Due to the
proximity of the city centre to the cruise terminal, a complimentary shuttle
was provided, meaning we arrived in the heart of the city – the main focal
point of all exploration. We had no real plans and hadn’t decided what we
wanted to do or see – so it proved to be our most disorganised port of call
yet.
However, one
place I knew I wanted to visit was the Old Town – Gamla Stan. I still recall
writing a destination description about it on a cruise advert in my last job. And
from photos it just looked stunning. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint. Gamla
Stan is one of the largest and best-preserved medieval cities in Europe – and it’s
actually where Stockholm was originally founded in the 1250s.
The town is
completely pedestrian-friendly, and we saw very few cars. You could easily get
lost down its maze of narrow cobbled streets – each one replete with shops,
cafes and little pit stops along the way. There were also attractions such as
Stockholm Cathedral, a museum and the Royal Palace (more on that later).
We walked
around Gamla Stan twice – first, as soon as we arrived, when it was much
quieter and there wasn't too much open at that point. We then visited on our
way back to the bus stop, where, as you can see from the photo above, we stopped
for a bucket of coffee and a lovely (and complementary) cinnamon bun. I
genuinely could have spent hours here.
Instead, we
went to the Vasa Museum, the Maritime Museum dedicated to the 17th century
ship Vasa, which sank on her maiden voyage but was later salvaged. It is said
to be the most visited museum in all of Scandinavia – and I can see why. There
were four floors to explore, and the ship took centre stage, so you could see
it from all angles and heights. The carvings on the back of the ship were so
impressive – there was a crazy amount of detail.
Other monuments
and points of interest we saw included:
- Medeltidsmuseet: Stockholm’s Medieval Museum, built around parts of the original 16th century walls
- Stockholm Palace and Charles XIV John’s statue (in Karl Johan’s Torg, or square)
- The Nordic Museum (virtually opposite the Vasa Museum, but boasted queues at least 80% shorter)
One thing I
will say is things are expensive, which is to be expected for this part of
Europe. We visited a burger place for lunch and paid roughly £50 for two
burgers, fries (with dip) and soft drinks. Okay, so they were really
good burgers, but still. I think the entrance the Vasa Museum was around £30 (380
SEK), and the coffees were £15 (or 198 SEK).
If we had more
time, I would have loved to go the ABBA Museum, just to say I’d been there as
well as Skansen, the Open-Air Museum. There are so many galleries and museums
in Stockholm. Exploring on foot to discover some of the many islands was loads
of fun – and it didn't even feel as though you were on a different island. Sailing
into and from the capital is pretty special too. After all, Stockholm is made
up of 14 islands, connected by 57 bridges.
We then had a
couple more sea days before reaching our final port. Sadly, we couldn't get
into Skagen, Denmark. Next stop – Aarhus.
Love, Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx