How to bag a last-minute break in Stockholm (for a dose of the old normal)
Horatio Clare had his bags packed and was ready to jet off to the Swedish capital, but one important thing was missing
I have never been to Stockholm but I have come very close. I yearn to see the archipelago of its islands, its bridges, its bright and slanting northern light. Great maritime cities like Hamburg, Marseille, Venice and New York fill me with thrill and desire.
Anywhere a civilisation meets the sea, in a splendour of ships and quays, alleys, dive bars and many races, is where I long to be.
In my early 20s, just starting out as a journalist (filled with ambition and confidence by my post on the Mid Devon Gazette), with a little money and a little time off I arranged to go to Stockholm. I would meet tall, blonde, confident Swedes who would not see a shaggy slob with dreams above his station, but someone intriguing – a traveller, a writer, perhaps.
My mother had told me of a beautiful friend of hers, a Swede, who said Swedish women found British men fascinating. I couldn’t wait! And I had a friend in Stockholm, from school, who was both tall and fair, and looking forward to putting me up, she said.
Just in time for the flight, I got to Gatwick, where I realised my passport was still in Mid Devon. Dauntless, I called the British Consul in Stockholm and requested he arrange for me to be let in. He laughed, long and cruelly. I spent the evening working on my melancholy love of airport bars.
And I have yet to see Stockholm. Oh, one day, one day...
How to get there
EasyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, BA and SAS are all offering direct flights to Stockholm with return fares for this weekend (Friday-Monday) from £134. Check Skyscanner.
Five great ways to see Stockholm (now that we can)
By Adrian Bridge
1. Good news Horatio: just this week Sweden was removed from the list of countries from which people entering the UK must quarantine for 14 days. Go soon and celebrate with a “Greta Garbo” cocktail (aquavit and peach) at the Strand Hotel (telegraph.co.uk/tt-strand-stockholm) while admiring some iconic photography featuring Ingrid Bergman.
2. Thus fortified, the following day should be spent exploring the Old Town of Gamla Stan, the most famous of Stockholm’s 14 islands. The Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) in its north corner is still the home of the Swedish monarch. Nearby is the Nobel Museum (nobelcenter.se), which salutes the writers, scientists and pacifists who have won this prized accolade.
3. The city’s diverse museum scene also encompasses the Vasa Museet (vasamuseet.se/en), the extraordinary space housing the salvaged remains of the Vasa warship that was the vanity project of King Gustav II Adolf and which sank almost immediately on its launch in 1628. Not Sweden’s finest hour…
4. For that, many would say you need look no further than Abba: The Museum (abbathemuseum.com) on Djurgarden, which charts the story of the legendary pop band. Voulez-vous? Oh, go on…
5. Beyond the islands of Stockholm lies the archipelago, a mass of between 24,000 and 30,000 islands and islets sitting in the brackish waters of the Baltic. Swedes love nothing better than to decamp here in the warmer months and spend time slowing down in simple wooden holiday homes. They are great for day-trips too.
For more information about Stockholm, see visitstockholm.com and take a look at our complete guide to the best hotels in the city.
