As well as a slightly soggy Monday.
On one of our trips to Finland we decided that it might be nice to hop a ferry and cross the Baltic Sea to visit Sweden and Stockholm in particular. We planned for a nice 3 day weekend to take in some of the sights around the lovely city. We wanted to make sure we visited enough child friendly locations as well as historical so that everyone was content. Having done a fair amount of research ahead of time I only needed to plan for differing activities depending on weather.
Getting to Stockholm from Finland
We were staying with family in Turku, which is about 2 hours west of Helsinki by the inner city train and lies on the beautifully rugged coastal area of the Archipelago sea. Turku is a fairly large port city and there are a lot of ferries that transit the area so we planned ahead to make a sea voyage from there. Wanting to be able to have a full long weekend in Stockholm we chose to take an overnight ferry.
Our trip consisted of a return voyage on the Viking Grace outbound and the Viking Glory inbound, both of which were overnight so we wanted to make sure we had decent cabins to sleep in. We also wanted to make sure we had a seaside view, even though it was overnight there was still a lot of daylight at the time of year for it to be worthwhile. Plus it made it feel less claustrophobic and our daughter loved sitting in the porthole window watching the waves below. We also had an individual who tended to feel motion sickness at sea so we made sure to book our cabins closer to midships and on the lower decks where the feel of the ship is minimized. Tip: If one of your party also gets a bit woozy on ships this is where you want to be. Avoid the front and rear of the ship and the higher decks to save them some grief.
We booked Seaside Double cabins on the Grace, and Seaside Two cabins on the Glory. The main difference between the two was that the Grace had a full double bed and was larger while the Glory had berths that would fold up into the wall when not in use. The total cost including the upgraded rooms, priced for May 2024, is around 413 EUR ( ~440 USD). Since you are getting accommodations and transportation it is worth the expense and makes for an enjoyable experience.
The ship left port at just shy of 9:00 PM and arrived very early in Stockholm at 6:30 AM taking into account the time zone change (Finland is ahead by an hour) and after disembarking found our nearby hotel, which along with EVERYTHING around it, was closed at that early on a Saturday. Ok...now what?
Gamla Stan and Day One
We were to stay at the Hyatt 5 star Hotell Reisen in the neighborhood of Gamla Stan which pretty much translates into "old town" and is an amazing historic district on an island in the middle of the city. Along its cobblestone streets you can find such sights as the Nobel Prize Museum, the Royal Palace, and the Storkyrkan Church. Most of the "roads" there are extremely narrow and as such I would not recommend renting a car if you stay here.
There is a wonderful pedestrian walkway called Vasterlangatten that is lined with little shops, cafe's and restaurants. On the northern end of street you can find the one pharmacy (Apotheket) in Gamla Stan, while in the central section there is a 7-11 where you can grab your convenience items if needed.
Unfortunately with our early arrival nothing was yet open and we were unable to leave our luggage at the hotel as it was locked so we wandered a bit waiting on a cafe to open up. If you are arriving early it might be worth calling the hotel ahead of time to see if you'll be able to at least drop off luggage. Their policy and opening times may have changed since we traveled there.
The hotel itself is a beautiful boutique style with a view of the port and the arriving ships, if you want to spend the extra for the view. Room prices, in USD, range from $240 a night for a standard up to $500+ for a sea view. These luxury hotels in the area tend to book very quickly so you will need to plan well in advance.
Finally at around 8:00 we found a charming place, open, called Cafe Runsten and sat down with some coffees and pastries. Afterwards, still with hours to go until we could check in, we made last minute plans to walk north the few minutes over the Strombron bridge towards the sightseeing boat tours near the Stromkajen ferry terminal. At least we were able to get into the hotel now to drop off the luggage on the way there.
Under the Bridges of Stockholm Boat Tour
We figured it would be a nice and relaxing way to see some of the city and, at a little over 2 hours long leaving at 11:00 AM, put us right around our check in time and lunch. It only cost about $30 USD and took us along a nice loop to see several notable locations from the water. It even gave us a chance to experience the Hammarbyslusse Locks as we passed through them in both directions.
We did queue up early at the first boarding point because I'd read that you need to board there in order to obtain a window seat. The seats were four abreast each side of the boat so if you don't want to be staring at the back of someone else's head trying to see out the window, go early. They also provided headphones with audio of the tour but I didn't bother listening. After our long morning we were content to just relax and see the sights. I may have even nodded off at some point...
The rest of the day we just explored Gamla Stan and the area north past the Parliament House where there is a famous pedestrian shopping street with even more cafes and restaurants. The street is called Drottningatan and you can reach it via the pedestrian bridge Riksbron that passes through the island housing the Parliament.
The subway and train station are also nearby just west if that is to be part of journey further travels. You can easily spend a day wandering this area finding hidden gems everywhere, shopping , noshing, and taking pics, so we did just that.
Day Two: The Children Friendly Museums
Today we were dedication the bulk of the day to our daughter as she had put up with us the previous day. There were two locations we wanted to see, one indoor and one outdoor. Since our weather was holding early on we made our way to the Skansen open air museum first.
Skansen Outdoor Museum
Getting to the museum from Gamla Stan was fairly easy with a couple of options by taking a bus or a tram from the ferry terminal area and then walking a short distance. The views from the hilltops within the park are absolutely beautiful and will provide many photo opportunities of Stockholm below. Hailed as the worlds oldest outdoor museum this large historical park and zoo is suitable for any age. There is an abundance of old homesteads and farms that will transport you back in time to see how the Swedes lived through history. The oldest building on site is from the early 14th century.
