Stockholm

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Stockholm
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These vtravellers love Stockholm

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Overview

Spread across 24,000 islets and laced with numerous waterways on the southeastern coast of Sweden, Stockholm enjoys one of the most stunning locales of any capital city in the world. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces, giving Stockholm perhaps the freshest air and widest lungs of any European capital.

This natural oasis is complemented by the stunning Old Town, which has been very well preserved over the centuries. This Old Town (or Gamla Stan) is the epicentre of the city, with countless hotels, bars, restaurants and shops all prospering - as people in these historical streets have done for centuries.

Away from the charms of the Old Town, the modern city showcases the neat and innovative design standards for which Sweden has become globally renowned. Much of Stockholm’s present-day wealth comes from the new light industries, such as information technology and computing, with world leading companies often occupying prime real estate in the city centre or filling up the new business parks on the city fringes.

All this is a far cry from the city’s humble beginnings, which stretch back to the 13th century and Birger Jarl - generally accepted as the founder of the city, although various settlements previously existed on the site. The city grew up around the Old Town, as Stockholm emerged as a key trading centre with influence all over the Baltic Sea region and further afield.

Today, Stockholm is a thriving modern European city that exudes confidence in its strengths and abilities at all levels, be they financial, cultural, social or gastronomic.

During the seemingly endless days and bright sunshine of the summer months, the city’s chic boutiques and stylish pavement cafes overflow with affluent, fashion-conscious people who enjoy the culture and lifestyle that has earned the Swedish capital rave reviews from Europe’s style magazines.

Stockholm’s ethnic make-up is, perhaps surprisingly, very eclectic, with over 15% first-generation immigrants and over 100 languages spoken in the city. This increasing diversity has infused the city with a renewed vigour and energy, as the various incoming cultures interact with the indigenous one.

A quintessential Stockholm summer night is spent bathed in warm sunshine, sitting at a restaurant by the water’s edge, savouring fresh seafood plucked straight from the waters around Stockholm, before taking advantage of the midnight light and heading out for a night around the Stureplan, in some of Europe ’s trendiest bars.

When the long winter does come, it is not all Nordic gloom - the locals head for the sanctuary of the cosy pubs that line the city. Stockholm has almost as many restaurants per capita as Paris does, as well as 150 or so museums and galleries, so there is always plenty to do when the winter chill sets in. Then there are the severe winters when many of the waterways around the city freeze up, making ice skating around one of the world’s most stunning capital cities a unique experience.

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Feature

Guide

Public Transport

StorstockholmsLokaltrafik (SL) (tel: (08) 600 1000; website: www.sl.se) runs Stockholm’s well-integrated network of metros, commuter trains, buses and trams.

The metro (tunnelbana) is the core of the system (stations are marked with a blue ‘T’ on a white background) and the service runs daily 0500-0100 (later at the weekend). The metro is integrated with the commuter train service, although services on the latter are less frequent.

Bus services operate daily on average around 0600-2400 for normal buses, with night buses handling limited routes after that.

There are not many trams left in the city, although visitors might find the vintage Djurgårdslinjen (tram 7) useful, as it passes many city sights.

Single tickets, valid on all services, are available on board buses or at metro stations. Rabattkupong (discount coupons) are available from newspaper stands.

SL offers tickets for one, three and seven days’ travel on the public transport system inside the Greater Stockholm area. The Stockholm Card (Stockholmskortet) gives free access to public transport among other benefits and is available for either 24, 48 or 72 hours. You can buy it at Stockholm Information Service offices.

Taxis

Taxis can be hailed on the street or ordered by telephone from TaxiStockholm (tel: (08) 150 000 or 728 2700; website: www.taxistockholm.se) or TaxiKurir (tel: (08) 744 9400; website: www.taxikurir.se). Computer/radio taxis can also be ordered online and accept major credit cards as payment.

Taxis have higher rates for evenings and weekends. Tips are usually included in the fare.

Driving in the City

Scattered over 14 islands and governed by strict speed limits, Stockholm is not an ideal city for drivers. Visitors might be better advised to use the excellent public transport system instead. The city’s planners have imposed numerous restrictions on drivers and petrol prices are among Europe’s highest.

Principal car parks are the Galleriangaraget, at the Gallerian complex, Hamngatan 37, or at PhusPub, Slöjdgatan 3. Carpark (website: www.carpark.se) provides a website, complete with maps, which focuses on parking in Stockholm. StockholmParkering (website: www.stockholm-parkering.se) offers many parking facilities in the city.

Car Hire

The minimum age for car hire is 18 years, with the proviso that drivers have held a driving licence for one year. Some larger cars are restricted to those over 24 years. A national driving licence, passport and credit card are required for hiring a car in Stockholm. Fire and third party liability is mandatory in Sweden and is included in all car hire deals.

Cars are available from Avis (tel: (08) 202 060; website: www.avis.se) and Hertz (tel: (08) 797 9900; website: www.hertz.com , both of which are located near the Stockholm Central Station.

Bicycle Hire

CykelandMopeduthyrningen, Strandvägen 24 (tel: (08) 660 7959), and Cykelstallet, Scheelegatan 15 (tel: (08) 651 0066; website: www.cykelstallet.se), both provide bicycle and scooter hire. GamlaStansCykel, St Nygatan 20 (tel: (08) 411 1670; website: www.gamlastanscykel.se), also offers bike hire.

