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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
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On Långholmen island the former Crown Prison is now a hotel and hostel, with guests sleeping in converted single and double cells and a restaurant, theatre and museum on site. It is quiet and close to the swimming rocks, and the walk to Hornstull metro is short. Ask about the museum tour, and check restaurant and…
Stockholm Jazz Festival started in 1980 as a summer event below Moderna Museet on Skeppsholmen and has been an autumn festival since 2012, held in October. Its concerts are spread over indoor venues, including the museum auditorium. Book ahead on the festival's own ticket site, and come early to walk the island before…
Fasching is a concert venue, club, restaurant and bar at Kungsgatan 63, known for international jazz, late jam sessions and other live acts. Check the programme online and buy a ticket for the show you want, since the lineup changes by night. Weekend club nights run late, so plan your way home in advance. It is an…
Stampen is a small jazz, blues and soul bar in a vaulted cellar in Gamla stan, once a pawnshop, with antiques hanging from the ceiling. It aims for live music six days a week, and it is closed on Mondays. Reservations are not taken, so arrive early in the evening to get a seat. Expect an 18 age limit and a drop-in…
In Sweden, drinks above 3.5 percent alcohol are sold only in Systembolaget, the state-owned chain, and its stores are closed on Sundays and public holidays. Supermarkets sell only light beer and cider. Plan your bottle for the weekday before, check the store's hours in its app, and bring ID, since you must be 20 to…
On spring to early autumn weekends, Hornstulls Marknad fills the waterfront at Hornstulls strand with vintage clothes, second-hand finds, creative stalls and food trucks. Come on Saturday for the biggest choice and Sunday for a calmer browse. It closes for the midsummer weekend and the season has a set start and end…
Skinnarviksberget is a bare rock hill on Södermalm and the city's highest natural point, with a wide view over the water and rooftops. Take the metro to Zinkensdamm and walk about five minutes up. Locals bring wine, snacks and a blanket for summer sunsets, and in winter a coffee for a quiet walk. Wear sturdy shoes…
Monteliusvägen is a short cliff path on northern Södermalm with houses on one side and open views on the other, over Lake Mälaren to City Hall's tower, Riddarholmen and Gamla stan. Walk about ten minutes west from Slussen and look for the quiet stairs on Bastugatan. Arrive for sunrise or sunset, bring a flask, and…
The Drottningholm Palace Theatre was built in 1766 and still uses its wooden stage machinery, worked by hand with ropes, rollers and counterweights. Join a guided tour to see how scenery changes, or catch a summer opera or dance performance in the same room. Go by metro to Brommaplan and then the bus, and check tour…
Summer timetables to the islands are frequent, but from November to March the outer archipelago routes are mostly suspended or run only a few days a week, while Vaxholm and Lidingö keep going. Check the current timetable on the operator's site or app before you leave, and note the last boat back before you step off at…
At Arlanda, a few unlicensed or look-alike cars use names close to the big companies, and fares are set freely, so the first car in line may cost far more than another. Walk to the Approved Taxi signs outside arrivals, check the yellow price sticker in the window and ask for the fare before you leave. Within the…
Hellasgården sits inside the Nacka nature reserve, a short bus ride from Slussen. Locals pair a wood-heated sauna with a jump from the jetty into Lake Källtorp, and in winter a hole is cut in the ice. The saunas are separate for men and women and are taken without swimwear. Walk one of the lake trails first, then book…
Långholmen is a small island between Södermalm and Kungsholmen with rocky shores, a sandy bit and a grassy bank for picnics. Take the red metro line to Hornstull and walk about fifteen minutes to the bathing spot, which looks across to City Hall. Locals bring a towel and a thermos, and rinse off at the outdoor cold…
Vete-Katten is a classic pastry shop that has baked on Kungsgatan since 1928. Order a coffee and a slice of princess cake, the green marzipan classic, or a bun from the counter and take a table in the old rooms. Go on a weekday afternoon when office workers drift in, and ask which seasonal bun is fresh. The Kungsgatan…
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