There are also several different garden environments to leisurely stroll through from flower and herbal gardens to the Allotments where in the late 19th century many migrated from the rural areas into the cities to survive. Learn about how they coped with the challenges of widespread hunger. The gardens are a blend of historical significance, natural environments and whimsy and are ever evolving. The "Garden of Possibilities" that I once visited is now transitioning into the Forest Garden, for example. The butterfly garden is certainly a hit with the kids.
There are several animal exhibits as well including a recently opened aquarium which is an additional charge to enter. The Baltic Sea science center also houses a smaller aquarium that show the underwater environment indigenous to the area. This exhibit is included in the entry to the park. The animals seen throughout the park are predominantly native to the Nordic region and there are a few places where the children can interact with them (Lill-Skansen children's zoo) but for many children visitors the reindeer are a perennial favorite. For an interactive map to the animal exhibits, and the other areas such as the gardens and houses click here to access the Skansen site where you can filter according to what you are wanting to see.
Overall the outdoor museum is a wonderful way to spend a day, with some stunning vistas to be seen throughout. Admission is under $20.00 USD and there are a lot of other places to keep you occupied either eating at one of the many cafes where you can grab a bite, get a coffee and sit while the kids play at one of 3 playgrounds or the . Or perhaps shopping for a unique gift at one of the cute shops located in various locations is more your thing. I don't know if it is still there but there was a vintage candy store that we visited that was simply amazing.
We rounded out our visit to Skansen with a quick stop at the amusement park in the museum which has a few rides for the much younger kids. Our plan was to head to the Junibacken Children's indoor museum located on the way back to Gamla Stan for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately once we got there our daughter was pretty tired as we'd done so much at Skansen, so we did not get to do much there. The one that stuck out in my mind was the Story train which is kind of like a ski chairlift that carries families through Swedish fairytales and stories.
The "ride" is a bit surreal and even a bit creepy at times with our daughter hiding her eyes a few times so you probably want to make sure the younger ones are with a parent. The other spot we visited was the museum store but that was as far as we got. There are other exhibits featuring the Moomins and Pippi Longstocking which both feature prominently in Nordic children's culture. If you do intend to visit this museum, I'd recommend not combining it with the Skansen in the same day. Perhaps the Vasa museum, below, would be a better pairing in the same day.
Day 3: Fitting in Two Last Museums Before Going Back to Turku
The Vasa Museum
For me, this was the highlight of the trip. It is about a 30 minute walk to the museum from the Gamla Stan, and while the buses or trams actually took longer due to their circuitous route, we chose to take the transit due to the weather having turned chill and rainy.
The museum shows the massive, 1200 tonne gunship with 64 cannons and 10 sails that was built in the years preceding 1628. It was to be one of the largest and most powerful ships of its time, but there were issues leading up to the maiden voyage that were largely ignored by the Admiral in order to be able to put on a display for the King.
That Sinking Feeling
Unfortunately, it was not the display that the admiral intended or wanted. Sailing from the port in all her majesty, gun ports open displaying the fearsome cannons, she would have been a sight to see. That is, until she made it about 1.3 km from the port, still within sight of everyone, when tragedy struck. A gust of wind caught the sails and caused her to roll allowing the water to flood in through open gun ports and within minutes she had slipped beneath the sea to rest on the bottom. There she would remain for the next 3 centuries.
Modern Times
Tantalizing pieces of her were found periodically over time and ultimately in 1961 she was raised back to the surface after a years long recovery mission. Since then there have been numerous restoration projects and building constructions to keep her well preserved for all to see.
This is a must see in Stockholm. The details on the ship and the other recovered pieces (cannons, bodies, sculptures, etc.) are amazing to behold, even if they are a bit hard to photograph as it is a bit dark inside.
Adults are under $20.00 for the museum entry and those under 18 are free. There are several levels of the museum which afford different views of the ship as well as some antechambers with other various artifacts. I'd suggest bringing a light jacket or a sweatshirt as the temperature in the museum is quite cool for purposes of preservation. They do have a small cafe on site as well. Be sure to visit their website to confirm pricing and their hours and to read up a bit more on the history of the vessel.
Medeltidsmuseet
The weather had improved as we left the Vasa museum so we decided to walk. Some time after rain started up again so we sought shelter near the Parliament buildings en route back to the hotel. Using Trip Advisor I found a tiny museum that offered free admission so it was a great place to kill some time until the rain let up.
The museum is a small facility which shows some exhibits centered around the development of Stockholm in the Middle Ages. There was enough to keep entertained for an hour maybe, at least for me. The Turkish members of our trip were rather unimpressed by the various nails, bricks and armor scraps on display ( there was more than that, really) but given the rich history of Istanbul and the sights there, I can totally understand their point of view! Anyhow, it was a good spot to wait out the weather and there was free WiFi.
Note: This museum will be closing next month, November 2023, in order to be relocated.
Hej då Stockholm
It was time to bid farewell to Stockholm and make our way back to the hotel to collect luggage and then on the the ferry terminal. I am very happy we decided to make this little side venture on our trip and fully intend to return to explore the other fascinating things Stockholm has to offer. I hope you one day find yourself exploring the narrow cobbled streets of Gamla Stan and beyond. If you need a little help preparing for that trip check out our packing lists.
Happy Travels!
*All images by Author
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