A quick guide to Stockholm 🇸🇪

7 of my favorite things to do, the best museums to visit, and the most delicious meals in Stockholm, Sweden, plus an ABBA appearance?

I have had quite the Mamma Mia filled week- I watched both movies one night and then went to a Mamma Mia themed Soul Cycle class the following day, which had me reminiscing on my time in Stockholm, Sweden.

Now, you might be thinking, “Caroline… Mamma Mia takes place in Greece" in which you are correct, however the Mamma Mia soundtrack includes music from ABBA, a musical group from Sweden. The last time I was in Stockholm, I toured the ABBA museum and it might be one of my favorite museums to date. More on that later!

Stockholm was never very high on my list of places to visit, but when I was assigned the trip twice last year, I was able to thoroughly explore the city and it has now become one of my favorite cities in Europe.

Things to do in Stockholm

Hop on/ Hop off Bus Tour

I’m going to say something that might be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like when you’re visiting somewhere for the first time, you should DO THE TOURISTY STUFF! So many people want to blend in and not look like tourists while traveling, but sometimes you need to embrace it and go full tourist (maybe leave the selfie stick at home though). There is so much history to be learned and local tour guides are a wealth of knowledge.

The first time I visited Stockholm, I did a hop on/ hop off bus tour with one of my crew members and it was so much fun. We sat on the top deck of the double decker and rode around for 2 hours, seeing all the sights and learning about the history of the city. Hop on/ hop off bus tours are one of the best and most efficient ways to see a city in a short amount of time.

views from the top deck!

High Tea at The Grand Hotel

Did I ever think I would have high tea in Stockholm? No, no I didn’t. After the bus tour, we decided to head over to The Grand Hotel, which is a stunning 5 star hotel facing the water. We happened to show up right at the beginning of high tea, and ended up staying for the full experience. Am I a tea drinker? No. Do I love little finger sandwiches? Yes. Would I go back just for the finger sandwiches? Yes. This was such a unique thing to do there and really added to the experience!

1. Our view of The Royal Palace across the water 2. The full spread 3. I let our waitress pick what kind of tea I ordered because I have zero knowledge of tea 4. Me pretending to like it :)

Stroll Around Town and Enjoy the Parks

Stockholm is home to some of the most beautiful parks I’ve seen. We stopped at the Kungsträdgården (could not begin to tell you how to say that, but I do know it means “Kings Garden” thanks to my bus tour) and ended up seeing the changing of the guard march through the streets while enjoying lunch. This park is very centrally located and a great spot to relax between stops.

Croque Monsieur and Avocado Toast for lunch while people watching and seeing the changing of the guard!

Old Town

Taking a stroll through Old Town is a must. The architecture and colorful buildings are absolutely stunning. While some streets are packed with shops, others are quiet and so peaceful. You might even stumble upon Marten Trotzigs Grand, the narrowest street in Stockholm!

If you look closely, you'll spot the narrowest street in Stockholm. Rumor has it, if you stretch across and touch both walls at the same time while making a wish, it will come true.

Hötorget Flea Market

If you’re an antique/ flea market lover like myself, this is a must while visiting. The only thing that helps my self control when I visit this market is knowing I have to haul anything I buy back on a plane to NYC. There are so many hidden gems scattered throughout.

Museum Island

Stockholm is home to so many fascinating museums, approximately 70 in total. The second time I visited Stockholm, it was a perfect fall day. I thought a day at the museums was the perfect thing to do. Several of the museums are located next to each other on Djurgården, or Museum Island, so it is quite easy to walk from one to the other. This part of Stockholm is absolutely beautiful, especially in the fall time with the spooky architecture, cool temps, and leaves falling.

Vasa Museum

The most famous museum in Stockholm is the Vasa Museum, which showcases the Vasa, the world’s only preserved 17th century ship that capsized and sunk in 1628. I found this to be incredibly captivating. There were so many preserved artifacts and the ship was in almost perfect condition from its sinking. As mentioned before, I’m a sucker for fun facts, and this museum was full of them.

ABBA Museum🕺🏻🪩

Now, for what I’m sure you’ve been waiting for, the ABBA museum! I decided to stop by the ABBA Museum about an hour before it closed and I am so glad I did. This museum is full of interactive activities, ABBA music pumping through the speakers, iconic fashion, in-depth history, fascinating artifacts, and is overall such a fun experience for all ages. I’m one of those people that likes to read every bit of information in museums, so I might just have to go back to spend even more time there. P.S. if you’re in need of an ABBA playlist, this one is my favorite and has been on repeat recently.

As an avid Mamma Mia fan, I spent a large portion of time in the Mamma Mia portion of the museum. While I knew the Mamma Mia soundtrack was based on ABBA, I had no idea just how involved some members of the group were in the making of the musical/ movie.

Stockholm Eats

Now it wouldn’t be one of my posts if I didn’t mention food of some sort. On one of my trips, the captain had remembered a restaurant he went to years ago, so we made our way across town to see if it was still there. It was, and we ate the most delicious Swedish food. We ended up sitting next to passengers from our flight earlier in the day (this seems to always happen to me?). Most of my meals in Stockholm consist of Swedish meatballs (way better than the Ikea meatballs, btw) or some kind of meat/ dish local to Scandinavia. I even tried reindeer for the first time- please don’t tell Rudolph.

Always gotta end the day with a sweet treat, I don't make the rules

I always have to stop by a bakery before my flight back to the US, it’s become a little tradition of mine. The pastries in Europe are too good to pass up. One of the pilots on my trip grew up in Stockholm and told me about a specific bakery close to our hotel that had the best cinnamon buns. Per his recommendation, I headed over there the morning of departure and he was in fact, correct. Swedish cinnamon buns are so good that I had my flight attendant roommate buy me one on her trip to Stockholm and it’s now in our freezer for the next time I get a craving.

One cinnamon bun + chocolate croissant pls and thank you

If Stockholm was never on your list of places to visit, I hope I’ve convinced you to add it to the top. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time! 💌

Caroline

One more picture because it’s too pretty to not post. Okay actually goodbye now! xoxo, Caro