I was recently invited to visit a friend in Stockholm, who claimed to be 'researching' land-use in the city as part of his final year dissertation. As you can imagine, this turned out to be more of a cultural drinking experience, rather than visiting Stockholm as a tourist! For those of you who are that way inclined, here follows my experience of Stockholm through the eyes of a pint glass.
Stockholm - A Brief Introduction…
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, and also considered to be the capital of Scandinavia. The city was built in the 13th century around Lake Mälaren, allowing the taxation of merchant vessels going in and out of the lake. It is built across 14 islands and is sometimes known as the 'Venice of the North'. Stockholm is renowned for its clean drinking water along with freedom of its waterways, whereby anyone can fish in the city centre without a licence. Over 1.3 million people live in Stockholm, which experiences winter temperatures of around -2°C and +18°C in summer.
First Impressions…
I flew with Ryanair to the airport known as 'Stockholm Skavsta'. Now you might think this airport is actually in Stockholm, or only a short distance away. However, it took an 80-minute coach journey
from the airport to Stockholm's central bus station, so if you plan to fly with Ryanair, just bear this in mind. Having said this, the return coach fare was only 200 Kronor for the 110 mile round trip, offering fantastic value for money at just under £15.
After finally making it to Stockholm itself, I was greeted by my friend who explained I then had to fork out another 190 Kronor for a three-day travel pass. However, as I later found out, this pass enables you to travel anywhere on Stockholm's transport system. In particular, you can travel on the tube as many times as you like, it permits free travel on some ferries and also allows you to take the bus. Indeed, the three-day pass is not restricted to Stockholm and its transport alone, because it allows you discounted entrance fees to attractions such as the Vasamuseet and to travel as far out as the Tyresta National Park over 20km away. As a result of this expenditure, my first impressions of Stockholm were of an expensive weekend in store!
The Swedish 'Pre-party'…
Being a former student myself, I have a fairly good idea of how students live their lives and the copious amounts of alcohol that can be consumed in a single night. However, nothing prepared me for what I was to experience on my first evening in Stockholm! My friend took me to what the Swedes call a 'pre-party', because apparently this is the cheapest way of having a good night out. Pre-parties exist in Sweden because alcohol is so expensive to purchase in bars and clubs. Typically a pint of lager (actually slightly less than a pint) will cost from around £2.50 to £5. Whether this is true all over Stockholm and Sweden I do not know, perhaps I was just taken to all the expensive places!
The pre-party I experienced was attended by a lot of foreign students, typically Germans, Spaniards and Austrians. Everyone brings a bottle - primarily vodka - and then proceeds to drink themselves into an enjoyable, if somewhat immature, stupor. This may sound familiar to some, but I was rather disappointed with the lack of Swedes attending, although I am assured the Swedish do have their own pre-parties as well! I also found one major flaw with the so-called Swedish 'pre-party' - people were so drunk on vodka that they were physically unable to manage going out afterwards!
Swedish Drinking Laws…
It is worth mentioning there are 'different' laws on the purchase and consumption of alcohol in Sweden. My friend told me you could not buy 'hardcore' alcohol such as vodka after 3pm in the afternoon. This means if you forget to buy some, you are left with only 'lite' alcohol, primarily beer of 3.5%ABV. As for the beer, the Swedes are very into 'Falcon' and 'Norrlands Guld'. They also drink Carlsberg although all 'lite' beer is restricted, and in my opinion not worth the money. However, I did bring back a six-pack of 'Norrlands Guld', a full-bodied lager that has made it one of Sweden's best-selling beers.
Nightclubs…
I was only in Stockholm for three nights, and ventured to a nightclub on just the one occasion. Despite having no memory of the name, I remember we arrived at the unknown establishment well past midnight. From what I can remember, the nightclub is typical of what you would find back in the UK. Admission was 80 Kronor (£6), which I guess is reasonably priced when compared to London nightclubs. I do, however, seem to remember the one drink I bought, typically a 'pint' of Carlsberg, was very watered down and about £5 in price! This just reinforces the point that if you are going to go out in Stockholm, it is best to have a 'pre-party' first, or better still not drink anything when you are out.
As for the general atmosphere of the club scene, I understand that Swedes are fairly chilled out during the week and so many nightclubs are not open on weekdays. This makes weekends, as in the UK, very lively affairs, which may not be to everyone's taste.
Another major point of interest is that Swedish bouncers are very strict on who they let in. Many clubs have varying entrance limitations, which typically change depending on how the bouncers are feeling. For instance, most clubs tend to have a minimum age limit of 21, although the one we went to increased this to 23 on the night. Also of note is the fact that the bouncers are very anti-male. They tend to look unfavourably on young males in particular, no matter what clothing they are wearing, how drunk they are or whom they are with. Males need to arrive at a club before 10pm if they want to stand a chance of gaining entry.
On the plus side, this means the majority of clubs are filled with scores of women, therefore if you are fortunate enough to be a male in a nightclub, you are very lucky indeed! Finally, if you have a three-day travel pass, this is invaluable to the drunken stagger home because the tubes run until around 3am at the weekends.
Summary…
I only spent three nights in Stockholm and I regret not seeing the city from a tourist perspective. However, visiting a student friend tends to skew your trip towards a weekend of alcoholism, and I hope I have covered some of what to expect should you inadvisably follow in my footsteps. Unlike the UK, the Swedish are a bit more controlled in their drinking culture and nightlife, although they very much still know how to have a good time!
Kev
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Advantages: Wonderful, vibrant city with a lot to offer, summer or winter! Disadvantages: Very few, possibly difficult to get the most out of for a first time visit?
abbichicken 23.08.2006 (23.08.2006)
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Review of Stockholm in general
Advantages: Wonderful, vibrant city with a lot to offer, summer or winter! Disadvantages: Very few, possibly difficult to get the most out of for a first time visit?
abbichicken 23.08.2006 (23.08.2006)
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Review of Stockholm in general
Advantages: Excellent day out assured during the Swedish holiday festivals Disadvantages: Can be a bit of a disappointment if there are no special events.
Alan_Smith 15.08.2005 (15.08.2005)
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Review of Skansen
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Apr 27th, 2006
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