Last May I experienced a very special travel adventure. After waiting for several months, I would be finally meeting up with my teenage daughter who had just finished her studies abroad in Florence, Italy. The plan was to bum around that magical city and a couple of nearby Italian locations for a few days. Then we would make our way to another European destination before heading home. Sarah had quickly learned through her own extensive travels that past year that, once you arrived in Europe, airplane rides to other destinations within the continent were relatively easy and inexpensive.

But where to go? The internet was filled with list upon list of the “best places to visit” in Europe. I had been considering Madrid or Lisbon but, in the end, it was Sarah who had made the choice: Stockholm. She had traveled there in the December of last year, and she’d loved the experience so much that she was begging to go back.

And, after spending a few days in this ancient capital of Sweden that is spread across 14 islands, I have to agree with my intrepid travel buddy. Stockholm is a great destination filled with beauty, history and culture.

After arriving via airberlin from Florence, I discovered that transportation from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport to our hotel was relatively simple. After going through a quick immigration/customs process, we bought our tickets and took the 20 minute ride on the Arlanda Express to the Central Station.  Click HERE for more info on this train service including deals on tickets.

Based upon Sarah’s previous visit to this city, we stayed at the  Elite Hotel Adlon. For an expensive city like Stockholm, the price of our room wasn’t bad, especially because of all of the hotel’s added benefits. Our room wasn’t huge but I loved the central safe location which was very close to the Arlanda Express and the city’s subway system. In addition, the staff was very helpful, we had free wifi, and the free breakfast buffet was delicious and varied.

We arrived late in the day so, after checking in, we quickly ate at one of the many sushi places in the area and then wondered around to get our bearings for the next day.

We soon made our way into Stockholm’s nearby Gamla Stan or Old Town. Considered to be one of the world’s best preserved medieval city centers, we walked past a lot of this area’s cute shops.  Most of them were already closed by this time, but I enjoyed the window shopping and just getting an initial the lay of the land.

 

We then headed back to hotel to rest up. The next day we would further exploring the city including several of its top attractions.

 

Next: Top Sites in Stockholm