7 hours in Stockholm
April 29, 2015 8:15 AM Subscribe
I have a 7 hour stopover in Stockholm (ARN) next Thursday. Is it worth going into the city, and if so, what should I do/where should I eat?
Salient points:
I’m assuming the Arlanda Express is the best/fastest option, right?
Once I’m in the city, where can I grab a great late lunch/early dinner near the train station? Is there anything I should try to see with my limited time that won't take me too far from the train?
Thanks all!
Salient points:
- I’m flying BCN-ARN on Vueling, scheduled to arrive at 13:10 CEST.
- I’m scheduled to depart ARN-JFK on Norwegian (separate tickets, the whole deal) at 20:25 CEST on that same day.
- I will only have a single backpack with me. I have no checked luggage, and the backpack is small enough to fit under the seat in front of me on Vueling flights, so I don’t have to worry about it getting put in the hold.
- I’m an American with a standard US passport.
I’m assuming the Arlanda Express is the best/fastest option, right?
Once I’m in the city, where can I grab a great late lunch/early dinner near the train station? Is there anything I should try to see with my limited time that won't take me too far from the train?
Thanks all!
Best answer: On a proper computer now. You can probably check into your next flight before leaving the airport and the express takes about 20 minute in. Are you a student or under 25? Cheaper rate. I am going to suggest getting away from the train station if you are up for it. It's about 5 minutes brisk walk from ArlEx to the subway, you can go two stops to Slussen, an important part of Stockholm that won't be there if you ever come back. There you can eat at Eric's Gondolen. Good food, kinda amazing view, you should book a table at their webpage. Their lunch menu is 125kr, their ala carte is a fair bit more. Book now and you can check the menu in a few days to see if you like what they will have next Thursday. I gather they serve lunch until 14.30, check with them that you will make it. You can probably eat their bistro menu in the bar otherwise. Drop them a mail. From there you could quite possibly walk back through the old town all the way to the AE terminal, it's about 2km.
My other suggestion is: Walk less than a kilometer to City Hall. Go on the tour if you have time, it's a bit mental but otherwise just go in to see the Golden Hall where the Nobel banquet is held and go up the tower to see the view. Have your lunch in the basement where the dinners are made. You will just be getting a decent enough lunch, but if you want to push the boat out you could do the Nobel tasting menu for about 700kr which includes 5 dishes from historic Nobel menus. Again, worth booking through the webpage even for lunch and checking they serve until 14.30.
posted by Iteki at 9:20 AM on April 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
My other suggestion is: Walk less than a kilometer to City Hall. Go on the tour if you have time, it's a bit mental but otherwise just go in to see the Golden Hall where the Nobel banquet is held and go up the tower to see the view. Have your lunch in the basement where the dinners are made. You will just be getting a decent enough lunch, but if you want to push the boat out you could do the Nobel tasting menu for about 700kr which includes 5 dishes from historic Nobel menus. Again, worth booking through the webpage even for lunch and checking they serve until 14.30.
posted by Iteki at 9:20 AM on April 29, 2015 [4 favorites]
I love the walk from gamla stan (old town) toward Kungsträdgården across Strömbron.
I'm not actually sure you can see things inside stadshuset (City Hall) without taking the tour, but then again it was more than ten years since I went...
Definitely go into the city though! (You will be bored to death at Arlanda.)
As mentioned above, the area directly surrounding the train station is incredibly boring, so getting away somewhat should be a priority. However, if you don't mind walking and the weather is good, I'd recommend that! There are plenty of interesting sights within 30mins walk or so (old town, city hall, royal palace, main shopping district...) and the public transit ticketing system is a mess.
[The public transit ticketing system (introduced a couple of years ago) is close to incomprehensible / bordering on hostile to foreign visitors. It involves zones and coupons and loadable cash cards and "standard journeys" programmed onto said cards, and the ticketing machines will not accept foreign credit cards. (The attendant will--just remember to keep your passport or other photo id handy!!) I never managed to load money onto these cards in smaller increments than 100 SEK, so if you would like to use public transit, you may just want to go for the 24 hour tourist ticket.]
posted by yonglin at 10:45 PM on April 29, 2015
I'm not actually sure you can see things inside stadshuset (City Hall) without taking the tour, but then again it was more than ten years since I went...
Definitely go into the city though! (You will be bored to death at Arlanda.)
