The time I had available for long trips meandering across Europe was up and it was back to my standard working week leaving me only one option again: deploying my old practice of heading out to European countries for the weekends to make the most of them. As stated in my other weekend travel blogs, my method for this was to head to Skyscanner, pick the airport near me for best connections, which for me was Gatwick, and use the “Everywhere” function. This conveniently gives a list of paces in an ascending order in price. With the added criteria of not being too far away (maximum of 3-4 hours away) and flights being at a reasonable time for the price to get the most out of the experience, I selected my city of choice from the shortlist. This time it was Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden.
Why I Headed To Stockholm
Primarily, my choice of location was dictated by what was available at a reasonable price using the before mentioned method. Once this had narrowed down the field of options, the one that stood to me was Stockholm amongst the other destinations on offer. There was natural draw as a capital city, there was the fact that I’d seen some of the other options on offer, such as Oslo, Trondheim and Gothenburg, and there was the knowledge that the city would have a lot to offer culturally and with things to do. Additionally to that, from pictures I’d seen online, I already knew it was a picturesque city with its architecture but adding in what was going to hopefully be a blanket of snow would only enhance this. Alongside that, the Swedish nightlife was something I wanted to experience in full flow after hearing so much about it.
What I Thought Of Stockholm
I was certainly right in thinking the city was a picturesque one and that’s whilst only being exposed to it under the cover of mainly fog and cloud. I can imagine what a delight it would be once the sun is shining. It has plenty to explore and see with a few viewpoint to allow you to see it from a different perspective. It was perfect for me to get out early one of the mornings to go for a run and was one of the those occasions I got so engrossed in the place, I just kept going and going. With the city being sprawled across smaller islands, there are plenty of shots to be taken alongside the waterways.
As I found out, during winter it had plenty of Christmas activities on offer, hosting an ice rink in Kungsträdgården, ladened in lights to give the perfect wintery scene. A perfect romantic spot should you be with a significant other, with the paths lined with lights all mourned it. Then there’s the Christmas market in Stortoget, which was a lovely little spot for you to grab something festive to eat, a drink and a gift or two, whether it be a souvenir for you or another.
Finally, the nightlife was just as good as expected with plenty of clubs, bars and crossovers available to party, socialise and meet new people in, all playing great music from what I experienced. The only downside and not sure what exactly prompted it but it seemed that as a collective from the hostel, we struggled to get in wherever we went.
From what I experienced, it was great for a weekend away and I had a fulfilling time there nevertheless, even if it was brought together last minute and I didn’t . From what I saw, there was easily the ability to upgrade from the experience that I had with a little more planning and a little more time in the city, bringing some of the things that I saw on offer such as actually taking part in the ice skating, checking out one or two of the museums and getting my lesson on the city through a walking tour.