Sweden & Scandinavia Recs

For this summer, we are considering traveling–with our two children, who will be 3 and 5–to Sweden and perhaps surrounding areas/countries. We would likely go for 7-10 nights, and would definitely do Stockholm but other than that are flexible. I’d love a mix of city and scenery/small town. Happy to travel a bit mid-trip to get somewhere worth going. Would love to hear any thoughts/experiences.

Hi Ryan
We stayed just a few days north of Stockholm, with a lovely couple who share our wine and mushroom interest. A visit very fondly remembered.

I like your view of splitting time between Stockholm and other locations. As you’d expect, the countryside and coast are amazing.

In Stockholm, it’s fun and easy to hop around on the ferries, plus the city itself has a charming and impressive historic core. Very good food, but as with many things here, it can be expensive. Be aware that reindeer will be on menus, which some children may find troubling. That may mean missing out on this wonderful meat yourself, for fear of mortally offending the children.

Although they are a Finnish creation, ‘The Moomins’ have been adopted by Sweden as almost their own, and I’d heartily recommend these childrens books that are far more educational than more obviously moralising and sanitised works. They are books that can cover quite surprisingly challenging themes, which do encourage the reader to think about the scenarios. I enjoyed them as a child and they left a strong impression on me. Plenty of merchandise (and books) available in the city.

Hope you enjoy it. We certainly did.

Regards
Ian

I’ve not been to Sweden but have visited Copenhagen and Helsinki. I really liked the former as we spent four nights there over the Holidays one year enjoying a very festive atmosphere. Had some great meals too. I was in Helsinki for a shorter time and didn’t see enough to properly opine but am not itching to go back anytime soon. Like Copenhagen that visit was not during the Summer and it was wet and cold which wasn’t great, but I found large parts of the city to look fairly homogeneous. Think that has something to do with being bombed out big time during WW2 and rebuilding in a similar style post the war.

Thanks, guys. Looks like Sweden is popular with folks named Ian.

I’m very interested in spending time in countryside/coast.

Anyone else?

Stockholm is a really beautiful city especially in the summer. The archipelago outside of Stockholm is also really lovely and easily accessible by ferry, I would spend a day or two there.

With a three year old and a five year old, I would recommend Legoland in Billund. We were there when my son was four and he was ecstatic. Fly to Billund, the airport is in walking distance from Legoland.

As a Norwegian, I would of course recommend places in Norway but it depends on what you are looking for.

Ryan - my wife and I did Scandinavia in August/September of last year. Incredible trip.

Copenhagen - we did our big meal at Relae, a two-star restaurant by Noma alums. Wonderful New Nordic food and all natural wines. The wine pairings were pretty revelatory when paired with such fresh ingredients. My first cousin is a Dane who lives in Copenhagen so we mostly spent time with family other than Relae and some general wandering. From there we flew to Bergen, Norway…

Norway - forget good food and wine. It’s all VERY expensive and generally average outside of Oslo. We did Bergen and the fjords. The most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. The duty free store at the airport was packed and I realized why after the fact. I highly recommend buying wine there - the selection was OK. PM me for Norway-specific recs. It was a dream but there are tons of options/challenges. We flew from Alesund, Norway to Stockholm…

Stockholm - Such a nice way to end out trip. We loved Stockholm. Sodermalm (somewhat like the West Village or maybe Brooklyn in NYC) was a great place to hang out - lunch at Urban Deli was great. Akkurat, the beer bar with a MASSIVE selection, is a must while there too. Their whiskey selection was also unreal. I know they claim to have one of the largest beer/whiskey selections in the world. Our best meal was at the seafood restaurant Sturehof which has a phenomenal wine list. The coravin selection was impressive, and I drank some 2010 Gangloff CR along with Yquem for reasonable prices. To end the trip, we stumbled upon the royal family’s old orchard on Djurgarden which was truly magical. It’s not far from the museums. There’s a nice little restaurant there as well. Lastly, check the lineup at Fasching, the famous jazz bar. We went one night and they played only 50s and 60s U.S. soul music while projecting the old video footage on the walls. It was a blast.

Hi Ryan,

I’ll be in sweden this summer. If you have any specific questions, let me know. Would be fun to meet up if things work out.

Best,

Ryan

Welcome to Sweden! Please specify your requests and I will provide a not-to-be-missed list. Also, consider this an invitation for an off-liner in Stockholm. We also have a summer house in the beautiful countryside in Dalecarlia (google it), with plenty of space.

I would be interested in an offline the week of July 8th-12th if you’re available. though we’ll be out in Stavsnas so Stocholm might be better than Dalecarlia

Sure thing! By that time, we have just moved to our new apartment, so plenty of space available. Just shoot me a PM, and we’ll set it up. champagne.gif

I’ll be between Stockholm/Orebro/ and the countryside between July 10th and August 15th. I’d love to meet up with some people if it works out. I always bring a case of wine with me.

People bringing wine are always welcome!

+1 for offline in stockholm, assuming I’m not on holiday

I’ll be in Stockholm the 2nd week in August…any recommendations for restaurants would be great.

An offline would be fun as well.

I will be in Stockholm from July 20-24th and certainly interested in food and wine!

July is tough as a lot of restaurants shut down to provide their employees normal Swedish summer vacation. Do you know where you’ll be staying? What’s your price limit? So you want traditional Swedish? Modern cuisine?