A Summer in Stockholm, Northern Europe’s Most Interesting City

Ingmar Bergman began to be internationally recognized in 1953 with his film A Summer with Monica in which the wonderful Harriet Andersson plays a very young employee who is out of work, like her recent boyfriend, so they decide to escape for a couple of weeks to the neighboring archipelago. Some of the scenes, like the one where Monica throws herself into the water from a rock, turned Harriet into an erotic myth that spread to all her fellow countrywomen and from which we still haven’t got rid of.

It will be difficult to meet Harriet, but summer in Stockholm is still wonderful. The sweet light that spreads through the long sunset, with a short break before and after the non-existent midnight, encourages us to discover the most interesting city in northern Europe.

Sightseeing Tips

It is highly recommended to purchase in advance the Stockholm Pass that offers admission to numerous museums and attractions, trips on tourist buses and on the boats that move between the 14 islands of the city.

Sightseeing in Stockholm is easy because of the manageable distances between places to visit. The widespread knowledge of English of the natives, and of course of the natives who are generally happy to help if requested, makes the visit even more pleasant.

The tourists are concentrated in the area of the Royal Palace and in the neighboring Gamla Stan, the old city, almost all pedestrian, from where the most famous views of the city are observed with the famous Grand Hotel of Nobelesca fame (it can`t be booked via https://karta.com but many other – yes), the Royal Dramatic Theater of Bergman and on one side the lake Mälaren to the other the Baltic Sea. From the berths depart the recommended excursions to idyllic places such as Waxholm. A quick visit is enough to take advantage of the time to visit more comfortably. In any case, do not eat there, the restaurants are good but expensive and crowded.

Gastronomic Stockholm

Wikimedia Commons by: Sharon Hahn Darlin

At least one day you must go to the Östermalm Saluhall market, built in the late nineteenth century in the poshest neighborhood of the city, of the same name and a precursor of the recent Spanish markets such as San Miguel, where the tapas and food are more important than fruits and vegetables.

This market impresses with its height and the beauty of the products on display, especially the fishmongers, some of whom sell the most expensive salmon in the world. In simple and abundant restaurants, rather tascas (bars and pubs), local specialties are offered accompanied by white wine for about twenty years, before it was only beer. It is also an opportunity, although politically incorrect, to admire the locals, especially on weekends. It is well worth it.

In the rest of the city there are numerous quality restaurants, many of them with exotic cuisine, as this racially and religiously uniform society has diversified with the arrival of immigrants from different cultures.

In the modern center of Stockholm, Hätorget, Sergelstorg, Drottningattan . There are pedestrianized streets, access by car is by payment since 2006 and other subway to enjoy an al fresco dinner in winter. There are plenty of terraces where locals imitate themselves when they learned in Mallorca or Gran Canaria to eat outdoors, and with wine.

Cultural Stockholm

The visit to the main museums should also be done on foot from the center since the walk is almost as important as the destination, but first you have to approach the famous Vasa, the mighty ship that sank the day of its christening without having reached the sea. All the islands are connected with bridges. In fifteen minutes you reach Skeppshomen with the recently reopened National Museum – culture and design – in a building of the mid-late nineteenth century that are those that give character to that city.

Along this road you enter what is perhaps the most beautiful island Djurgärden, the garden of the wild beasts. At the beginning is Skanssen, the most famous open-air park in Sweden with representations of all regions of the country, music, and restaurants – a delight for young and old. Further on is the Nordiska Museet, about local customs and customs and then the Moderna Museet, one of the best museums of modern art in Europe, made by Moneo and with some pieces as emblematic as the great Dali’s Masturbator.

On the outskirts, on the island of Lidingö, well connected, you must visit the museum of outdoor sculptures by Carl Milles Millesgärden where one doubts whether it is more beautiful nature or the work of art.