Girls Weekend in Stockholm

Who takes a 3-day weekend to Stockholm? We do! A normal President's Day excursion would be Florida or maybe Palm Springs, but Sweden!? You can thank endless mimosas at a girls brunch and a flight sale being responsible for a last-minute booking to Stockholm in February. We also found flights on Norwegian that were cheaper than going from JFK to LAX, so again, why not?

Lodging

There's lots of beautiful choices for lodging in Stockholm. I chose to go look at Mr. and Mrs. Smith and see what kind of recommendations they had. After evaluting, I settled on the Berns Hotel. Through my research, I was looking for what could fit all three of us girls especially considering most European hotel rooms are teeny tiny. Berns was in the center of town and had views of Berzelii Park and the Baltic Sea. The Berns also has history, dating back to 1863 when it was the center of nightlife. The hotel has maintained its boutique hotel and vibes with interesting details and bars/restaurants onsite and Malin and Goetz products in every room. We were pleased with the experience and the staff made us feel like home.

Getting to Stockholm from the Airport

Since we were staying in central Stockholm, we were looking for a cost-effective way to get into town. We took the Arlanda Express Train (think Heathrow Express, and surprisingly even better) to the Central Station. From there, we could have walked, but considering it was cold and we were jetlagged, we opted to just take a quick cab ride. We bought our tickets online and bought roundtrip and was a fraction of the cost of taking a cab direct.

What to do

Let me preface this with, we went to Sweden in February. It's not warm. It's the middle of winter and the days are short. Even in the challenging elements, it was a great trip and Stockholm has lots to offer with nightlife, culture, shopping, and dining. I think one of the hardest things about traveling in general is knowing that you'll need to come back to fully understand the place. I imagine myself next time visiting Stockholm in the summer with long sun-filled days and spending those days on a boat drinking champagne. Instead, I walked on the harbor in full winter garb freezing my arse off, but still found the charm and awe that Stockholm offers at every turn.

Let me preface this with, I'm not the person who goes to a city to see a museum. Sure, I like a museum if it presents a thread of the city or something I can't see something everywhere else. It actually surprised me that I made it to two museums in Stockholm; however, visiting the city wouldn't have been the same without seeing:

• Vasa Museum (vasamuseet): I didn't know what to expect but everyone told me that I 'had to go'. I agree. This museum is actually a ship that sank during it's maiden voyage in 1628. They have razed the ship and built an entire museum around it with the stories and an introduction to life around this ship. It was incredible to understand the size and scale of the ship, while also learning about a huge piece of history in Stockholm.

• Fotografiska: Great photography museum using different mediums. The most memorable was an exhibit using X-Rays. Happy to report Sweden is now exporting Fotografiska and a museum is actually opening in NYC.

Other sightseeing:

• Wander in the Gamla Stan, the Old Town and stroll past the Royal Palace. It has beautiful buildings and restaurants, bars, and cafes dotting the streets. Very picturesque and perfect for 'fika' with coffee and cinnamon roll in the afternoon.

• We took a boat ride on the Baltic Sea to see a little more of the scenery and get a bit of a tour. There's lots of different operators and was a fun, interesting way to see the city that didn't involve a tour bus.

• I loved walking around Berzelii Park. They had an ice-skating rink in the middle with oil drums of fire that people warmed their hands around. Apparently many people own their own iceskates here as locals just walked up to the rink and started skating, old and young alike. There was also some guy that was dressed up in a gorilla costume that was skating with everyone. It was so not the US, in the best way possible, where in the US they would've charged $20 and it would've been so sponsored and they would never have an open flame in a park, afraid of children and/or homeless people creating an encampment in the park. It was civilized and beautiful and apparent that they care about something very important here: Quality of Life.

