How To Spend Three Perfect Days in Stockholm

The Swedish capital is well worth a visit in Spring of 2024. The city is brimming with fascinating history, unique museums, idyllic islands, an excellent craft cocktail scene, LGBTQ+-friendly establishments, and a whole lot of delicious food.

Moreover, Stockholm is beautiful. There’s almost endless interesting architecture — some dating back eight centuries — spread across the 14-island archipelago that makes up the city. Add in mild weather in the summer and true winter wonderland winters and Stockholm ends up having a little something for everyone.

Here’s how to spend three perfect days in Stockholm!

DAY 1:

Check-in at Hotel Skeppsholmen. This waterfront boutique hotel is located within walking distance of the city center but feels much further away due to its quaint quiet surroundings. Located on a lush island, the hotel — a renovated 300-year-old house with modern Scandi chic adornments — has rooms starting at 2,790 SEK ($273) a night. The property practices sustainability by only using renewable energy and it has earned the third-party Nordic Swan Ecolabel level four for its green efforts.

If you’re arriving before evening, walk over to the nearby Moderna Museet (150 SEK/$15 admission). If it’s a Friday afternoon, your admission will be free from 6-8 p.m. Before you browse through the rotating exhibits of modern art, go up to the rooftop terrace to enjoy a cocktail and take in sweeping views of the Scandinavian city.

From the museum, cross over the Skeppsholmsbron Bridge, which was built in the 1800s in iron and is adorned with gilded crowns. Stop and take in the views. The city is especially serene at dusk. You’ll end up in Kungsträdgården, a tree-lined metropolitan park, where you can people-watch for a bit or keep heading towards dinner. It’s just about a 20-minute walk from Moderna Musset to Restaurant ChouChou.

ChouChou is a green space in Stockholm offering organic plant-based dishes. Start with a round or two of cocktails served alfresco on the patio. The Hot Buttered Rum is a must as it’s hard to find vegan versions of buttered spirits. For dinner, go inside the restaurant and order a la carte. Try the vegan Provencal Steak (389 SEK/$38), or introduce yourself to vegan versions of traditional Scandinavian cuisine by hitting up the buffet (269/$26 SEK). The buffet usually has Skagen as a starter, which is a local dish of faux-shrimp toast with caviar made from seaweed.

Not tired from traveling? A few blocks down you’ll find one of Stockholm’s coolest hotel bars, Guldbaren, aka The Gold Bar, at the Nobis Hotel Stockholm. The cocktail menu is globally inspired but you’d be remiss not to try the local concoction. “The Stockholm” is made with rhubarb, pink gin, grapefruit soda, and elderflower foam (150 SEK/$14). You can’t go wrong with an order of oysters (38 SEK/$3.75 each) and champagne (180 SEK/$17 a glass) to finish the night.

DAY 2:

Have breakfast at Hotel Skeppsholmen then get out on a self-guided sightseeing tour of Stockholm city. Start in Gamla Stan, the city’s Old Town, which is only about a 20-minute walk from the hotel. This city was founded on this island in the 13th century and today it boasts many cultural institutions housed in buildings from the 1700s and 1800s. Going on a guided tour at the Royal Palace (230 SEK/$22 entry and guided tour) is an absolute must. It remains His Majesty The King’s official residence with over 600 well-preserved rooms.

Visit the island of Djurgården which was once the royal hunting ground and is now jam-packed with some of the best things to do in Stockholm, including Gröna Lund, the oldest amusement park in Sweden with 30 rides. Admission is only 100 SEK/$9 so hop on a few rides to spark that inner child joy.

After you’ve ridden roller coasters to your heart’s content, walk to the ABBA The Museum (239 SEK/$23 entry) where you’ll have the chance to perform on stage along with holograms of the iconic Swedish band — much like their tour — and belt your heart out to one of their hits such as Mama Mia. In the museum, you’ll get to gaggle at ABBA’s sparkly costumes, view the gold records, sing your favorite ABBA songs in a recording studio, and more. Enjoy traditional Swedish dishes next door at The Visitor’s Bistro for lunch such as Toast Skagen (this one isn’t vegan) for 195 SEK/$19 or the classic Swedish veal meatballs with lingonberries for 225 SEK/$22.

Down the road is the Vasa Museum (entry starts at 170 SEK/$16) which is arguably the most unique cultural institution in the city. It’s Scandanvia’s most visited museum and houses the Vasa warship which sank nearby on its maiden journey in the harbor in 1628. It was salvaged 333 years later and remains the world’s best-preserved 17th-century ship.

For dinner, head to Cirkus — don’t expect there to be any contortionists or clowns. In its heyday in the late 1800s, it was indeed a circus venue but today it’s a bistro serving classic Swedish dishes. Let the chef surprise your taste buds by enjoying the five-course tasting menu for 595 SEK/$58. There are concerts and theater performances throughout the year so check to see what’s on during your visit to Stockholm and stay for dinner and a show. Take ferry 82 from Allmänna gränd to return to Hotel Skeppsholmen.

DAY 3:

Now that you’ve seen the best of what the city has to offer it’s time to get out on the water, after breakfast at the hotel. Vision of Stockholm offers tours from three to eight hours duration and private charters (1,800 SEK/$176 per guest for a group of 10) exploring the surrounding archipelago made up of over 30,000 islands. Many of the rugged wooded islands are uninhabited and excellent for hikes. Or, simply cruise around taking photos of rocky cliffs — and if you’re visiting in the warmer months take a dip into the water on the sandy shores.

The archipelago town of Vaxholm has a public ferry if you don’t want to splurge on a private boat ride. If you’re going private, some stops to consider include the Fjäderholmarna Islands in the west, the Svenska Högarna islets in the east, and the lighthouse on Landsort in the south.

Have lunch at Mälarpaviljongen, a gay-owned river-front bar and restaurant on the Stockholm canals. You can get right in for a swim in Riddarfjärden directly from the bar’s dock. Sip on innovative cocktails (158 SEK/$15) including the Fairy Godmother (gin, St-Germain, passion fruit puree, and lime juice), Witch Summer (whiskey, lemon juice, mint, and ginger beer), or a Happy Ending (vodka, Baileys, and double espresso).

For lunch, order grilled goat cheese (SEK 235/$23), dill fried herring (SEK 225/$22) from the Mälarpaviljongen menu, or order from the sister vegan and gluten-free eatery, The Green Queen located on the Norr Mälarstrand’s promenade.

Mälarpaviljongen is one of many establishments that lends itself to Stockholm being dubbed as an “open city” that’s a safe destination for LGBTQ+ travelers. 2024 marks 80 years since the decriminalization of homosexuality in Sweden and 10 years of full equal marriage. I felt very welcomed as a queer woman in Stockholm when I visited during Stockholm Pride, the Nordics’ largest Pride celebration. I was pleased that there were events specifically for queer women, which unfortunately isn’t all that common at Pride celebrations besides dyke marches or unofficial events at bars.

Bring your suitcase along and enjoy the afternoon here until you depart for your next destination.