Introduction

Stockholm’s cultural history extends back to its Viking beginnings. The city was also the birthplace of Alfred Nobel, whose will instated the famous five prizes for peace, physics, chemistry, medicine and literature (economics was added by the Bank of Sweden in 1968). Several Swedish writers have since brought cultural glory to Stockholm by winning the Nobel Prize for literature (see LiteraryNotes below).

Stockholm was European Capital of Culture in 1998, and its cultural scene is incredibly virbrant and eclectic. There is a constant and extremely wide stream of cultural productions being offered to the public in the Swedish capital, from art exhibitions to dance and theatre performances to jazz and classical concerts and various literary events. While maintaining its cultural traditions, Stockholm has a very modern outlook, and there is a lot of interesting modern architecture around, not least the controversial avant-garde architecture of the Modern Museum, on Skeppsholmen, designed by Rafael Moneo.

Tickets to cultural events can be booked via the central ticketing agency, BiljettDirekt (tel: 077 170 7070; website: www.ticnet.se). Online information (website: www.musikfestivaler.se) is available for Swedish music festivals. The official Stockholm tourism website, www.stockholmtown.com, is an excellent source for information on all kinds of cultural events.

Music: The blue, stuccoed Konserthuset, Hötorget (tel: (08) 786 0200; website: www.konserthuset.se) houses the world-class Swedish Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The Stockholm Sinfonietta, one of the world’s best chamber music orchestras, performs at the beautiful Riddarhuset, Riddarhustorget 10 (tel: (08) 723 3990; website: www.riddarhuset.se), built in 1641-74 to accommodate members of the Swedish aristocracy for meetings in Parliament. The Royal Palace Music Festival (tel: 077 170 7070, bookings via Biljett Direkt; website: www.royalfestivals.se) annually attracts music lovers to the Royal Palace, while the lovely antique Drottningholm Court Theatre, Drottningholms Slott (tel: (08) 5569 3100; website:www.dtm.se), hosts summer opera and ballet seasons.

Theatre: The Dramaten, Nybroplan (tel: (08) 667 0680; website: www.dramaten.se), is Sweden’s highly respected national theatre. Orionteatern, Katarina Bangata 77 (tel: (08) 643 8880; website: www.orionteatern.se), is also part of the established scene. Stadsteatern, in Kulturhuset, Sergels Torg (tel: (08) 5062 0200; website: www.stadsteatern.stockholm.se), has more radical productions and is cheaper, while Teater Galeasen, Slupskjulsvägen, Skeppsholmen (tel: (08) 611 0030; website: www.galeasen.se), is at the cutting edge of contemporary theatre. Stockholm is home to The Stockholm Players (website: www.stockholmplayers.se), Sweden’s oldest English-language theatre company, based at ABF-Huset, Sveavägen 41 (tel: (08) 453 4100; website: www.abfstockholm.se).

Dance: Dansens Hus, Barnhusgatan 14 (tel: (08) 5089 9090; website: www.dansenshus.se), was set up in the 1990s, as Sweden’s foremost dance venue. The Royal Swedish Ballet, founded in 1773, is one of the oldest companies in the world. It is based at the Royal Swedish Opera, Strömgatan (tel: (08) 791 4400; website: www.operan.se). Moderna Dansteatern, 103 Slupskjulsvägen, Skeppsholmen (tel: (08) 611 3233; website: www.modernadansteatern.se), hosts more impromptu, innovative performances.

Film: The Stockholm International Film Festival (website: www.stockholmfilmfestival.se) is the key event in the city’s cinema calendar. All movies in Sweden are shown in their original language with subtitles and mainstream movies are screened at Biopalatset, Medborgarplatsen (tel: (08) 101 300) and Filmstaden Sergel, Hötorget (tel: (08) 5626 0000), while arthouse movie aficionados should head to Biografen Sture, Birger Jarlsgatan 28 (tel: (08) 678 8548; website: www.biosture.se).

Ingmar Bergman grew up in Stockholm and his schooldays at Palmgren’s School in Östermalm were the basis for his 1944 screenplay, Hets (Torment). His 1952 film, SommarenmedMonika (SummerwithMonika), kicks off with a majestic voyage through Stockholm in a small boat. Many film buffs will also remember Stockholm’s crop of Swedish Hollywood sirens - Greta Garbo (born Greta Gustavsson in 1905) and Ingrid Bergman (born in Stockholm in 1915).

Literary Notes: The granddaddy of the Swedish literary fraternity was August Strindberg, with TheRedRoom (1879) considered by some as the first real Swedish novel. Swedish writers have received the Nobel Prize for literature seven times but only Selma Lagerlöf (1909) and Pär Lagerkvist (1951) made any significant impact outside Sweden. Nelly Sachs, winner of the 1966 prize, was a naturalised Swedish citizen of German Jewish extraction who wrote in German. Ingmar Bergman is the only other renowned international cultural figure to have drawn much from the city (see Films above). His career was constantly involved with the Stockholm film and theatre scenes.

More recent literary works to touch on the city include two hilarious chapters in Bill Bryson’s NeitherHereNorThere (1998) and Colin Forbes’ thriller TheStockholmSyndicate (1989), which centres on an international conspiracy based in the city.

Reviews

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reviewed by owngig2009, 57 weeks ago

Stockholm with friends

Jam packed with great eateries and bars Stockholm is a fantastic city to go with friends and have a really social weekend. Explore the Old Town and make time to visit the Design museum if you can