One of my best friends and I had always wanted to take a trip together. We wanted a city break that was easy to reach from London and full of character. After some back and forth, we narrowed it down to three options: Oslo, Riga, and Stockholm. We decided on Stockholm. We tried to go to Stockholm in 2022, but my flight was cancelled at the last minute due to overbooking. Unfortunately, we hadn’t booked our flights together, so she didn’t have the option to cancel easily. She ended up losing the money on her ticket, but we decided to split the loss between us. It was frustrating at the time, but we knew we’d try again.
In 2023, we finally made it happen. We went to Stockholm during Midsummer, one of the most important holidays in Sweden. It’s a celebration of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and it’s all about being outdoors with family and friends. Traditionally, Swedes dance around the maypole, wear flower crowns, and enjoy classic dishes like pickled herring, new potatoes with dill, sour cream, and fresh strawberries. Most locals leave the city for the countryside, so Stockholm felt noticeably quieter and more peaceful. It was a special experience to be in the city during such an iconic national holiday.
Day 1: Art, Coffee, and Old Town Charm
After an early morning of travel, my best friend and I arrived in Stockholm on a Thursday afternoon. We checked into our hotel, Haymarket by Scandic, around 2:30pm. The hotel, with its art deco interiors and central location, immediately set the tone for a stylish and comfortable stay.
Feeling a bit peckish after the journey, we wandered over to Pascal Kaffebar, just a 10-minute walk from the hotel. We each got a rye sandwich with boiled eggs and Swedish caviar, and shared two sweet pastries. One was a Krämbullar (Swedish cream bun) with raspberries, and the other was a Wienerbröd (Danish pastry) with strawberries. The cosy vibe, excellent coffee, and Swedish pastries gave us the perfect energy boost for an afternoon of exploring.
Next, we made our way through the city, soaking in the architecture and waterfront views, until we arrived at the Moderna Museet. The museum, perched on the island of Skeppsholmen, houses a thoughtful collection of modern and contemporary art. It’s a bit of a strange museum in that it’s difficult to find the highlights, but it was a quiet, inspiring start to our cultural immersion.
As the afternoon slipped into early evening, we took a leisurely walk through Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s picturesque old town. It’s one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe, a small island filled with narrow cobblestone streets, crooked mustard-yellow buildings, and tucked-away courtyards. It’s a little touristy, yes, but still incredibly charming. You can wander without much of a plan and stumble across something beautiful: a quiet square, a tiny shop selling handmade crafts, or a centuries-old doorway with a worn stone threshold.
Around 7pm, we stopped for a craft beer at Stigbergets Fot, a laid-back spot perfect for people-watching and chatting about our first impressions of the city.
Dinner was at Främmat, a restaurant we discovered thanks to a recommendation from Topjaw, before they became super famous. It turned out to be one of the culinary highlights of our trip. We shared a selection of small plates that balanced bold flavours with seasonal produce. We started with the red shrimp with roasted corn and béarnaise sauce, and the cod carpaccio with avocado, coriander, jalapeño, and strawberries.
We then had: a gorgeous tarte à la tomate with anchovies, stracciatella, and basil; gravlax paired with sweet melon and espelette; and wax beans with harissa, burrata, and pangrattato.
We finished by sharing a dessert dish of goat cheese with rhubarb granita and pistachio foam. Every bite was thoughtful and full of contrast, rich and bright, familiar and surprising.
We ended the night with a relaxing drink at the Haymarket hotel bar, reflecting on a day full of great food, beautiful sights, and the excitement of finally being in Stockholm.
Day 2: Buns, ABBA, and a Midsummer Island Escape
We kicked off Friday morning with breakfast at Lillebrors Bageri, one of Stockholm’s most beloved bakeries. There was a bit of a queue, but it was absolutely worth the wait. I had a cardamom bun that was fresh, warm, and bursting with flavour. Soft, sticky, and perfectly spiced. It was one of the best pastries I’ve ever had.
In the early afternoon, we visited the ABBA Museum, which was just as fun and quirky as we’d hoped. The museum is located on Djurgården island and is much more than just a standard exhibit. It’s an interactive celebration of all things ABBA, charting their rise from Eurovision stardom to global pop icons.
The space is filled with original costumes, handwritten lyrics, vintage footage, and perfectly preserved 1970s glam. You can mix your own ABBA track in the sound booth, step into a recreated backstage dressing room, and even perform on a virtual stage “with” the band (but no, we did not do this). Everything is done with a sense of humour and joy, which makes it incredibly immersive even if you’re not a superfan.
In the early evening, we made our way to the harbour to catch a boat to Fjäderholmarna, one of the closest islands in the Stockholm archipelago. The ferry ride took about 30 minutes and offered a beautiful view of the city slowly giving way to quiet water, tree-lined shores, and red wooden boathouses. Even though it’s just a short distance from the city, Fjäderholmarna feels like another world: calm, green, and timeless.
Once we arrived, we walked through the trees and explored the island a bit before dinner. The forested paths were quiet, dotted with rocky outcrops and views back toward the mainland. As we wandered, we passed groups of locals gathered with friends and family, many wearing flower crowns, some already singing, everyone clearly enjoying the long, glowing evening. It was lovely to witness those intimate, joyful Midsummer gatherings, with picnic tables full of food and laughter echoing through the trees.
