Stockholm holidays

Being built over 14 islands means Stockholm’s got a few beaches up its sleeve. Two popular beaches right in the centre are Langholmsbadet and Smedsuddsbadet. There are toilets at both, as well as places to grab a bite to eat. Just so you know, they can get busy in the summer, so nab your sunbathing spot early.

A bus ride south out of the centre takes you to Stockholm’s largest open-air bathing place – Lake Flatensjon, located in the borough of Skarpnack. There’s a diving tower here, a jetty to lounge on, and a beach. It’s family friendly, too, with a climbing frame, mini golf and toilets.

If you’re planning to take one of the archipelago boat tours from Stockholm, take a towel for when you reach the island of Sandhamm. It’s the isle furthest away from Stockholm’s centre, and flaunts a small but beautiful beach called Trouville that takes 20 minutes to walk to from the harbour.

Second-hand clothes, books and bric-a-brac are all up for grabs at the Hotorget flea market, which runs every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. It’s set in an elegant square of Art Deco hotels, a Neoclassical concert house and a couple of grand cinemas – so shopping here comes with quite the backdrop.

There’s a pick ‘n’ mix of museums and galleries in Stockholm, and most of them come with well-stocked gift shops. Try Fotografiska – a photography museum – where you can buy huge photo posters to take home. Or, pick up replica art pieces, tea towels and stationary in the treasure trove shop of the Swedish History Museum.

Purses at the ready for Ostermalm, a smart district that’s the top banana of premium shopping in Stockholm. Splash the cash on everything from pricey hand-knitted jumpers to jewellery studded with egg-sized gems. Then carry on by visiting the Swedish History Museum and National Library of Sweden, both of which call this district home.

Jazzy evenings come courtesy of Fasching, Stockholm’s most famous music venue. It’s right by central station, and flaunts a year-round programme of jazz artists. It’s worth making a dinner booking to coincide with a performance. The club also turns into a nightclub at midnight.

Festival vibes come courtesy of Tradgarden, an uber-popular outdoor club located under the Skanstull Bridge. Here, you can dance away to live music, order beers and other drinks from the bars, grab a burger, and even play table tennis. Just so you know, it’s only open in the summer.

Fika – AKA afternoon tea – is a daily ritual in Sweden, and Stockholm’s foodie scene delivers on all fronts. A lot of cafés have their own fika menus that include everything from flat whites and flavoured teas to saffron buns, rye open sandwiches and avocado rolls.

Not to be confused with its Scandinavian cousin – the infamously smelly fermented herring – the pickled herring is a staple of Swedish cuisine. You’ll find it in many forms, and it often features heavily in Swedish holiday buffet spreads. It’s typically eaten with boiled potatoes or on rye bread.

You can’t talk about Swedish food and not mention meatballs – which you’ll likely associate with a particular brand of furniture store. While they’re not an original Swedish food, meatballs have become a poster child for the foodie scene here. Order a plate of them with mashed potatoes, gravy, and lingonberry jam.

These boiled potato dumplings are filled with a mixture of spiced onions and pork, and served with jam and butter. Kroppkakor can differ depending on which Swedish region it comes from. For example, dumplings from Smaland in the south are made with boiled potatoes, while those from the island of Oland have raw potatoes in the dough.

Seafood’s a popular cuisine in these parts, thanks to Stockholm’s prime position along the Baltic Sea. Try toast skagen, a cold appetizer made up of prawns, mayonnaise, dill and lemon on top of crunchy bread. Or, if you’re visiting in the summer, try cracking open a crayfish and tasting the lean salty meat inside.