Sweden may be one of Europe’s more expensive countries, but as I found out recently you can spend four or five days in its stunning capital Stockholm without it costing you a penny – or rather a krona! That is of course, as long as you’ve got a healthy balance on your credit card!
For the catch is you must have plastic to survive as a tourist on the streets of the Baltic Sea beauty, as hard cash is disappearing rapidly. Indeed, it’s forecast the city could be completely cashless in five years time… So if you haven’t used a credit card to buy an ice cream, a hot dog or a bar of chocolate before, you’d better get used to it to enjoy your stay not only in Stockholm, but the other Scandinavian capitals where plastic rules the roost.
Ironically, the city which gave us ABBA and the hit song, ‘Money Money Money’ is well on the road to having no money at all in circulation in a few years time. Even the ABBA Museum on the island of Djurgarden in the Swedish capital, doesn’t accept cash! The vast majority of shops and retail premises in Stockholm city centre take credit cards only, and of those that do, many if not most are phasing out hard currency entirely, and some admit to retaining the use of cash, only for the benefit of tourists. Refusing my offer of cash for breakfast one hotel restaurant manager said: “The aim is to have a totally cashless society in five years time. The use of cash has been on the way out in Stockholm for some years now and almost every week you see new business switching to plastic only.”
Another Stockholm retailer told me: “It is very simple really. Most moderate sized, even some small businesses, might need to employ one other person to handle their cash and transactions, even on a part-time basis. Then there are the security risks that goes with it, transferring money to the bank etc. With card-only payments they can cut their overheads and staffing costs, and at the same time there is no chance of falling victim to theft.”
So when I arrived flying British Airways Business Class from Belfast City Airport through the excellent Heathrow Terminal One, I was not prepared for the currency shock as soon as I stepped off the speedy but pricey Arlanda Express at the Central Station. The city hadn’t changed much in the 12 or so years I had been away and was enjoying a glorious late summer, but its way of doing business and accommodating tourists certainly has. With very little credit on my MasterCard I had to make a bee-line for the nearest Danske Bank otherwise I was facing a very lean few days indeed in one of my favourite cities in the whole world. A stroll down the main street past Scandinavian shopping icons like Ahlens and NK brought me to the Nybron harbour seafront, and the busy comings and goings of the sightseeing boats which criss cross the city and the steamers for the archipelago.
It was as if I had never been away. Stockholmers, especially in summer, use the boat as we would a bus, and there’s always one arriving or departing within minutes of each other. Some head out into the near and middle archipelago, to places like Faderholmen – the Feather islands – and the island fortress of Vaxholm, and others like the Cinderella boats go right out to the edge of the 25,000 island cluster of Baltic Sea islands and outcrops, to places like Sandhamn, where many like to spend the day soaking up the sun and enjoying a tasty seafood lunch. We choose a two and half hour archipelago cruise with the Stromma Kanal boat company and it was a great introduction to this beautiful part of the world.
We slipped past tree covered islands, rocky outcrops and idyllic little isles festooned with homes and summer houses, usually painted in the traditional Swedish colours mostly of rust, with some in yellow or pale blue. Almost every house had its own bathing place, little pier and a boat tied up there in lieu of a car. Many even had their craft lifted out of the water presumably to spare it the vagaries of the weather.
What a different commute to work that must be…. When we got a little peckish under the cloudless blue sky we had a shrimp sandwich and a cool beer on our steamer Ostana. It was a wonderful way to watch the world slip by…. We didn’t actually get to see the island where Polar Music produced the dozens of smash hits for ABBA but it was easy to see why Benny and Bjorn were never short of inspiration with so much natural beauty all around them. A favourite day trip (or half day trip if you choose) is the one to the Royal Family’s Summer Palace at Drottingholm. Stockholm is situated between the Baltic Sea and the freshwater Lake Malaren and the trip to Drottingholm takes about 45 minutes heading west inland along Malaren. You can have a pleasant meal on board the steamer, but the staff will warn you that you have to eat quickly to have a dessert as well as the boat turns around in minutes to return to Stockholm. At Drottingholm you will enjoy a walk around the drawing rooms and stately surroundings of the pastel coloured palace which looks so inviting, especially when it first comes into view from your Stromma Kanal steamer. Then after the palace you can take a stroll round the grounds, and up to beautiful Chinese pavilion.
Also worth visiting is the Drottingholm Court Theatre, a unique 18th century wooden building with scenery and wooden stage stage workings intact. There are regular guided tours available around this World Heritage Site. We managed to fit in three waterborne tours – the third of which, perhaps fittingly was called Under the Bridges of Stockholm where we traversed the locks which raise craft the few metres difference in levels between the Baltic and Lake Malaren. It was an interesting trip with a really good guided commentary which like many of the commentaries I found focussed a lot on Sweden’s green credentials – often ground breaking techniques, some of which were copied from a new flat complex by the water at Slussen and used at the London Stadium for the Olympics.
Away from the water, the best way to get the feel of the city and an idea of its layout and the places you want to explore in detail later, is to take the red or green City Sightseeing Hop on Hop Off bus. It does what it says – you can pick it up nearly anywhere with each complete tour lasting 90 minutes. Like the three boat tours mentioned, the city sightseeing bus is included in the Stockholm Pass (see Top Tips) along with dozens of the city’s major and most popular attractions. No matter how many times I have been there, every time I visit Stockholm I make a beeline for the Vasa Museum on Djurgarden. The Vasa is the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged – the 64-gun warship sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The ship was raised by an incredible feat of salvage in the 1960s, 333 years after her sinking just a couple of hundred yards into her maiden voyage, which revealed the vessel to be in surprisingly good condition.
