City Break to Stockholm!!

PGA0131911

Hi everyone.
Thinking of booking a city break for me and my girlfriend for velentines day 13th to 16th of february.
I know its probably the coldest time to travel but i think it would add to the whole atmosphere..
Would love to hear some feedback from somebody who has been.
No problem with flights and accomodation but have tried to source info on google about stockholm in general but not going too well
i.e
Weather
Sights
Northern Lights
"ice bar"
Possible day trip to another country maybe??

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Woden

I lived there for over 3 years but moved now.

Weather

Its a lovely city for a visit but thats not the best time of the year. July would be much better its such a different place in summer! It will be cold in Feburary though I hear the winter has been mild enough though so far.

Sights.

Check out the old town (Gamla Stan) and the Vasa Museum.

Enjoy a drink looking over the city in Skrapan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skatteskrapan

http://sodrateatern.com/ is nice for a drink also.

Get the small taxi boats from gamla stan to djurgarden. Haga parken in the north of the city is nice also

Don't think the city bikes will be back by Feb but they are a nice way to get around. A cycle or walk or kungsholmen (norr malarstrand) or around sodermalm is very nice.

Depending on budget consider booking the smorgasbord in the Grand Hotel http://www.grandhotel.se/ tried to get to it myself before I left but it was off due to sea food season which was a shame.

Northern lights - Not in Stockholm unfortunately.

Ice bar - Never went to it actually. Heard mixed reports. Generally interesting novelty but wears off.

3 days is about right don't think you'd visit another country.

biko

Animals http://www.skansen.se/en/kategori/djuren
Sea trip http://www.stromma.se/en/STOCKHOLM/Tours/Stockholm-Sightseeing/Boat-Tours/Stockholm-winter-tour/

Zebra3

Boat to Talinn or Helsinki is overnight.

Plenty in Stockholm for a weekend though.

PGA0131911

Thanks for all the replies lads booked now for 13th feb cant wait twill be different anyway sure

ahe316

PGA0131911 - Can you advise where you are staying? Heading to Stockholm in April so looking for something central hotel-wise.

ElectraX

We are heading for a City Break mid February also in Stockholm and would be very grateful to get some advice on accomodation as it is a City I know nothing about! We are flying Ryan Air to Skavsta and the bus will leave us in the Central Terminal late enough in the evening so looking to book something not too far from there for the first night. Any suggestions on the nicest areas to stay in after that?Thanks.

Cicilulu

I'm Irish and I've been living here in Stockholm for almost four years. Overall it's a fantastic city. Any of my friends and family that have come over, love it. 
Winter is not the best time to visit as it is generally cold and dark and pretty much lasts from November to April. Weatherwise February is usually drab. If you are lucky there will be snow to brighten things up but we haven't had so much this winter. 

Summer in Stockholm is vastly different to the winter. It is like a different city. You will notice the eye candy much more in the summer

Accomodation is quite expensive here but if you are on a budget there are still options. 
You can check tripadvisors to find cheaper hotels.
I have heard that the hostels here are good and you can book private rooms. 
There is also the possibility to go self catering. I did some googling and found http://www.bedbreakfast.se/ They offer b&b and self catering options. There are lots of self catering apartment rentals so do your research in this area.

Wherever you decide to stay I suggest you research the area. If it's a city break you are after make sure you stay close enough to the centre of town. Some of the short term rentals are out of the city in the burbs. Being close to a subway station is great for getting about. Or if you stay in Gamla Stan you would be close enough to both northside and southsides of the inner city to go by foot. Södermalm (south of Gamla Stan) is the cool, arty side of the city. Norrmalm is the main shopping area, business area and "posher" residential area.

Public transport is fantastic compared to Ireland. It almost always runs on schedule. It can be quite pricy for individual journeys but if you plan on using it a few times a day you can buy a day ticket or a three day ticket or a weekly one. Alternatively you can buy a strip of 18 tokens at a slightly reduced price compared to single journey tickets. A single journey in the city centre will cost 2 tokens. But if there are two of you traveling you can both use the same strip of tokens and get 4 tokens stamped. Tickets are valid for an hour after the time stamped and you can jump on and off all public transport as you please during this hour. You can use the subway, over ground trains, buses, trams and boats with the same tickets. Check out sl.se for more about public transport in Stockholm.

Taxis are quite expensive and they are unregulated. This means that taxi companies set their own fares. The majority of taxis are safe to use but there are a handful of dodgy drivers who prey on tourists and legally charge far more than the going rates of the larger taxi firms. If you are using a taxi I suggest you go into a nearby hotel and ask them where you can get a taxi, they invariably will order one of the good ones for you. Taxi Stockholm and Taxi Kurir are two of the main companies that are safe to use.

Eating out is the cheapest at lunchtime. There is almost always a salad bar where you can help yourself once you order your main course. A soft drink and or coffee is often included in the price. Lunch prices start at around 70:- and for this you can expect a dinner size feed! The locals generally know the best places so go somewhere that looks busy rather than a quiet place.

One of the great things about Stockholm is that almost everyone speaks English.

Finally, thelocal.se has the local news in English as well as an expat forum with tonnes of info.

If you have any questions I am happy to help if I can.

briano

Cicilulu wrote: »

...Taxis are quite expensive and they are unregulated. This means that taxi companies set their own fares. ...

This. Bring cash, and if possible agree a price with a taxi driver before you leave, and tell them you aren't paying by card. Otherwise you may be screwed completely. It's like the only "wild" part of living in Sweden.

Woden wrote:

Don't think the city bikes will be back by Feb...

Not until April unfortunately.

ElectraX: City Terminal (where the Ryanair bus leaves you) is right in the city centre, so anywhere in the city should be reasonably close. I like Sodermalm, which is the island in the south of the city centre, I assume there are a few places to stay around there.

PGA0131911

Just back from our few days in stockholm. We had a fantastic time. Loads to see and do while having snow everywhere was beautiful. Couldnt get over how cheap food and drink was as id heard it was supposed to very expensive. It was much cheaper than here. Stayed at the Best Western Times Hotel in Vasataan.Ideally located , only five minutes walk to the nearest metro station.