FAQs About Planning a Trip to Stockholm
Find out all the answers to your questions before planning your own trip!
Gamla Stan and Storkyrkan Church
Do I need to bring cash?
No. Everything was contactless. We had taken out very little cash to bring and we had to remember to use it in some touristy spots since most places did not accept cash. Be sure to bring a credit card that you can use abroad. If you are getting a new one remember to get one without a foreign transaction fee.
What should I pack?
There is often a chance of rain so it may be good to pack a rain jacket or poncho in a backpack for when you are going out in Stockholm. It seemed like most showers passed quickly so you could always just pop into a nearby shop.
Water prices can be pretty high in some places. We had each brought reusable water bottles from home and there were lots of water refilling stations in different places.
Do people speak English?
Yes. People speak Swedish but almost everyone we met spoke English. Most of the road signs were pictures so they were easy to understand. I would still recommend learning some conversational words as well as words for names of places. My kids loved the Fun Swedish videos on Youtube the best and they especially found this one funny: Fun Swedish.
Here are some words that I found the most useful to learn. Names of places are often written in Swedish on signs so be sure to learn these before you go. I already know a decent amount of French. There were some words in Sweden that were similar to French words which was helpful.
Hej! (Hello!)
Hej då! (Good-bye!)
Tack! (Thank you!)
Varsågod! (You’re welcome.)
Castle (Slottet)
Stormarknad (Supermarket)
Apotek (Pharmacy)
Lekplats (Playground)
Rådhus (Town Hall)
Trädgård (Garden)
Stad (City)
Väg (Road)
Torg (Square)
Tåg (Train)
Tunnelbana (Subway)
Båt (Boat)
Sjön (Lake)
Vattenfall (Waterfall)
Skog (Forest)
Strand (Beach)
Is there a good time of year to go?
We went in the third week of August. This was a great time for us since the kids were still in their summer break. In Sweden the kids had already gone back to school the week prior so we were able to purchase cheap flights for our trip. Many of the places were still open for their longer hours that they have in the summer. The weather was amazing and it was a high of around seventy degrees Fahrenheit on every day of our trip.
Is the Stockholm Airport easy to navigate?
Yes. It was easy to find your way around and it was not large enough to be too intimidating. The line at security was very efficient and it was quick for us to go through. We had stayed at an airport hotel to make reaching there easier. It did seem that our passports were checked more often there for our flight back to the United States so be sure to arrive there earlier so you have enough time for this.
Is it expensive in Stockholm?
After reading so many articles about this being the case we were a little apprehensive. While there were many pricey places we were still able to find plenty of easy to find cheap places to eat. Currently the conversion rate is good when converting from US dollars to the Swedish krona SEK so things ended up being cheaper in Stockholm than in Copenhagen. We were also able to find some cheap souvenir options in Stockholm as well. Read about my Eating and Shopping for Cheap in Stockholm here.
Admission prices to different places seemed comparable to places in the United States. It seemed that for many places kids five and under were free and kids six to twelve were half price. We ultimately spent about $4500 USD for our ten day trip which included three half days and one full day of sightseeing in Denmark as well as three full days of sightseeing in Stockholm. Some of our attraction costs in Stockholm were covered by the Stockholm Business Region.
Is it easy to get around in Stockholm?
Yes! Their public transport system and taxis are very easy to use. Read more about our experiences getting to Stockholm and home as well as how we traveled to different places in my article here: A Traveler’s Guide for Getting To Stockholm and Navigating the City.
Is Stockholm a tough place for people with food allergies?
No. We saw lots of places with gluten free options. Places seemed to have lots of different milk options such as oat milk, almond milk and lactase-free milk. It seemed like almost everyone spoke English. This website also has chef cards that are available in Swedish: Food Allergy Chef Cards. Almost every place we asked provided us with a food allergen list, even a hot dog vendor!
What were your favorite things to do in Stockholm?
