Travelogue

Rico says he spent much of a high-school summer working in Stockholm, and would love to go back (even at at 6.22 Swedish kronor to the dollar). Stephen Whitlock has an article in The New York Times about the city:

Residents of Stockholm revel in the long days of summer, when the sun rises as early as 3:30 a.m. and doesn’t set until after 10 p.m. Many locals escape to their country houses, but those who remain in the city spend as much time as possible outdoors; an easy feat, since water and parkland make up almost two-thirds of Stockholm. Situated on the Baltic at the mouth of Lake Malaren, Stockholm is built on fourteen islands connected by bridges. On sunny days, waterside bars and cafes are packed with people wolfing down summer favorites like herring (served in a variety of ways) and toast Skagen (shrimp in mayonnaise with lemon and dill served with rye bread). Everywhere, visitors will find establishments, new and venerable, celebrating Nordic design, cuisine, and culture.
Get your bearings and work up an appetite with a bracing five-mile walk that loops around Riddarfjarden, Stockholm’s main body of water. Start at Stadshuset (the City Hall, where Nobel Prizes are handed out) and cross to Riddarholmen, visiting the church where generations of Swedish monarchs are interred. Carry on to Sodermalm, the large southern island, taking beautiful cobbled Bastugatan. Fortify yourself at Melqvist Kaffebar (Hornsgatan 78; 46-76-875-2992), one of the city’s best coffee bars (and the old haunt of Stieg Larsson, author of the Lisbeth Salander novels) before continuing over the high bridge that offers amazing views and then descending to the island of Kungsholmen. Reward yourself with waterside drinks at Malarpaviljongen (Norr Malarstrand 64; 46-8-650-8701; malarpaviljongen.se), an open-air cafe-lounge with three floating decks, one of Stockholm’s most popular summer hangouts.
Stockholmers often seem to take a magpie approach to food, importing their favorite trends from abroad. Right now the most popular spots include the French bistro Zink Grill (Biblioteksgatan 5; 46-8-611-4222; zinkgrill.se) and the sensational sushi bar Rakultur (Kungstensgatan 2; 46-8-696-2325; rakultur.se). Thankfully, there are several places that are committed to serving locally sourced food that takes Swedish cuisine to the next level. One of the most enjoyable is the city’s newest culinary star, Restaurang Volt (Kommendorsgatan 16; 46-8-662-3400; restaurangvolt.se). Opened by four young men who have worked at many of Sweden’s top restaurants, the small space includes just one sparsely furnished room; all the excitement is on the plate. You can order à la carte, but it’s far better to opt for the three-, five-, or seven-course menu, featuring dishes like rabbit with carrots and dandelion, and, for dessert, fennel with white chocolate and licorice (485, 685 and 785 Swedish kronor, or $78, $110 and $126, at 6.22 Swedish kronor to the dollar).
There are a couple of places where you can get a drink with a panoramic view of the city. Gondolen (Stadsgarden 6; 46-8-641-7090; eriks.se) is part of a viewing platform on the edge of the Sodermalm neighborhood that overlooks the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and harbor. For even more dramatic views, visit Och Himlen Dartill (Gotgatan 78; 46-8-660-6068; www.restauranghimlen.se), a bar and restaurant atop a Sodermalm skyscraper.
When it comes to iconic Swedish writers, not even Stieg Larsson can match Astrid Lindgren, the creator of Pippi Longstocking. Junibacken (Galarvarvsvägen; 46-8-587-23000; junibacken.se) is a sort of indoor amusement park where you can visit Pippi’s house and take the Storybook Train, which will carry you through a series of tableaux drawn from her books. Even for an adult with no knowledge of Lindgren’s work, it’s great fun; for children, it’s thrilling. Afterward go for a rhubarb tart or a slice of mango-cardamom cheesecake (around 45 kronor) at nearby Helin & Voltaire (Rosendalsvagen 14; 46-8-664-51-08; helinvoltaire.com), a cafe that looks as if it came straight out of a fairy tale.
Any visit to Stockholm should include an exploration of one or more of the thousands of islands that make up the Stockholm Archipelago. It takes several hours’ sailing to reach the heart of the archipelago, but you can get a quick fix by taking a ferry to Fjaderholmarna, a group of islands just twenty minutes from downtown. Book ahead for lunch on the deck beside the water at Fjaderholmarnas Krog (46-8-718-33-55; fjaderholmarnaskrog.se). The midsummer menu includes plenty of herring, dill-smoked salmon and oysters. Expect to spend 250 kronor for lunch.