As mentioned above, the area directly surrounding the train station is incredibly boring, so getting away somewhat should be a priority. However, if you don't mind walking and the weather is good, I'd recommend that! There are plenty of interesting sights within 30mins walk or so (old town, city hall, royal palace, main shopping district...) and the public transit ticketing system is a mess.
[The public transit ticketing system (introduced a couple of years ago) is close to incomprehensible / bordering on hostile to foreign visitors. It involves zones and coupons and loadable cash cards and "standard journeys" programmed onto said cards, and the ticketing machines will not accept foreign credit cards. (The attendant will--just remember to keep your passport or other photo id handy!!) I never managed to load money onto these cards in smaller increments than 100 SEK, so if you would like to use public transit, you may just want to go for the 24 hour tourist ticket.]
posted by yonglin at 10:45 PM on April 29, 2015
Best answer: For my money, the highlight of any trip to Stockholm would have to be the Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum, for a 17th century warship from Sweden's glory days which sank spectacularly shortly after launch, but remained preserved in the mud until raised in the 20th century). It's a bit out of the center, but you can tram it. This is one of those spectacular and unforgettable historic objects.
The other essential, at least if you have a basic interest in art, would be the National Museum of Fine Art, where there is a collection of drawings, paintings and murals by Carl Larsson, the Swedish cultural icon. (In any case, there are other museums, like the Moderna, on Skeppsholmen, and you get a lovely view of the royal palace and the facades of the Skeppsbron across the water.) Oh, shoot, I forgot it's closed for renovations for the next two years! Where else can one see Larsson nearby?
Coming in third after those would be the Millesgarden, a sculpture garden dedicated to the works of Carl Milles. It's not in the center, though, and I'm not sure how difficult it would be to work in a visit on your way to or from Arlanda (and anyway you only have a few hours). That's up to you.
The Gamla Stan is possibly the other essential, depending on how many old European town centers you've been in. Stockholm isn't that far removed from being a hardworking port and that is part of what makes it special. The Nobel stuff didn't do all that much for me, frankly, but I liked the City Hall itself.
(I'm mentally booking a Stockholm trip with my mother next year, one last (?) chance to see her cousins. But that would be a week or more.)
posted by dhartung at 12:26 AM on April 30, 2015
Coming in third after those would be the Millesgarden, a sculpture garden dedicated to the works of Carl Milles. It's not in the center, though, and I'm not sure how difficult it would be to work in a visit on your way to or from Arlanda (and anyway you only have a few hours). That's up to you.
The Gamla Stan is possibly the other essential, depending on how many old European town centers you've been in. Stockholm isn't that far removed from being a hardworking port and that is part of what makes it special. The Nobel stuff didn't do all that much for me, frankly, but I liked the City Hall itself.
(I'm mentally booking a Stockholm trip with my mother next year, one last (?) chance to see her cousins. But that would be a week or more.)
posted by dhartung at 12:26 AM on April 30, 2015
Gamla Stan and/or Vasamuseum. Amazing city to walk around in.
posted by persona au gratin at 3:09 AM on April 30, 2015
posted by persona au gratin at 3:09 AM on April 30, 2015
Yeah public transport is a hassle, I mention is only mainly because lunch in most places is served until 14.30 and you might want to shave a few minutes instead of walking. You can buy regular paper tickets "one zone ticket" at the ticket offices at Central station where you arrive for 25kr which give you unlimet travel for an hour me a half within one zone. Probably worth getting two if you intend to use public transport both ways in case one "runs out", it would be troublesome to get a new one on the fly.
posted by Iteki at 3:16 AM on April 30, 2015
posted by Iteki at 3:16 AM on April 30, 2015
It's been a while since the days I was doing business in Stockholm, but I fondly remember taking the boat in canals, and the ferries to the archipelago. If it's a nice day, a few hours on the water can't be beat.
You could also visit Skansen, a recreation of a historic Swedish village.
Modern art in the Moderna Museet might also appeal?
One thing I loved was the herring buffet at Prinsen. And cakes and legendary strong Swedish coffee at Gateau.
These and more are listed here
posted by seawallrunner at 3:53 AM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
You could also visit Skansen, a recreation of a historic Swedish village.
Modern art in the Moderna Museet might also appeal?
One thing I loved was the herring buffet at Prinsen. And cakes and legendary strong Swedish coffee at Gateau.
These and more are listed here
posted by seawallrunner at 3:53 AM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by Iteki at 8:43 AM on April 29, 2015