Locals in Stockholm refer to it as “beauty on water.” Despite its well-preserved historic centre, Stockholm is a modern, dynamic city that is constantly changing.
The wealth of Stockholm’s cultural resources is scandalous. Consider Gamla Stan. The oldest part of the city is like something out of a fairy tale. It is without a doubt one of Europe’s most charming, immaculately kept old centres, complete with the necessary royal palace, gabled buildings, and razor-thin cobblestone streets. World-class museums and galleries are spread across the city, educating and inciting visitors with anything from subversive contemporary art to brilliant Viking artefacts and an ill-fated warship. The past, present, and future are constantly blending, conversing, and interacting in this exciting and inspirational mix.
The fashion sense in Stockholm is legendary. Here, excellent design is not an extravagance; rather, it is a right. Even the most basic coffee shop typically exhibits design literacy, from its lighting to its cups, bowls, and silverware. Several metropolitan museums have an industrial design emphasis, but shopping can be just as educational. Local products, which range from delicate handcrafted ceramics to cult-status local threads, bags, and textiles, convey a lot about the Swedish appreciation of simplicity, utility, and harmony. This is the city to remake your life in if the time has come.
It’s not a surprise that food is a serious passion given the abundance of premium foods available in Stockholm’s nearby lakes, fields, and forests. This is a city with an open mind and a curious palette. Whatever the current global culinary fad, Stockholm is following it, from açai breakfast bowls and raw food to locavore, sustainable eating. Classics from back home are equally cherished. Whether it’s buttery toast skagen, luscious meatballs, or fried herring, traditions are both dutifully followed and deftly modified in Stockholm, the latter by the city’s plethora of young, ambitious, and forward-thinking chefs.
In every good sense, Stockholm is simple. Walking is frequently the easiest way to get about despite being dispersed throughout 14 islands. While boats and the tunnelbana (metro) connect the remaining islands, bridges connect the majority of the islands. The city and its rural surroundings are completely covered by efficient, safe, and seamless public transportation. Wheelchair accessibility is also good. One will be hard-pressed to find a local who doesn’t speak near-perfect English, and almost all signage are posted in both Swedish and English.