Stockholm, Sweden
48 hours in Stockholm, Sweden
Where to stay, eat, shop and play in Stockholm
Want to make the most of your weekend in Stockholm? With stylish hotels, cosy cafés, hot restaurants and cool retail aplenty, it certainly isn’t easy to narrow down the list of must-visits. Explore our curated 48 hour city guide for where to stay, eat, shop and play in Stockholm.
Day 01
15.00
It’s check-in time
You have arrived. To make the most out of your stay, the proven expression ‘location, location, location’ rings true when selecting a Stockholm hotel – your base for the upcoming days. Centrally located, Scandi-cool Nobis Hotel ticks all the boxes. Located in the Norrmalm neighbourhood, the spot offers easy access to all of the city’s neighbourhoods, and has tons of restaurants, bars, shops and other attractions in the vicinity.
Other stylish accommodations with great locations are Ett Hem, At Six, Bank Hotel, Villa Dagmar and Hotel Frantz.
Nobis Hotel
Norrmalmstorg 2-4
Stockholm
Sweden
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Photography courtesy of Nobis Stockholm
17.00
Time for a tipple
Multi-space venue Tjoget has been featured on the annual list of The World’s 50 Best Bars various times. The venue, a cocktail bar, eatery, wine bar and beer café in one, was founded by bartenders Andreas Bergman and Joel Söderbäck in the former working-class area of Hornstull. It lies a little off the beaten path but is well worth the visit. Tjoget’s signature is Beets by Tjoget, a cocktail that mixes beetroot and vodka with coconut and ginger.
Other Stockholm cocktail bars to try are Lucy’s Flower Shop, Röda Huset, A Bar Called Gemma, Coquetel Social, Le Hibou and Pharmarium.
Tjoget
Hornsbruksgatan 24
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Tjoget
19.00
A sizzling celebration of produce
Chef Niklas Ekstedt loves to play with fire at his eponymous Stockholm restaurant and takes on the New Nordic Cuisine with an added dose of charcoal, soot and smoke. His inspiration is his remote countryside upbringing in the tiny village of Järpen, and a set of 18th-century cookbooks that detail Swedish cooking before the advent of electricity. The result achieved from the heat of the wood-burning oven, fire pit and chargrill is no small feat. Make sure to reserve a seat at the counter for a firsthand view of the action.
For other like-minded dining experiences, where produce is the star of the show, try Petri, Portal and Restaurang Oxenstiernan.
Ekstedt
Humlegårdsgatan 17
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Ekstedt
Day 02
9.00
Breakfast for aesthetic champions
In a bid to apply the same care and attention to detail to the menu of a café as at a fine restaurant, Anna and Rasmus Axelsson left their jobs at some of the city’s finest establishments to pursue their dream of running their own place. Pom & Flora, a café that serves breakfast and light lunches all day every day, was born. The menu features some expected items such as acai bowls and avocado toasts, but we suggest getting the steel-cut oat porridge with lingonberries, ginger, granola and almond butter – you’ll need the energy with your busy day ahead.
There’s a second Pom & Flora in the Södermalm neighbourhood.
Pom & Flora
Odengatan 39
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Natur & Kultur and Emma Olbers
10.00
Shop ’til you drop
What started out as no more than 100 pairs of raw denim jeans with red stitching to give to friends and family has, in a couple of decades, turned into a global fashion phenomenon that has the sales to back up the hype. In 2020, co-founder Jonny Johansson, who until this day still oversees the brand’s creative direction, tasked Barcelona studio Arquitectura-G to refresh the Norrmalmstorg flagship store. The result is a monumental retail temple featuring a striking monochrome palette of real and faux marble.
For other quintessential Swedish retail experiences, head to classic interior design brand Svenskt Tenn, fashion brand Tôteme, jewellery store All Blues, sustainable and transparent fashion brand Asket and perfume house Byredo.
Acne Studio
Norrmalmstorg 2
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Acne Studio
12.00
Have a slice of whitefish roe pizza
Centrally located Taverna Brillo lures the city’s trendy and artistic patrons. Designed by Jonas Bohlin, this bustling eatery has in 2023 joined hands with celebrated chefs Danyel Couet and Sebastian Thureson. While its vibrant aura is a draw for lunches accompanied by drinks, it’s the Mediterranean-inspired menu that beckons. Amidst this tantalising array, the classic whitefish roe pizza – topped with creme fraiche, dill and aged Swedish cheese – retains its iconic status.
Try Giro, 800 Grader, Meno Male, or Omnipollos Hatt for some of Stockholm’s booming pizza culture.
Taverna Brillo
Sturegatan 6
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of TAverna Brillo
13.00
Take a stroll around Royal Djurgården
Royal Djurgården, an island that is part of the Royal National City Park, is a tranquil and green oasis in the middle of Stockholm. The island has been in possession of the crown since the 15th century and was the place where Swedish songwriter Carl Michael Bellman would spend many a night carousing in the 18th century. Also called ‘the museum island’ (the Vasa, Nordic, Skansen and ABBA museums are all found there), we love exploring the island on foot.
We highly recommend a visit to Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, the former residence of Prince Eugen that has been transformed into a lovely art museum, and the Rosendal gardens, which has its own artisanal bakery and farm shop.