Visiting Djurgarden and Gamla Stan are both musts. In Djurgården we loved the Vasa Museum, Skansen, Junibacken and the Visitors Center. In Gamla Stan our favorite place to visit was the Royal Palace but getting lost amongst the narrow cobblestone streets was a lot of fun as well. Seeing Stockholm from the water was a highlight as well. To read about our full itinerary go to this article: Island Hopping in Stockholm with Kids.
Bears at Skansen
Chandeliers at The Royal Palace
Will kids enjoy it there?
Yes! My kids are ages 5 and 7. They loved Junibacken and the playgrounds at Skansen. We spent more time in each of those places than we anticipated initially. Other favorites were getting hot dogs from street vendors and watching the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. My son loves transportation so taking all the various kinds of public transport offered was very exciting for him. Our favorite was the light rail.
Part of the Moomin Outdoor Play area at Junibacken
Is it worth visiting the Stockholm archipelago?
Yes! We only visited the closest island called Fjäderholmarna but this was one of the top things we did on our vacation. We had a nice hike and if we went earlier in the day we could have seen different artists as well.
If you have the time I think it would be great to be able to take a long boat ride through many of the islands. Many of them have different things such as shops, museums, hiking trails and overnight accommodations. Vaxholm is easy to reach with a public ferry and it has many wooden houses, stores, cafes and restaurants. Grinda is a good place to go swimming or kayaking. If you have extra time there are cheap two day Viking cruises that take you through the archipelago to spend some time in Helsinki or Tallinn and then return.
The islands of Viggsklappen in Stockholm archipelago
Photo credit to Henrik Trygg
Are there places you would like to visit if you returned to Stockholm?
Yes!
There are many other interesting museums in Stockholm. If the kids are a little older I think they would be interested in going to the National Museum of Science and Technology. Spårvägsmuseet is a transportation museum that I personally thought looked very interesting. The Nordic Museum sounded like their exhibits on Nordic life would be great to view. Gröna Lund's Amusement Park looked like the rides would have some great views since it was located right near the water. The Stockholm Toy Museum sounds unique since it is built inside of a bunker. I would also want to pay a visit to the labs at KTH to see their research. I love Avicii and my mom loves Abba so I am sure those would both be museums to stop in as well.
We also only saw City Hall from the outside but I am sure it would be fun to see inside. It sometimes holds special events and it is the place where the Nobel Prize banquet has been held since the 1930’s.
I would also want to go onto Lake Malaren and visit the Drottningholm Palace as well as the Palace Park and Chinese Pavilion. I would also try to do a longer boat ride around Stockholm and through the archipelago.
Doing a hike at the Seal Station with the kids would also be a unique experience. I would also want to return to Djurgården and walk on its trails more, go on the old light rail car there, rent a bike and go on a pedal boat. We also saw there was a Green Kayak location not too far from our hostel at the Klara Strand Cafe near City Hall. This would be a fun and free way to see the city from the water once the kids are a little older.
City Hall
Drottningholm Palace
Photo Credit to Jeppe Wikström
Nordic Museum
Photo Credit to Henrik Trygg
What are other interesting places to see in Sweden?
If you are planning a trip to Sweden there are many towns and cities that are interesting to see. For these it may be good to rent a car or to take the train and stop at various towns along its route. Lapland is a long journey but it would be amazing to go there someday as well.
Lund
Lund is one of the oldest cities in Sweden that is also famous for its cathedral.
Linkoping
Linkoping is famous for its cathedral as well as Gamla Linkoping (an open air museum that depicts a Swedish town from the late 19th century to the early 20th century). It is also near the locks.
Vimmerby
Vimmerby is home to Astrid Lindgren’s World which is a popular destination for families with kids. Visitors can also go to visit her house in the town as well.
Visby
Visby is an island with a whole medieval town. To arrive here you would need to travel by boat as well. Each August it has a famous Medieval Week.