We had dinner at Restaurang Rökeriet, where we too celebrated Midsummer with a traditional Swedish buffet in a magical archipelago setting overlooking Stockholm’s inlet. The flat-fee buffet included a delicious spread of classic dishes like various types of pickled herring, smoked and cured salmon, and shrimp. Accompaniments ranged from boiled potatoes and French potato salad to crispbreads, smoked cream cheese, and flavourful sauces. For warm dishes, there were Swedish meatballs, Janssons frestelse (a creamy potato and anchovy casserole), and Västerbotten cheese pie. We finished the meal with fresh strawberries, under the glow of the midnight sun.
We stayed on the island until around 9pm, enjoying the soft light and slow atmosphere. Even that late, the sky was still bright, one of the many magical things about visiting Sweden in June.
Day 3: Midsummer Magic, Cemeteries and City Views
We started the day with breakfast at Mellqvist Café & Bar, where I had a small savoury sandwich. Then, we couldn’t resist returning to Lillebrors Bageri for some pastries to take away.
With our takeaway pastries from Lillebrors in hand, we took the metro out to Skogskyrkogården, the Woodland Cemetery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site just south of the city. Designed by Swedish architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz in the early 20th century, the cemetery is a stunning blend of architecture and nature. Unlike traditional cemeteries, Skogskyrkogården is set in a serene pine forest, with winding paths, soft mossy clearings, and minimalist chapels that feel both sacred and grounded.
We found a quiet spot and ate our cardamom buns there, surrounded by towering trees and birdsong. It was peaceful and contemplative. At one point, a baby deer darted through the trees, a completely unexpected moment that made the whole place feel even more magical. The cemetery isn’t just a burial ground; it’s a space designed for reflection, where the boundaries between nature, architecture, and memory dissolve into something quiet and beautiful. It ended up being one of the most unexpectedly moving parts of our trip.
Back in the old town, we visited Storkyrkan, the city’s cathedral, which is tucked just behind the Royal Palace. The Gothic architecture and intricate wooden sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon are worth seeing.
We then stopped at Robin Delselius Bageri for a late lunch. I had an open-faced sandwich with hummus, avocado, pickled onions, and bean sprouts, which was super refreshing. My friend chose a cheese sandwich. For dessert, we shared a slice of prinsesstårta, aka princess cake, one of my favourite desserts in the world, along with a kardemumma krämbullar, a Swedish cardamom cream bun.
Later, we explored the Fotografiska Museum Stockholm. Built in a former Art Nouveau customs house by the water in Södermalm, Fotografiska opened in 2010 and is known for its rotating exhibitions, sleek design, and late opening hours (until 11 pm daily). That day, we timed our visit perfectly with the “Lightness of Being” exhibition, a beautifully curated tribute to German photographer Peter Lindbergh, running June–October 2023. It was the first major Lindbergh show in Sweden, assembled in collaboration with his foundation and led by his son, Benjamin.
We saw iconic images of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, and Alicia Vikander. They were powerhouse portraits that still feel intimate and alive.
We finished the day with a walk along Monteliusvägen, a scenic path offering beautiful views of the water and city skyline.
Because it was Midsummer, many places were closed for dinner, so we chose an Italian restaurant nearby. It wasn’t my favourite meal, but it suited our needs at the time. That evening, we stopped by a bar close to our hotel before heading back to rest after a full day.
Day 4: Vikings and Farewell
Our flight back to London was at 5:45pm, so we left the hotel around 3pm. That morning, we returned to Pascal Kaffebar for breakfast, enjoying the familiar atmosphere and great coffee. This time I had a kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon bun) and my friend had a blåbär & vanilj (blueberry and vanilla) croissant-type muffin pastry.
We then visited the Swedish History Museum, a beautifully curated space that covers thousands of years of history, from prehistoric times to the present day. It’s an especially good place to go if you want to understand how Sweden became, well, Sweden. And as expected, it has one of the most extensive Viking collections in the world.
The museum’s Viking exhibition was a standout. It’s not just swords and ships (though it has those too). It challenges the clichés of what Viking life was like. You get a sense of the culture, craftsmanship, trade, family structures, and even religion. There are runestones with intricate carvings, ancient jewellery, tools, textiles, and well-preserved weapons.
For lunch, we went to Tennstopet, a classic Swedish restaurant. We ordered the SOS platter, a delicious mix of herring, cheese, and butter, and added cured salmon with dill-cream potatoes, potato pancakes topped with vendace roe, and steamed cod with a poached egg. It was a perfect way to end our trip, savouring traditional flavours before heading home.
Our trip to Stockholm turned out to be everything we’d hoped for and more. After years of talking about travelling together, and a few logistical mishaps, we finally made it happen. The city offered the perfect blend of calm and curiosity: long walks under endless daylight, cardamom buns eaten under tall pine trees, moving museum moments, and beautifully plated dinners that felt like celebrations in themselves.
Being there during Midsummer made the experience feel even more special. Stockholm felt like it had paused, quieter, slower, and more reflective, but still full of life in its understated way. It’s a city that balances tradition and modernity effortlessly, where history, design, and nature all seem to live side by side.
Have you ever celebrated Midsummer, or visited a city when most locals had left? I’d love to hear your experience.
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