Djurgården
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Visit Stockholm
15.00
Get your caffeine and gluten fixes
In Sweden, three o’clock is ‘fika’ time – a short coffee and cake break that is important in Swedish culture. At Lillebrors Bageri, a tiny bakery with a huge following, the queues for baked goods stretch far down the street. Fret not – the freshly baked pastries to come out of the ovens at Lillebrors are well worth the wait. The traditional ‘semlor’ sweet rolls and ‘krämbulle’ cream and custard-filled buns are a treat, but the pastry we keep returning for is the ‘tosca’ sticky bun.
Other great cafés and coffee shops in Stockholm are Café Pascal, Saturnus, Drop Coffee and Gast.
Lillebrors Bageri
Rörstrandsgatan 12
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Lillebrors Bageri
16.00
Get into the zen zone
For some R&R before the evening’s activities, head to Grand Hôtel’s Nordic Spa & Fitness. The spa has a number of treatments inspired by the region: the Nordic Deluxe Bathing Ritual full-day package includes warm and cool dipping pools, saunas, a body scrub and beauty treatment, while the 90-minute Nordic Beauty treatment gives you a full-body boost using organic Scandinavian cranberry.
Other spa alternatives in and near Stockholm are Sturebadet, Yasuragi and Ellery Beach House.
Nordic Spa & Fitness
Grand Hôtel
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 4B
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Grand Hôtel
17.00
Cocktail hour
Once you’ve stepped out of your robe at Nordic Spa & Fitness, head to Grand Hôtel’s Cadierbaren, where the cocktails are made to perfection. The elegant bar, named after French chef Régis Cadier, the founder of the hotel, was remodelled in 2006. Head bartender Hanna Oscarsson has crafted a menu of signature cocktails. Among them is ‘Kallsup’, which translates to an involuntary gulp of water, an intriguing and slightly more fragrant version of the Dry Martini.
Other hotel bars that are Stockholm must-visits are Guldbaren at Nobis Hotel, Watson’s Bar at Hotel Rival, T/Bar at Hotel Diplomat, Le Hibou at Bank Hotel and Blanch & Hierta at At Six.
Cadierbaren
Grand Hôtel
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 4B
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Grand Hôtel
19.00
A house of gastronomic discoveries
Frantzén delivers a truly immersive dining experience that involves all three floors of a Stockholm townhouse, a team of chefs that is at least twice the size of a soccer team and some of Scandinavia’s and the world’s most extravagant and hard-to-find ingredients. Ring the doorbell to be greeted by your name, step into the elevator and let this once in a lifetime gastronomic adventure begin. And prepare your checking account for some serious damage. Chef Björn Frantzén’s food is a unique hybrid of Nordic cuisine with Asian notes – among the signatures is his take on French toast, butter-fried levain bread with aged parmesan, fried onions and 100-year-old balsamic vinegar topped with an insane amount of black truffle.
Although Frantzén is Stockholm’s only three Michelin star restaurant, two-star Michelin restaurant Aloë also comes highly recommended.
Frantzén
Klara Norra kyrkogata 26
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Frantzén and Erik Lefvander
Day 03
9.00
A greasy breakfast
A late food-centric night needs to be followed by a hefty breakfast and no one does that better than Greasy Spoon. Founded by British expats Laura Hinton and Tyrone Poh-Janrel, this eatery with walk-in seating is a modern take on a classic British institution. The menu is made up of breakfast staples such as hot muffins, eggs Benedict and smoked salmon on potato rosti.
There are two other Greasy Spoon restaurants in the Södermalm neighbourhood, as well as one in Kungsholmen.
Greasy Spoon
Hagagatan 4
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Greasy Spoon
10.00
Get a bit of culture
At a dozen or so state-owned Stockholm museums, visitors can enjoy art, architecture, history, and culture free of charge. Among them is the spectacular Nationalmuseum, which was reinaugurated in 2018 after a long building restoration. Nationalmuseum is Sweden’s museum of fine art and design, and the collections include paintings, sculptures, drawings and graphic art from the 16th century up to the beginning of the 20th century and the collection of applied art and design up to the present day.
We also love exploring Moderna Muséet for contemporary art, Fotografiska for photographic art, Hallwylska Muséet for the private collection of Wilhelmina von Hallwyl and her husband Walther, and Sven-Harrys konstmuseum for its striking architecture.
Nationalmuseum
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Nationalmuseum and Bruno Ehrs
12.00
The last meal
In the heart of Stockholm’s Östermalm neighbourhood, Restaurant Oxenstiernan is housed in a stunning and historic building that dates back to the 18th century. It is the creation of silversmith and gallery owner Sebastian Schildt and it is committed to using local and sustainable products at all levels. With a no-waste philosophy, where no part of the produce is wasted, chef Elvira Lindqvist has a strong background in plant-based cooking using regional ingredients. The restaurant’s interior developed from a similar premise and adheres to the idea of celebrating the local, with most items, including the plates, glasses and cutlery, being made especially for the establishment by designers like Anna Lerinder, Åsa Pärson, Mats Theselius, Simon Klenell and Monica Förster.
Restaurant Oxenstiernan
Storgatan 35B
Stockholm
Sweden
Photography courtesy of Restaurant Oxenstiernan
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