Into the north - a Stockholm guide

Never ever have I travelled somewhere by plane with my parents - never in my life. I always had my sister, my boyfriend or friends with me when I flew somewhere, but NEVER neither my mom or my dad. My parents, especially my mom stopped flying before I was born, due to a traumatic flight experience, so we have been staying in "car-reachable" areas since then.  It took us (my sister and me) many months and a lot of patience to finally convince both of my parents to go out of their comfort zone and start flying again. And yes, we made it and went to Stockholm by plane! And guess what, our next flight is already in planning. 

There are two reasons because we chose Stockholm: first, my dad has a deep connection to Sweden due to his mom who lived there for a long, long time, and second, my mom admires the Swedish royal family like crazy - LOL. Because of that (and her birthday) we booked a hotel in the so-called Haga-Park, a huge and beautiful park where Princess Victoria and her husband Daniel live. The Radisson Blu Royal Park Hotel is located directly at the Haga Park's lake, and it took as us a 30 minutes bike ride to the city everyday,   always passing Victoria's beautiful castle. We really enjoyed not being in central Stockholm all day and being able to experience the Swedish nature and calmness in the mornings and evenings. That's probably the thing that makes Stockholm such a special city - it is lively but still calm, it is old but still modern and innovative, it is big but still overseeable. Coming back to the hotel, the breakfast was a dream, they simply had EVERYTHING - the best salmon ever, gluten free bread, smoothies, hummus, fruit compotes, peanut butter, milk alternatives, an egg cook (is this a job? LOL) and and and.... The rooms were a little old-fashioned, but everything else in the hotel (restaurant, lobby, bar, wellness area) was modern and new. (disclaimer: this is not sponsored and my honest opinion)

The breakfast in our hotel: The Radisson Blu Royal Park Hotel

all about the food 

STHLM Brunch club - Dalagatan 24

Located between Vasastaden and Norrmalm, this cute little Café serves delicious all day Breakfast and Brunch meals such as avocado-toast with poached eggs, Acai bowls with peanut butter, Eggs Benedict, French toast and incredibly good pancakes (my mum went nuts lol). They do not accept reservations, but we arrived at about 10 am and finding a nice table was no problem at all. 

WienerCafeet - Biblioteksgatan 6-8

You may be thinking now - what, Austrians going to a Viennese Café in Sweden? WHAT IS WRONG? Well, this Café is not like any typical Viennese Café - it may look like one interior-wise, but mostly all of the food is Swedish. You will get to know my #1 favorite spot for Kanelbullar down below, but this definitely is #2. They have a great variety of different Kanelbullar as well as all kind of small pastries, tartes and macarons. They serve breakfast and lunch meals too, as well as a VERY good cup of coffee or tea. 

Petrus - Swedenborgsgatan 4B

If you are on the hunt for the best Kanelbulle in Stockholm, you will find them here in the bakery Petrus in Södermalm. One can smell the freshly baked goods before even seeing the bakery. I swear I had the hallelujah-moment of my life when I bit into the warm, sweet and cinnamoney Kanelbulle - can only recommend! But do not only try the Kanelbulle, go a little out of the box and give the Kardamombullar a try as well!

Gamla Stan - the old town 

Did you know the old town of Stockholm - Gamla Stan - is an island? Hundreds of years ago, this island was everything Stockholm had to offer, and the area around the island has been countryside with only few houses. The picture above shows the central place in Gamla Stan, named Stortorget. The whole old town has a very calm and historical flair, cute little shops full of handmade goods, restaurants, cafes, museums, churches, and of course the "Kungliga Slotten" which is the royal palace. But being honest, this castle is definitely not the most beautiful I have ever seen. The rooms are very gloomy and not really furnished, something I would not like to see again. If you continue reading you will find out which beautiful royal alternatives there are in Stockholm!

A beautiful spot - Drottningholm castle

If you are looking for a really beautiful castle with a breathtaking surrounding, then please DO NOT visit Gamla Stan's castle, but the Drottningholm Slott. It is the private residence of the Swedish royal family, so Carl XVI. Gustav and Silvia are currently living there. In this castle we have experienced the BEST guided tours ever. Usually I am not a tour-guide-person at all, in fact I hate guided tours and my sister and I are the first ones who flee after 10 minutes. But this guy was so rousing, lively and humorous that we could not stop listening to his words. Btw, the castle can be reached by ship very frequently per day, the ride takes about one hour. 

Skansen and Rosendals TrÄdgard 

Skansen is the world's oldest open air museum, showcasing the old Swedish culture, architecture, people and animals. It is crazy how much time and effort must be put into everything and how many people are working there every day. There are farmers wearing old Swedish costumes, reindeers (and many more nordic animals), old Swedish schools, pharmacies, bakeries, post agencies and farmsteads. It really is an unique place where history meets the present day and offers an insight into Swedish traditions, work and everyday life. 

Rosendals Trädgard 

Rosendals Trädgard is the perfect place for a relaxing rest between all the exhausting sightseeing. The beautiful garden with cute tables and lounges, the greenhouses, the cafe and the local shop - everything is made with love and old farming practices. Rosendals garden follows the "garden to fork" concept, which means that mostly everything served there comes from the garden or the greenhouses. On the menu? Beetroot-Hummus and many more spreads on whole grain bread, raw cakes and bliss balls, gluten-free cakes, not so gluten-free cakes, and of course Kanelbulle. You can even order warm dishes from the counter. A BIG recommendation!

If you made it until here, thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed my little journey through Stockholm and got some inspiration for your future Stockholm trip. If you have more to add and new recommendations, please comment down below - I would love to know!

I wish you a very happy day, 

​thelischka