My daughter and I woke up in Stockholm after a good night’s sleep and, after finishing an extensive buffet breakfast at our hotel, the Elite Hotel Adlon, we took the short walk over to the Stockholm Visitor’s Center. Click HERE to find out more about this useful travel center.

The two of us met with Birgitta Palmér who gave us some further information about this city. This included the fact that Eurovision Song Contest 2016  was being held there at the time. Broadcast every year since 1956, it’s been an international competition that’s launched many music legends including the Swedish band ABBA who, in 1974, won with their song “Waterloo”. Click HERE to read more about that particular iconic event.

Ms. Palmér invited my daughter to use a Stockholm Pass, and she gave me the Stockholm Key of Honor. Both were very helpful as they permitted us to experience over 60 attractions including boat and walking tours.

As I’ve mentioned before, the subway system in this city is great so we obtained multi day travel passes to help us easily get around.  During the short time that we had available, Sarah and I set off to see many of the unusual sites that Stockholm has to offer including:

The Nobel Museum: We loved the tour that was included in the admission. Our guide provided detailed and interesting info about the history and procedures involved in deciding who receives these phenomenally prestigious prizes. A must see: the display of the personal item that each of the Nobel Laureates donated. Click HERE to learn more.

The Royal Palace:  Close to the Nobel Museum, this set of 5 buildings includes a view of the royal apartments filled with artwork and furniture as well as the Treasury . Click HERE  to learn more.

The Vasa Museum : Devoted to the discovery, reclamation and conservation of a beautiful 17th century ship, the Vasa Museum was one of the highlights of my visit. I noticed that some of the visitors were surprised that they couldn’t actually board the ship, but this was understandable as it was explained that there is a concern as to how long it will even last. Click HERE to learn more.

The Fotografiska Museum: The museum housed some very moving exhibits. A highlight of this attraction, though, was its restaurant which has beautiful views of the water. Reservations are recommended, but without them we were able to get a table close to a window in the cafe area. Click HERE to learn more.

Shopping in SoFo: ” South of Folkungagtan”, this is a trendy neighborhood filled with vintage clothes, antiques, handicrafts and restaurants. Click HERE for more info.

Boat Tour: We enjoyed taking the “Under the Bridges” boat tour which was included in our passes. After all of our traveling, it was a nice way to relax and view the sites of this city by water. Our tour included a narration in English which was filled with interesting facts about the history of Stockholm. Click HERE for more info.

TRAVEL GAL TIPS: Speaking English was not at all a problem for us here so, unlike my trip to Paris last October, I wasn’t sorry I hadn’t obtained a phrase book or app.

We never needed to use Swedish currency, the krona,  as this is a very credit card oriented destination. In fact the Fotografiska Museum no longer accepts cash.

However:

a) Try to make sure that the credit cards that you bring with you have no foreign transaction fees. Those charges can really add up.

b) Before you leave home, let your credit card company know that you’ll be using your card in Stockholm. Otherwise, the company will see that those charges were not normal, suspect fraud, and may cut you off without warning.  This was reinforced the hard way when I tried to use my card on multiple occasions in Iceland a year and a half ago.

 

Let us know if you’ve traveled to Stockholm and if you have any other advice!