On Hamngatan, one of the city’s main shopping streets, two retail titans are squaring off, and national pride is at stake: on one side stands NK (Hamngatan 18-20; 46-8-762-8000; nk.se), the venerable Swedish department store that opened in 1902. Almost directly opposite is the challenger, the Danish design store Illums Bolighus (Hamngatan 27; 46-8-718-5500; illumsbolighus.dk), established in Copenhagen in 1925, which opened its first Swedish store last fall. NK has the edge as far as food and fashion go, but when it comes to cool Scandinavian design, Illums is unbeatable. Here you will find pieces by all the big names of Danish design, Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner, & Verner Panton, as well as international brands at all prices.
Book a treatment at the Raison d’Etre spa inside the Grand Hôtel (Sodra Blasieholmshamnen 8; 46-8-679-3500; grandhotel.se). The spa feels thoroughly Nordic, with blocks of granite underfoot in the shower and murals with pixilated views of the archipelago. Of course, treatments (from 930 kronor for a neck, back, and shoulder massage) include classic Swedish massage.
The Old Town, in the heart of the city, has no end of restaurants targeting tourists; it also has some of the best places to eat. Djuret (Lilla Nygatan 5; 46-8-506-40084; djuret.se), whose name means “the animal”, offers a meat-heavy menu that focuses on one meat-and-wine pairing at a time: lamb with Bordeaux, for instance, or veal with Barolo and Barbaresco. However, on 27 June, Djuret closes for two months and instead offers a top-notch pork barbecue in the courtyard behind the building, weather permitting. Its name? Svinet, which means “the pig”. No reservations, so arrive soon after it opens at 5 p.m. A three-course meal with wine costs around 550 kronor.
The restaurant-bar Riche (Birger Jarlsgatan 4; 46-8-545-03560; riche.se) has been going strong since 1893. It starts to fill up as soon as nearby offices close and is soon crammed with a glamorous, affluent crowd. You’ll most likely hear more ghampagne bottles being popped open here than anywhere else in town. If the crush is too much, cross the road to KB (Smalandsgatan 7; 46-8-679-60-32; konstnarsbaren.se), a classic Stockholm restaurant that has a charming bar with murals dating from the 1930s of ale-swilling Vikings and tipsy monks sipping Chartreuse.
Stockholm can be a sleepy town on a Sunday, and few restaurants serve brunch. The restaurant at the Moderna Museet (Skeppsholmen; 46-8-5195-6291-5282; modernamuseet.se) has a lavish weekend buffet brunch serving Asian, African, American, and European dishes (265 kronor). Reservations are essential as there are only two sittings, at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you don’t have a reservation, visit the cafe and enjoy a simpler meal alfresco on the large terrace.
Fotografiska (Stadsgardshamnen 22; 46-8-5090-0500; fotografiska.eu, admission 110 kronor) opened last year in a former tollhouse on the quayside of Sodermalm. It has photographic exhibitions of varying quality (Annie Leibovitz was the opening show, but some subsequent exhibitions have been somewhat ho-hum), but it’s worth visiting the top-floor cafe where you’ll find enormous windows looking out over the Old Town. The view is so spectacular that even if you don’t like the photos on the gallery walls you’re bound to end up snapping a few yourself.
Right now the 201-room Nobis (Norrmalmstorg 2-4; 46-8-614-10-00; nobishotel.se), which opened in December of 2010, is the hottest place to lodge. It’s got great service, a perfect location, and bedrooms (from 2,240 kronor) that manage to be stylish without sacrificing comfort.
Benny Andersson of the Swedish pop group Abba opened the Rival (Mariatorget 3; 46-8-545-789-24 00; rival.se) in 2003. The 96 rooms (from 1,595 kronor) have stills from Swedish movies over the beds, from Garbo in Queen Christina to, of course, Abba: The Movie.
When Nobel laureates come to pick up their checks for ten million Swedish kronor (around $1.5 million), they stay at the 340-room Grand Hôtel (Sodra Blasieholmshamnen 8; 46-8-679-3500; grandhotel.se), a Stockholm landmark since 1874. Doubles start at 1,990 kronor but check in only if you can afford one overlooking the water (from 3,000 kronor).