Know before you go : Stockholm Edition

In this article, I’ll make an overview of everything useful to know before going to Stockholm, including some travel tips.

You’ll find : 

Sweden is a country located in Northern Europe. The country shares borders with Norway and Finland.

The capital is Stockholm, and the largest city in Sweden as well. The city is located on 14 islands and is connected by 57 bridges (the people of Stockholm own around 200,000 boats!).

The city covers 492km² and Stockholm’s population is around 1,7 million.

The best time to visit Stockholm (and Sweden) is from May through September. You’ll have mild temperatures (15°C to 25°C) and if you go up north in Sweden you’ll experience the midnight sun in June and July ! The midnight sun is a phenomenon happening above the Arctic Circle where the sun never dips below the horizon (meaning the sun is shining day and night).

On the contrary, in winter, there’s way less daylight and the temperatures are quite cold (-15°C to 5°C).

We went in September and had a nice weather (between 13°C and 23°C).

The currency in Sweden is the swedish krona (SEK) and the current exchange rate (September 2023) is 1 SEK equals 0,08 €.

Every restaurants and museums accept the card for paiements, you can even pay by card in public buses and subway stations.

The prices for restaurants vary depending if you go to touristy areas or more local places, but overall it’s quite expensive (minimum would be 20€ per person).

As we prefered to eat in local food courts (K25 for example, for more details check out my articles about restaurant recommandations in Stockholm here), the bill for 2 people was really reasonable (10-15€ per person). In restaurants, it was more or less twice this amount at least.

Regarding the places to visit such as the various museums or the different boat rides, the entrance fee was at least 10-15€ per person each time.

Regarding accomodations, you can find most Airbnb / hotels in downtown Stockholm starting at 100€ (at least) per night for two people. We chose to stay on a ship anchored at the southern shore of Lake Mälaren in Stockholm (the Rygerfjord Hotel & Hostel is housed in 3 ships) so we got a cabin for around 50€ per night instead !

If you are coming in Summer, I would suggest packing something for the cold (sweater, puffer jackets…) because even though we went in Stockholm first week of September, it was chilly in the morning and once the sun sets.

If you come in Winter, DEFINITELY pack the heavy stuff to survive harsh temperatures !

Otherwise the power outlet are the same as in France or the majority of Europe, so no adapters needed.

There’s a lot to bring back from Sweden !

When exploring the different islands, you’ll come across A LOT of home decor stores, so if you have room in your luggage there are really nice decoration for your home.

If you’re looking to upgrade your backpack, Sweden is home of the famous Fjällräven backpacks.

There’s also lots of handmade figurines and typical souvenirs featuring the symbols of the country.

Food-wise, you can bring specialties like back smoked salmon, herring, licorice, ligonberries jam…

The official language is Swedish, however you’ll find that everyone has a great level in English.

But here are a few words you can use :

Hello : Hej Hej [Hay Hay]

Thank you : Tack [Tac]

You’re welcome : Varsågod [var saw g-ew-d]

I understand / I don’t understand : Jag förstår / Jag förstår inte [Ya for stur / Ya for stur intè]

Sorry : Förlåt [Feu lot]

My name is… : Jag heter… [Yag Eter]

Yes / No : Ja [Ja] / Nej [Ney]

As we came from France, our mobile plan included internet and calls in Sweden.

However if you need to buy one upon arrival, Vän e-sim has the best value for money.Otherwise you can buy a Sim card at Talia, it has great options available for tourists and it’s not expensive.

If you are planning on visiting only Stockholm (and even the islands in the area), you don’t need a car (the bus/subway/boat system is really great). But if you plan to visit more of Sweden, I would recommend checking the options available on Kayak or RentalCars…

When arriving in Stockholm, one of my travel tips would be to download the Flygbussarna app, where you’ll be able to pay directly your ticket for the bus going to and from the airport.

There’s a lot of things to see in Stockholm and around ! You can spend a day in visiting the city center, discover the many islands around, or have a boat tour…You won’t be bored a second !

Here’s a list of the best things to do in Stockholm :

That’s it for my Stockholm travel tips ! To have a lot more information and pictures about these places, you can read my ultimate Stockholm itinerary.

I have also made a detailed post about the best day trips from Stockholm and one about some restaurant recommendations.