfront views. Gamla Stan (Old Town) is a gem—narrow cobblestone streets, colorful facades, and cozy charm. We ate at Gamla Stan Hof in their cellar—excellent food!

The Royal Change of Guard ceremony in Stockholm takes place daily at 12:15 PM on weekdays and 1:15 PM on Sundays—a fun and free event to watch right in front of the palace.

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is a stunning city built on 14 islands, often referred to as the “Venice of the North.”It’s also the home of the Nobel Prize, and there’s a Nobel Prize Museum you can visit for around 150 SEK.

We also wandered over to Östermalm to window shop at some of the upscale stores. My son even went into Lululemonand bought clothes—turns out their Swedish clothing line is totally different from what you’ll find in the U.S.!

If you’re into culture, don’t miss Skansen, an incredible open-air museum that showcases Swedish history, animals, and traditions. https://skansen.se/en/

And of course, Gröna Lund deserves a visit—this amusement park in the middle of the city is pure fun. If you’re staying or walking around Gamla Stan, hop on the ferry across the water for the cutest, most scenic little ride to the park. http://www.gronalund.com

And lastly—don’t forget to take a proper Fika or two while you’re in Stockholm. It’s more than coffee and a pastry—it’s a way of life.