Sightseeing marathon in Stockholm

It is the middle of July and Stockholm's is alive with tourists. I get the feeling that all Stockholm inhabitants have escaped and been exchanged for curious figures holding maps and cameras. In my effort to try and see as much as possible, I have planned a heavy schedule for the day - bus, walk, boat - which should cover most of the city.

Bus tour through Stockholm

My sightseeing marathon starts at 9.55 a.m. at Gustav Adolf's square with a ticket to see Stockholm Panorama and a guided walk through Gamla Stan (the Old City). At exactly ten o'clock the next full bus leaves, the headphones are put on and I lean back comfortably in the chair, ready to see "The Pearl of Europe", without tiring out my legs.

The bus driver takes a turn past the Royal Castle and continues on towards the heights of Söder, Kungsholmen, City and Östermalm. On Fjällgatan the view is immortalized by clicking fingers and murmuring is heard when the guide tells about Sweden's 96,000 inland lakes. Without a doubt, we get to see a lot of the city in one and a half hours and I feel that I have gotten a good picture of the different parts of the city and how the different islands are connected to each other. Stockholm is a beautiful city and the traffic jams I dreaded when I chose the bus tour were happily non-existent.

We stepped off the bus in front of Operan (the Opera house). It was time to stretch our legs a little and get to know the oldest part of the city and the area where everything began - Gamla Stan (the Old City).

Guided walk

Rebecca, our guide, leads us into the alleys of Gamla Stan and we quickly get a picture of how this part of the city looked when Stockholm first began to take form. There are only seven of us in the group, so it feels natural to make small talk as we move through the alleys - a very pleasant and personal form of sightseeing.

The walk took a little longer than planned and I feel my stomach starting to growl. During the bus tour I became interested in seeing more of Södermalm and decide to go there to eat lunch.

One of the advantages of Stockholm as a small capital city is that it is easy to get around on foot. It is not far between the city districts and there is almost always something beautiful to look at. So, I walk through Gamla Stan once again, across Slussen and off towards Götgatan in Söder. Samba Sushi seems like a good choice and I admittedly buy the most expensive nine pieces I have eaten, but they were also among the best I have eaten. After lunch I take some time to wander around the boutiques on Götgatan, surprised at the extremely good prices at Monki and then end up at Addnature on Högbergsgatan; every outdoor person's wet dream.

Sightseeing tour by boat

Next on the marathon schedule is a sightseeing tour on the water. At Stadshusbron I hop onto a boat that will take me around Kungsholmen and am happy that the sun is finally shining.  There are a few more than just me that have decided to take a boat tour and the line-up winds far in front of the boat.

During the tour I establish that you cannot say anything other than that Stockholm is an incredibly beautiful and green city which can be experienced just as well from a bus as from a boat.

If I had tried to see just as much on foot, I would have probably finished the day with chafed feet and very tired legs. Instead, I was spry enough to continue on to a sunny outdoor cafeteria and enjoy a dinner and the first cold beer of the evening, to be followed by many more during the evening and night.

By: Lisa, editor