Stockholm (Sweden) > Reviews > Watch that Wine

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money
Sightseeing
Shopping
Nightlife
Ease of getting around

Advantages:	Lots to do, very clean .
Disadvantages:	None .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Stockholm – Venice of the North. Hang on I thought that was Bruges, no Amsterdam? How many are there? Whatever it is, it’s great.

I’ve recently returned from Stockholm after a very enjoyable three-night break. All right, so it’s freezing outside. Wear a scarf, hat, gloves and a warm coat and you’re over that problem. Alternatively keep popping into the numerous coffee-houses that abound throughout the whole city and warm up with a latte. Very Swedish I’m sure!

The city comprises of a number of islands dotted throughout a large lagoon and the mainland itself. Gamla Stan is the old town and is a mish match of small alleyways and open squares holding the usual tourist gift shops next to the not so usual high quality art gallery. Add to this the many coffee shops, bars, restaurants and the Grand Palace and it all adds up to a very pleasant place to spend a day.

The Gamla Stan is reached by a few bridges that snake out from the mainland. On the mainland itself you can find large department stores housing all the top brands (Polo, Gant, French Connection) and all at prices cheaper than the UK. I didn’t believe it at first either, but I checked and it’s true. “NK” was the best we found. It’s located opposite Sweden House which houses the tourist information office, so it’s easy enough to find. The city has a large shopping area, which is nonetheless easy to navigate and get around. It includes a big underground area directly underneath the city’s main square (Which is ugly and looks like a throwback to the 70’s. Perhaps ABBA donated the money for it).

If you wander a bit further afield (half an hours walk) you will arrive at the Vasa Museum. A quite brilliant museum which houses a 17th century war ship that capsized and sank 1,300 meters into its maiden voyage. It sank into the silt and there it lay, protected from erosion for 333 years until it was raised and moved to the dockside, where the museum was built around it. It is cheap to get in, around £3, and it’s well worth the walk. Very informative and with a lovely café. Although a sign informed me that I wasn’t allowed to have a picnic in the café. I was very disappointed as you can imagine. I’d brought the blanket and everything!

There is a massive choice of places to eat in the city. Everything from Macdonald’s (all six hundred of them, or so it seemed) to very upmarket restaurants. It is here that the myth of a high cost of living comes true. In one restaurant, amusingly entitled "Rolfs Kok", we paid over £60 for two main courses and two glasses of wine. The wine cost over £10 per glass.
It was extremely nice food and lovely wine, but come on! Needless to say they didn’t receive a tip. Sad really. I would have tipped them, because like everywhere else I went in the city, the staff were very friendly, spoke perfect English and were extremely helpful.

Our hotel was located about ten minutes walk from the city centre. For this reason we walked everywhere and didn’t use public transport. However, Stockholm seems to have a very complete transport system. It has a tube system, buses, trams, boats and taxis. The only time we did use the train was when we caught the dedicated train from the airport to the centre. 20 minutes each way, directly from under the airport, £20 return. What a great service. A longer trip than Heathrow to Paddington yet cheaper, and people think Stockholm is expensive!! (Quick fact for you all. The Heathrow Express is more expensive per mile than Concorde. Rip off Britain?)

As well as giving the visitor plenty to do while there, it is incredibly clean. I didn't see one, single piece of litter. That includes the back streets and not just the main areas. In addition, I didn't once feel at all treatened wherever I was at whatever time. A big plus for any city.

All in all, a great place to go for a city break. Take your warm clothes and a taste for Dime Bars and you’ll have a whale of a time.