"Surprise weekend to Stockholm" Stockholm by sue_stone

Stockholm Travel Guide: 5,179 reviews and 9,293 photos

I was a very spoilt girl this birthday - Alex took me on a surprise weekend to Stockholm, Sweden! I had no idea where we were going until we were at the airport having some lunch before our flight (I even managed to get through check-in without knowing the destination).

We took the day off work on Friday(which was a treat in itself!) as the flight was at 2:15pm. A short 2 hour flight later we arrived in Stockholm. We jumped on the Arlanda Express train from the airport, and 20 minutes later we were in the heart of the city. The sun was still shining, the sky was blue, and better still, our hotel was 50 metres from where the train pulled up!!

We stayed at the Nordic Light Hotel, one of the top 'Design Hotels' in Stockholm, which makes use of light as its method of decoration. It was an excellent hotel - very stylish, we loved it!

After checking in and freshening up, we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner - it was Belgian cuisine, tasty and always great with a nice Belgian beer. After dinner we headed to a very special bar that was located at our hotel's sister hotel (Nordic Sea). It was the world's first permanent icebar, Absolut Icebar. The interior is kept at around -5°C all year round. The walls, bar and glasses are all made of ice, taken from a river in northern Sweden. It was a great experience! They give you a large furry coat with hood to wear and gloves - which you definitely need when you hold your ice-glass! It is not a large bar - takes a maximum of 30 people at one time but was a great experience. It is pretty cold in there though, so most people, including us, only stay for 1 drink. To warm up we retired to the bar at our hotel for another vodka.

Saturday morning called for a sleep-in and then a visit to the hotel's breakfast buffet. We spent the day strolling around the old town area doing a small amount of site seeing and window shopping, really enjoying the beautiful sunny day and taking photos. We also visited some shopping malls and a fancy department store in the city. That night we headed back to the old town area and enjoyed a traditional meal of Reindeer in Loganberry sauce...and a bottle of Australian red wine ; )

Sunday dawned grey and a further sleep-in was in order. We had a pretty lazy start to the day, enjoying every minute of our stay in the funky hotel. Venturing out, we wandered through the city, visited the Kulturhuset and had a walk by the water. A late lunch was then on the agenda so we headed to another stylish hotel, Berns Hotel, and had a delicious lunch on the terrace over looking a pretty park. After lunch it was time to make our way back to the airport.

We really had an excellent weekend. It was very relaxing and great to be away for a change without the usual long itinerary of sites to visit. Beautiful city, amazing hotel and the BEST company a girl could ask for!!

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful in summer
Cons:Expensive
In a nutshell:Perfect for a relaxing long weekend!

Last visit to Stockholm: Aug 2005
Intro Updated Aug 31, 2005
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Reviews (23)

Pay Toilets - carry some change! Warnings Or Dangers (1)

Ok, it is not really a Warning or Danger....though it could be if your need was dire... One thing that is actually... more travel advice

Street Entertainers/Magicians Local Customs (2)

We spent a lot of the time on our weekend in Stockholm wandering around and soaking up the atmosphere. One thing I... more travel advice

Weekend in Stockholm What to Pack (1)

Don't pack too much...there is plenty of shopping to be done, so save some room in your suitcase for those new... more travel advice

Hand & Face floating Sculpture Things to Do (7)

One of the strangest things I saw during our time in Stockholm was this bizarre floating Face & Hand sculpture. I first... more travel advice

Shopping (2)
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Transportation (2)
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Restaurants (5)
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Travelogues (5)

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Comments (24)

rebeccabrandon Aug 17, 2009 at 7:05 AM Report Abuse

Hi Sue, My manager is wanting to arrange this as a corporate function for his clients. Did you get any reponses from people regarding suppliers? Many thanks in advance for any help you maybe able to provide. Rebecca
Fra.da. Jul 10, 2007 at 4:41 AM Report Abuse

What a nice page & useful tips, I'd love to visit Stockolm one day!
Pixiekatten Jan 17, 2007 at 2:31 AM Report Abuse

Yup - swedes love their coffee! Think my HP is proof of that! :))
tranceperent Dec 9, 2006 at 12:33 PM Report Abuse

amazing trip to the scandinavia u had..lucky you and im jealous of all the countries u have visited... cheers
alucas Sep 5, 2006 at 12:21 PM Report Abuse

That wasn't a picture of you - it was a picture of food, you just happened to be there ! Mind you, they chose you, not Alex !
MalenaN May 1, 2006 at 1:32 AM Report Abuse

Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend in Stockholm! Great tips!
Bluedawg1968 Mar 18, 2006 at 8:33 AM Report Abuse

Sue, awesome Stockholm page! I found your tips VERY useful...I'm going in May.
VeronicaG Dec 11, 2005 at 5:40 AM Report Abuse

I had heard of the ice hotel, but not the ice bar--some people are so imaginative! Enjoyed your page on Stockholm...
deecat Dec 7, 2005 at 9:39 AM Report Abuse

Sue, superior restaurant tips! Love the hotel...very "out there". The Ice Bar was a "blast" to read about, and the extra photos were great. Quite comprehensive for a weekend getaway...what a birthday gift.
Hot_Fudge Dec 2, 2005 at 6:52 AM Report Abuse

I see you have good taste! A really cool place to visit. I prefer a beach on a tropical island except in the summer when the weather is OK. here.((((=)))))