Travel with Per

So, you have three days in Stockholm. Good choice. The city is a total looker, all that water, all those old buildings, and the Swedes somehow make minimalism feel cosy. Let’s make the most of it.

Here’s how I’d do it: relaxed, curious, and with a splash of ABBA gold.

Getting There (and Back Again)

First things first, don’t get stitched up with the Arlanda Express unless you fancy spending half your fika money on a 20-minute train ride. The Flygbussarna (Flygbuss) is the way to go. Cheap, comfy, and only about 45 mins into town. Leaves regularly and drops you smack-bang in the city centre. Grab a seat by the window, Sweden’s trees are weirdly hypnotic.

DAY ONE: Gamla Stan & ABBA Dreams

Morning: Gamla Stan Stroll & Fika Break
Kick things off in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town. Cobblestones, crooked houses, and enough yellow walls to make your Instagram feed look like a film.
Stop for a fika (that’s Swedish for “coffee break but make it a lifestyle”). I like Under Kastanjen. Good cinnamon buns, better people-watching.

Midday: ABBA The Museum
Time to unleash your inner Dancing Queen. ABBA The Museum is a joyful, glitter-soaked trip down memory lane, costumes, videos, that dodgy Eurovision outfit. You can even sing with holograms (yes, I did. Yes, I was awful. No regrets).
Tip: Use your Stockholm Card here, saves you a few krona and makes you feel smug.

Evening, Dinner in Södermalm
Head south to Södermalm, Stockholm’s cool older cousin who reads poetry and wears vintage leather.
Eat at Meatballs for the People (yep, it’s a real place). Proper Swedish comfort food with a modern twist. You will walk away happy.

DAY TWO: Vasa & Skansen

Morning, Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum is one of those places that doesn’t sound that exciting (‘oh, a boat’), until you walk in and see a bloody great 17th-century warship that sank on it’s maiden voyage and was pulled up centuries later, looking like Poseidon’s own living room.
It is massive, it’s moody, it’s kind of magical. And yes, it’s on the Stockholm Card.

Midday, Skansen Open-Air Museum
Just around the corner is Skansen, a kind of Swedish time capsule. Old houses, folk dancing, actual reindeers. Feels like stepping into a Scandinavian fairytale, minus the trolls. You might even get a whiff of woodsmoke and cinnamon.
Grab lunch inside.

Afternoon: Choose Your Own Adventure

This part is all about what kind of vibes you’re looking for:

→ Nap at your hotel, no shame in a cheeky lie-down. You’ve earned it. And I love a “disco nap”
→ Sauna session, because sweating in public is basically therapy in Sweden.
→ Stroll through Djurgården, slow down, smell the air, listen to the birds having a gossip.
→ OR go full throttle at Gröna Lund
Yep, a proper old-school amusement park right by the water. Whether you are into stomach-dropping rollercoasters or just want to scream your lungs out on a spinning swing ride, Gröna Lund delivers. It’s fun, a bit retro, and surprisingly charming. Good for kids, great for big kids. That first drop on Insane? Whew. Existential.
Bonus: You can hop on a boat just outside and cruise straight back to Gamla Stan. Beats the bus, hands down.

Evening, Drinks by the Water
Wrap it all up with a drink at Mälarpaviljongen floating bar, soft beats, and a view that will make you linger. Raise a glass to your rollercoaster-screaming, museum-mooching self. Just vibes.

DAY THREE: Vaxholm by Boat

Morning, Boat to Vaxholm
Time to get out on the water. Stockholm’s archipelago is like a postcard, and Vaxholm is the gateway island; charming, sleepy, with a fortress and all. Boats leave from Strandvägen.
Get there early-ish, grab a seat up top, and bring a jumper, it can get nippy out there, even in June.

Midday, Island Life
Wander Vaxholm’s old wooden houses. Browse tiny shops full of candles and knitwear you don’t need but kind of want.
Lunch at Hembygdsgården Café, old-school Swedish cakes, sea air, pastel everything. It is a vibe.

Afternoon, Back to Town
Sail back feeling windswept and a little bit poetic.

Evening, One Last Hurrah
One final Stockholm dinner. Go big or go chill:
→ Oaxen Slip for fancy Nordic with views.
→ Or Nytorget 6 for something stylish but low-key.

Raise your last glass of red. Think about how wild it is that 72 hours ago you were stressing about baggage claim.

 Handy Tips

• Stockholm Card: Get it. Covers most museums and public transport. Worth every krona.
  
• Cashless City: Don’t bother with cash. Even the loos take cards.
  
• Layers: Stockholm weather can be changeable. T-shirt one minute, jacket the next.
  
• Language: Everyone speaks English, and they are very good at it. But try a “hej hej” or a “hej då” and they will love you for it.
  

One Final Thought

Stockholm is one of those cities that sneaks up on you. Quietly beautiful, endlessly calm, like an old friend who doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

Take your time. Breathe in the sea air. Sing some ABBA. Drink something red.

It is what it is. Just vibes.