To deal with the problem of the inevitable deterioration of the ship, the main hall of the Vasa Museum is kept at a temperature of 18–20 °C and a humidity level of 53 per cent. It had a million and a half visitors last year, so is one of Stockholm’s favourite attractions. The long green island of Djurgarden is also home to Skansen, the largest outdoor museum of folk and country life in Scandinavia with houses through the ages from all regions, occupants plying their age old crafts and animals nearby all vying for visitors’ attention. On a lighter note, Grona Lund amusement park and the ABBA Museum are close by, but there are also miles and miles of paths and trails on Djurgarden itself. The island is linked to the mainland by a bridge/causeway served by bus or tram, or by a fleet of little water taxis which serve places like the Royal Palace, and Nybron, the busiest quay for boats to the archipelago.
Sweden is not slow to boast of its peace loving credentials, its successful welfare and benefits system, but with just a couple of weeks to go to elections which took place recently, a swing to the right took place mainly down to unease about the levels of refugees coming into the country, the highest per capita in Europe. About a fifth of voters opted for the right wing Sweden Democrats giving notice to the mainstream established parties not to take voters for granted any longer. So the stresses are showing on a proud welfare system which has been the envy of the world, with waits like our own NHS, of two or three years now not unusual for surgery.
But if there are greater mix of ethenticities in Stockholm the traditional Swedish chic cool and laidback style is still evident everywhere. Shopping is diverse, stylish but invariably expensive, although I love their polite way of adding to the value of gifts bought with exquisite and attractive wrapping, ribbons and bows at no extra charge. Shopping in the old town (Gamla Stan) is always interesting but geared towards the tourist, with over-priced souvenirs aplenty. It is also a great place for a wander or a coffee in one of the many baristas and restaurants. However, for the serious shopper the places to visit are the two big Scandinvaian departmental stores, Ahlens and NK, a few hundred metres apart on each side of Stureplan, the main city square. The square connects several major streets and is close to the long, popular pedestrian shopping street, Drottninggatan. Because Stockholm is such a popular tourist and business city, virtually all the year round, there is a wide range of accommodation but it is generally expensive, and quite often difficult to access unless you book well in advance.
Leaving it late could cost you money and mean you are located way out of the city centre. The city is home to a number of stunning design hotels with challenging and cutting edge technology and services. Self service check-in is more and more taking over from the traditional reception desk. Look out for the Ice Bar at the Nordic Sea hotel near the Central station – it’s a tourist trap but an experience nevertheless, and connected to the famous Ice Hotel in the north of the country. I hadn’t been to Stockholm for a dozen years or more, but you know what….it was as if I hadn’t been away. Now I want to go back in winter, take in the Lucia Festival and see the Christmas Markets again; go for a Christmas smorgasbord with all the twinkling Christmas lights in the archipelago. Roll on the long dark nights of December…. TOP TIPS: BUY a Stockholm Pass which is available for 24, 48, 72 or 120 hours from when you first use it. It covers boat trips with the Stromma Kanal Company, hop on hop off sightseeing buses, walking tours and many of the cities attractions including cultural and history museums, family attractions, royal palaces and buildings, and art and architecture exhibitions. * LOOK out for Pressbyran kiosks which sell Travel Cards, stamps, magazines, snacks and hot dogs (korv).
* IT IS very expensive to eat out in the evening in Stockholm and Sweden ingeneral, so it makes sense to have your main meal in the middle of the day. Many restaurants do a special Dagens Rat or three course Meal of the Day at very competitive prices, and it can be very good value indeed. The high price of alcohol and taxes is the main driver of a high restaurant bill in the evenings, so don’t ask for the wine list unless you’re prepared for a shock! * USE the Metro – stations are identified by the letter T. It is efficient, clean and a fast way to get around. When returning to Arlanda Airport, the airport coach may take twice as long as the train, (40 mins as opposed to 20), but costs less than half the price. At around £28 single the Arlanda Express is one of the most expensive airport public connections – in fact it’s just as cheap for two people to take a taxi!’
How to get there… BA to Stockholm
The writer, Brian Ogle flew to Stockholm with British Airways. BA provides excellent connectivity into London Heathrow for customers from Northern Ireland, operating up to four flights a day from Belfast City Airport. All flights from Belfast City arrive into Terminal 5, so there is no need to change terminals when connecting onto other BA destinations, allowing for smoother connections. T5 now has 24 self-serve bag drop points, allowing customers to quickly and conveniently drop their bags off before heading through security. There are six lounges within T5 collectively known as ‘Galleries’ and there is an Elemis Travel spa in the Club Galleries and Arrivals lounges. British Airways UK and European Business class is a perfect combination of efficiency, convenience and comfort. It gives access to comfortable departures lounges; offers priority boarding; more personal space on board to work or relax; complimentary food and drink service; dedicated check-in desks; a larger baggage allowance than Euro Traveller; and you can collect more Avios and Tier Points. For more information or to make a booking, log on to ba.com or contact your local travel agent.
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