Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden. It is situated in the south central part of the country on the border between the provinces Uppland and Södermanland (also known as Sörmland), on the east coast, between lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The municipality of Stockholm has approximately 765 000 inhabitants(2004), the greater metro area 1.9 million(2004). The population of the metro area grows with around 20,000 people each year.

Understand

Stockholm is not the oldest town in Sweden but after its establishment in the 1250s it rapidly became a national centre, having a very strategic location between a major lake (Mälaren) and the Baltic Sea. The city is in almost every respect the most important city in Sweden even though more peripherical regions, especially in the South and West, feel they survive quite well without the political centralism applied on them from the capital. Stockholm is a mix of old and new. Particularly between 1955 and 1975 hundreds of older buildings were demolished during a great modernization process, probably boosted by similar projects in London and other cities that were destroyed in the Second World War. Sweden's beautiful capital has a very picturesque setting that makes the city unique. The differences between summer and winter are quite big, with long, mild summer nights and lots of greenery, and dark, cold, often snowy winters with millions of Christmas candles in the windows.

Districts

Stockholm, covering an area of 187 squarekilometers, is divided into 117 districts. These can be grouped into 18 larger areas, displayed on the map to the right.

Get in

By plane

By train

The main station lies directly in the city centre near the waterfront. It's connected underground to T-Centralen, the central hub for the subway system.

By ship

Ferries go to Finland and Estonia every day.

Stockholm Transport (SL) runs a wide subway, commuter train and bus system as well some tram and ferry services. SL website offers a journey planner (but you need to know the destination).

Subway

There is an efficient metro system called the Tunnelbana (T-Bana). With exactly 100 stations, it is quite extensive for a city of this size and will get you around almost all of the inner city as well as most nearby suburbs. Trains run until almost 1 AM weeknights and around 3.30 AM weekends. There are passes available for 24 hours (95 SEK) and 72 hours (180 SEK), and a coupon strip for 145 SEK, good for 4-10 rides depending on the number of zones travelled through. When you purchase the 72 hour transit pass, you also receive free admission to Kaknästornet (TV tower) and Gröna Lund (Stockholm's amusement park). If you are going to be in Stockholm for a while, go ahead and purchase a 30-day card, which allows unrestricted access to all of the busses, trams, subways and commuter trains, as well as the Djurgården ferry, for 600 SEK.

The Stockholm Card allows free transportation and parking and gives admission to the 70 museums in Stockholm. There is also an extensive commuter train system which connects the city center to nearly all the suburbs and office parks.

Commuter train

The commutertrain in Stockholm covers the entire Stockholm county, as well as some locations in bordering counties. There are currently 51 stations. Most traffic along the Kungsängen to Västerhaninge and Märsta to Södertälje distances, with rides every 15 minutes during daytime and every 30 minutes in evenings, and with extra-waggons during rush-hours. On the other distances the traffic are less abundant.

Bus & Ferry

Stockholm has an extensive bus system to reach everywhere the Tunnelbana does not go. There are also a few ferrys that go to Djurgården and Skeppsholmen. Bus and ferry travel is included with any 24 or 72 hour transit pass as well as the month pass.

Taxi

Taxis are on the expensive side. The Stockholm taxi market was deregulated several years ago, which made it considerably easier to find a taxi, but no pricing regulations are in effect. This means that small operators can, and sometimes will, charge outrageous prices. Try to stick with the major companies (Taxi Stockholm, Taxi Kurir and Taxi 020) to avoid being ripped off. If you hail a taxi from any other company it might be a good idea to ask for a price estimate before commencing your journey. Expect to pay about 100 SEK for a 5 minute trip.

Late nights in the city center, you might be offered a taxi ride with a 'Black Taxi'. Most of the time this will get you home for roughly the same cost as ordinary taxis--just don't ask for a receipt. However, some unpleasant episodes have been known to happen to passengers, so try this at your own risk, and preferably not alone.

It's often possible to negotiate a price with a licensed taxi driver, too, before entering the cab. In this case, it's implied that you won't receive a receipt, and the driver won't be paying any taxes or even his employer. The money (payed in cash) will go straight into the driver's pocket, which means that you can often get a cheaper ride. If you don't know the area well enough to estimate the regular by-the-meter price you might get ripped off, though.

See

Museums

Stockholm has more than 70 museums all around: Butterfly Museum, Army Museum, Dance Museum to name but a few.