Eating & Drinking

• Pharmarium - this was a great cocktail experience inside of an old pharmacy. This is a popular spot, so will usually have a wait, but was very impressed with the cocktails and the very knowledgeable staff. It was relaxed and was a great start to our night! Address: 7 Stortorget, Stockholm 111 29, Sweden

• Bodega We actually went to-from Bodega twice in one night! We had early-ish drinks and some tapas (oxtail croquetas were delish). Not for picky eaters, but my friend and I loved the octopus and a lot of the other food. Being tourists, we bar hopped to a few different parts of Stockholm to some speakeasies. After one of our friends went home, we were originally told by the bartender that there'd be a fun late night party, so my one friend and I returned-- the bar was packed and we shared a bottle of wine and loved seeing all the locals get rowdy. The story of the bar is pretty cool too and we enjoyed talking to the owners about their passion for France, wine, Spain, wine... and food. Address: 8 Doebelnsgatan, Stockholm 111 40, Sweden

• Bar Hommage - we had a drink here and it had a very relaxed chill, vibe. We didn't have a chance to eat at the restaurant next door (Delikatessen), but loved being here. The bartenders really knew their cocktails and were well-travelled. Would recommend highly. Address: Krukmakargatan 22, Stockholm 118 51, Sweden

• Hairy Pig- We had dinner here on our first night and it was excellent. Located in the Gamla Stan, it has a lot of unique and local ingredients, especially featuring meats and cheeses from the area. Karolina and Joseph Turner are the Owners and it is obvious that they take great care in selecting all food and wine at their restaurant. The place is cozy and definitely a highlight from our visit. We also enjoyed some sausages. Address: Lilla Nygatan 13, 111 28 Stockholm, Sweden

• Meatballs for the People- One of the girls on the trip is obsessed with meatballs, so when she heard there was a great Swedish meatball place, that is where we had to go! I personally opted for Mathias' classic meatballs, which served with potato purée, creamy gravy sauce, lingonberries and pickled cucumber. It was delicious and worth the 15 min cab from our hotel. Address: Nytorgsgatan 30, 116 40 Stockholm, Sweden

• Riche- After walking around the freezing city, we walked into Riche for a nice brunch. The bistro is gorgeous, light, clean, airy, and adorned with chandeliers and the perfect place for some champagne and a salmon benedict. It felt European, elegant, and would recommend for a nice lunch along the boulevard looking at the Baltic. Address: Birger Jarlsgatan 4, 114 34 Stockholm, Sweden

Next time:

• Winter was beautiful (and cheap), but I'd definitely want to return when it's summer. I'd also like to head outside of Stockholm and see some of the more beautiful sights.

• Head to an all-night club. I know I've left my clubbing years behind long ago, but from talking to the locals, it sounds like their music scene is pretty amazing. I wouldn't mind regaining my edge for one night and heading out to dance and listen to new bands.

• Remember the exchange rate. Sweden is expensive (but for NYers, the sticker shock is probably not so intense as we are used to $15 cocktails); however, trying to figure out the cost plus exchange rate was difficult and I'm pretty sure I accidentally bought a $25 cocktail once.

• A three-girl travel group can either be great or challenging. We had a great time, but I think when doing such a short trip in tight quarters, making sure you're all aligned on how intense you want to sightsee or go out. There was definitely some personality clashes. Luckily it all worked out, but with a different group dynamic, I think Stockholm could have been even more amazing.

• Definitely not fly Norwegian. Sure, it was cheap, and for some people, that's great. But I don't want to plan out my trip so much that I need to bring my own food/water and that I need to wear some of the clothes I want to bring because they're going to weigh my carry on. I understand frugal, but some of these details had me more annoyed that I'd rather pay extra fees to have a normal experience. I'll take my Delta or any other big flag carrier to have the customer service I'm used to. Also, Norwegian operated both of our flights and they didn't make sure that we grabbed the connection in Oslo. We almost missed it and it was no fault but the airlines. That's the fastest I've ran in years.

• If I had time, I'd also like to check out the Nobel Museum.

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