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Sightseeing Stockholm in One Day: Google-Tripping Your Way Around the Venice of the North
Google-Tripping Your Way Around the Venice of the North
I finally reached one of the most overpopulated Nordic cities in Europe, which
happens to be the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. At long last, after a much-awaited official
visit, which took more than a year to do so, I found myself foolishly running
to get the earliest train from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport to Stockholm City center. Stretching across
fourteen islands, Stockholm is indeed a fascinating city to explore, especially
if you aim to do a one-day sightseeing
DIY tour – not bad at all, not scary at all, says me. Even if it felt like
time and energy were nearly extinct in my itinerary, I knew Stockholm will be
packed with the good stuff, even if I will just explore it on foot in 12 hours
(okay, maybe half a day?). Ever
since I visited Malmo not so long ago, it scarred an indelible impression on me, so
much so that it made me predict that I’ll be back to Sweden for an unfinished
business: to see the so called “Venice of the North”.
You’d be surprised by what you can do in a
day, particularly if it’s in Stockholm. On a perfect day, not too crazy wintery not too sunny, you can enjoy a variety of Stockholm activities. You can maybe try skiing on one of the city's slopes, perhaps even try to glide
around a classic ice-skating rink. But as luck might have it, you might arrive in Stockholm and enjoy a
different kind of weather – like in my case, it was a weather that I wasn’t
too accustomed to. It was a gray area between end of winter and don’t-know-when-the-next-season-will-start
kind of day. When my train ride was leaving the international airport, I could
see from the train’s window view the blurry debris of winter snow. This means
only one thing, I thought to myself, Stockholm was in transit, from winter to better!
And, with this, of course, historical
sightseeing, food trips, and adrenaline-inducing activities are almost
certainly available without much snowflake!
In laypeople’s term, majority of the places of interest in Stockholm can probably be accessed already. Although cruises,
sailings, and water tours might not be the priority if you are visiting just
for a short while, there are still a ton of options on top things to do,
whether it’s attending a free tour, or doing your own day trip itinerary. With Google
Trips and GPSMyCity as my weapons of travel during my trip here,
I was able to fit in a lot of attractions – from museums, sights and landmarks,
nature and parks, and outdoor activity areas as part of my itinerary. Of
course, food and drinks were also part of it! No shopping and no nightlife for
me, but no worries, perhaps another time soon.
A stereotypical tourist (i.e. me!), would most
likely choose a Stockholm Bus Hop On Hop
Off, which is tolerable, especially if you have young adults, kids, and
seniors with you, and you only have less than a day to do so. But, Sweden is
different - I strongly advise to just see Stockholm on foot, by having your own
defined itinerary. Whether it has been planned earlier than your visit, or just
a spontaneous one , you won’t get disappointed,
because the things to do in Stockholm are far from limited, and it’s very easy
to roam around. Traveler friendly and
safe, the city center itself has all the walkable landmarks you can do
nonchalantly, and it won’t even take more than 2-3 hours to do so. Likewise,
museums, like the ABBA Museum, Vasa Museum, or even the Army Museum, are quite
near and accessible via foot and public transport. You can spend an hour or so
there. I’d recommend spending more hours
exploring the Stockholm Old Town, because this is where the action is.
So, while you are planning to sightsee around the
Venice of the North, do remember that it’s doable even if it’s less than 12 hours and you don’t have to worry so much about booking a tour or expensive
private guides. You can do it at your own pace, on foot and with minimal
expenses incurred. All you must do is
use Google Trips or GPSMyCity to get ideas on the route, and ask for a tourist
map at the Tourist Information Center in their airport, and you should be
good to go. You can even save offline itineraries and maps using these apps if
needed. But - if you need ideas, here are some photos of my walk-around
Stockholm for you to get a feel of it. :-)
[SWEDEN TRAVEL] Read the rest of Explore Sweden Travel Blog Series:
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