Do

Walk around, take a drink at Gondolen with an excellent view of the old town. Stockholm is a very easy city to enjoy by foot with no steep streets. Particularly in the summer months (which can be a very short time), the city shows itself at its best. Stay informed. You can find internet cafés and terminals at many locations with prices between 15 and 20 SEK for an hour. Watch a movie. There are many Cinemas in Stockholm. Most movies aren't dubbed but subtitled, so if your English is good enough this is a good opportunity to spend some time. Go nightclubbing and enjoy the fun of Swedish pop music.

Buy

Famous for glassware and design. "Gamla Stan", the old town, is very popular area in which to shop. Västerlånggatan is where you find all the tourist oriented shops but also some nice establishments. If you don't like this crowded street try Österlånggatan instead for a calmer experience. There are many department stores like Åhléns City, PUB and NK (Nordiska Kompaniet) in the city center as well as a couple of shopping malls: the biggest is Gallerian, the most expensive is Sturegallerian and the newest is Västermalmsgallerian at Kungsholmen. For a set of nice fashion shops Biblioteksgatan is worth a visit.

Eat

Stockholm features a big variety of restaurants, including Asian, Indian, Mexican and fast food, many of them offer rather cheap but good 'eat all you can'-lunch buffets. It is far more difficult to find authentic Swedish cuisine, though. For vegans, Vegan Stockholm has a good list of vegan restaurants and cafes, see: Vegan Stockholm.

Most restaurants offer lunch to a reduced cost, including non-alcoholic beverages, bread, butter, sallad and coffee Mon-Fri, usually 1100-1400. Expect to pay between 60-80 SEK. This is a very priceworthy way of eating.

Sweden has enforced a non-smoking law in all bars, pubs and restaurants. Smoking is usually only permitted outdoors.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink

Strong alcohol including starköl (beer which contains more than 3,5% alcohol ABV) can (except in bars and restaurants) only be purchased in the state-owned liquor shop chain called Systembolaget. They have rather short opening hours, usually 1000-1800 Mon-Fri and 1000-1300 on Saturdays. Closed on Sundays. Most shops are of supermarket style. The assortment is very good. Please note that you may NOT purchase any alcohol if you are under the age of 20. You will most likely be asked for proof of age, and if you fail to produce such proof, you will be denied service.

If you are 18, you can purchase alcohol up to 3,5% in shops (Folköl). You may enter some bars and nightclubs. If you are 20, you can purchase alcohol in Systembolaget, and go to bars with 20+.

Remember, in Sweden, the doormen have a large decision power. They have a large power decide which customers they want, and do not want.

Coffee

As the Swedes like drinking coffee, there are many coffee-bars all around. Beware - Swedish coffee is relatively strong compared with the way it is prepared eg in in the US or UK. Don't hesitate to ask for a refill cup of coffee at self service cafeterias, as it is often free. Avoid the bars you can try anywhere in the world (Costa's Coffee, Starbuck's, Wayne's Coffee, Coffehouse by George etc...). Go for the small local cafés!

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages are very expensive. If arriving from outside the European Union and visiting relatives, friends or even just business colleagues, a bottle of whisky, gin or cognac/brandy makes a very acceptable gift, provided the bottle is of decent quality and your hosts are not teetotallers.

Sweden has enforced a non-smoking law in all bars, pubs and restaurants. Smoking is usually only permitted outdoors. It is common that the more trendy bars has a long queue in the evenings. Do not try to argue with the doormen - they do not take any nonsense. Vote with your feet and go somewhere else.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Sleep

Budget

You should have an STF or Hostelling International membership card since you get discounts in Swedish youth hostels (vandrarhem). The standard is quite high.

Mid-range

Splurge

Get out

Events

External links

This text of this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It has been slightly modified to fit the general design of this website. The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, Evan Prodromou, Frank, Fredrik Niemelä, Fredrik Rubensson, Paul N. Richter, Rob Payne, Wikitravel user Alarm, Wikitravel user Averell23, Wikitravel user Jks, Wikitravel user Mic, Wikitravel user Stefan, Wikitravel user Tassieboy, Wikitravel user Usikyle, Yann Forget, Andreas Bergstrom and the following WikiTravel users: Caffeine, Cjensen, Huttite, InterLangBot, JensANDMarian, Jpatokal, Maj, Mnd, Nzpcmad, Riggwelter, Softssa, Wojsyl. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Stockholm.