Everyone knows that Scandinavian countries are expensive (if to compare with the rest of Europe or US). After returning from long weekend getaway in Stockholm I can say that is possible to travel around the Sweden without a spending a fortune.
Stockholm from Katarina lift view platform
Here are 3 suggestions that will save you some money during the trip to Stockholm and sightseeing the area:
1. Use some of the Europe’s low cost airlines for getting to Stockholm.
I did travel with Ryanair for the first time. Round trip cost me around $50 but if to buy tickets in few months advance then you can find even less. It takes to the Skavsta Airport that is around 100km away from the Stockholm. But there is a direct bus service organized & it takes around 1 h 20 min to get to the Stockholm. Tickets are sold at the Airport or you can get them online from Flygbussarna website.
2. For my stay I did pick one of the Scandic Hotels.
This is a popular Scandinavian hotel brand that has hotels in Northern Europe as well. What comes to these hotels they have a special offer for 2 or 3 night stays on weekends. So you can get 20 up to 35% discount if booked at the Scandic website.
One of the Scandic Hotels in Stockholm.
Besides, why I like these hotels is that there is always free breakfast, free internet access and fitness facilities on site or near by area included in price. What comes to the Stockholm, then in summer time they are offering a bikes for sightseeing the city as well. There are several Scandic Hotels in Stockholm, so you can choose any depending on destination area needed.
3. What comes to sightseeing then there are two options.
One – get Stockholm Card (1 day450 SEK or two days 525 SEK) and have access to most of the museums and public transport for free. But I would suggest think ahead what are you interested to do in Stockholm. Count the admission prices and see maybe you can just buy a 24h public transport card for 100 SEK and get separate tickets to few museums. This is an option two.
This is what I did during my stay. First of all I had two days of sightseeing. Since downtown of Stockholm is pretty compact & you can walk simple walk from place to place. Gamla Stan (Old Town) the place for a walk anyway. So I got this 24h public transport card, activated it on afternoon so I could use it on next day as well.
What comes to museums, then I decided to go to the Royal Palace. Single admission ticket to any of three Palace venues costs 100 SEK but you can get a combined ticket for 140 SEK. Besides there are 2 guided tours (English & swedish) included in ticket price as well.
Stockholm's Royal Palace
If you decide to visit Royal Palace on Sunday, then there are special Changing of the Guard ceremony at 12pm with horses. So you can easily spend more that tree hours in and around the Royal Palace. Than take a walk in Gamla Stan and go to the Katarina lift for a nice views of Stockholm’s downtown.
My other day I mostly spent in Djurgarden – a big island with a lot of museums and outdoor recreation areas. Depending on your choice, you can visit Skansen ( 70 SEK), Vasa museum or take a tram further on in island and go to Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde (100 SEK). This is how I spent my second sightseeing day in Stockholm.
If to count all my expenses for these two days, total cost of Stockholm’s sightseeing for me was 340 SEK (240 SEK for museums and 100 SEK for public transport card). Well, I was taking this trip kind of easy (with late breakfasts) but I did a lot of walking around the central part of Stockholm. And yes, I did some shopping as well 🙂
Of course, there is much more to do & to see in Stockholm but if you decide to visit more museums, than there will be no time for visiting Djurgarden. Last thing what comes to Stockholm sightseeing is that there are City Bikes available for a rent. Hire a bike for 3 days just for 125 SEK & you are free to travel from one place to other.
Rent Stockholm City Bikes from April 1 till October 31
Traveling is one of the things I like in my life. Actually I can simply say - I love traveling. Doesn't matter what is the reason for the trip, I enjoy most of the places I visit.
Latti's Travel Blog 