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The most budget options are offered by UIA, Wizz Air and Ryanair. But there is an important point to consider: UIA flies to Arlanda Airport, 42 km from Stockholm, while Wizz Air and Ryanair fly to Stockholm-Skavsta Airport, which serves low-cost carriers and is located 100 km southwest of Stockholm.
But before you are tempted by the low prices from Wizz Air and Ryanair, consider that getting from Skavst is longer and more expensive. While it takes 20-40 minutes to get from Arlanda to Stockholm, depending on the transportation you choose, it takes 1.5 hours to get from Skavst.
You can get from Arlanda to Stockholm city center (T-centralen station):
You can get from Skavsta to Stockholm:
If you're under 25-26 years old, you'll probably also get a discount. For example, a ride on the Arlanda Express will cost 150 SEK instead of 280 SEK.
If you want to live in the abyss of Stockholm life, choose the Södermalm and Gamla Stan districts. This is the very center and the Old Town, where most of the sights and attractions are concentrated and you won't get bored. With budget accommodation here, of course, is not easy, but if you want, you can find it. Prices for hostels start from €20-30/night, hotels - from €50-60/night, on Airbnb you can find options from €10-15/night for a room.
However, if the prospect of walking through Stockholm's bedroom district and wandering among Swedish paneled buildings intrigues you, you can follow my example and choose a hotel not in the center - Best Western Capital Hotel. All expectations that you can put on a three-star hotel it justifies, but the way to it may seem like a quest at first.
But, on closer inspection, it's not so bad. The Arstaberg train station is next to the hotel. In two stops from it you transfer to the red subway line at Lijeholmen stop, then go to Slussen or Gamala Stan station and, voila, you are in the center. Considering that Stockholm's metro is a separate attraction, you'll have an extra reason to check it out.
I recommend to start from the very center. If you are thinking about which metro station to go to, choose Gamla Stan, you won't go wrong. From it, dive into any street, enjoy the amazing facades of buildings and the atmosphere of the Old Town.
Sooner or later you'll come across Stortorget, Stockholm's oldest square. Yes, the same colored houses from postcards and internet photos are located here. Take a photo of a typical tourist and move on. Although, wait, on the square itself is the Nobel Museum, which sometimes has free days, maybe you'll be lucky enough to get one. Even if you don't, stop by.
Very close by, in a street next to the square is the tourist center (Köpmangatan 22), where you can get a map of the main attractions and get answers to your embarrassing tourist questions.
Right on your doorstep is the Royal Palace, which will make the heart of lovers of classical architecture flutter. Here you can take a tour "Visit to the Royal Palace of Stockholm" and penetrate into the mysteries of different eras. Having seen enough of these beauties we go to the embankment - here is the point of departure of hop-on hop-off boats - boats that operate on the same principle as the tourist hop-on hop-off buses. You choose the route of your choice, jump on the boat and enjoy the views of the city from the water, while listening to the tour. The cost of a standard boat tour is 220 SEK (660 UAH).
For lunch or dinner, head to the Östermalmshallen (Östermalmstorg) indoor market near the Östermalmstorg metro station. Here you can sample authentic Swedish cuisine in all its Scandinavian glory. Have you tried reindeer or moose? And fish straight from the Baltic Sea? This is the place to try it. Keep in mind that the market is closed on Sunday.
Almost any capital city attractive for travelers has such a wonderful thing as Free Tour - these are free excursions organized by local enthusiasts. Free tours in Stockholm take place every day from 9:00 approximately until 16:00 in English, Spanish and German. Check out the exact schedule on the website and follow to the departure point - it's either Drottninggatan 41 or the Slussen metro exit on the Södermalmstorg side.
By the way, since you are on Drottninggatan street, you should know that this is the main pedestrian street of the city. The oldest pharmacy in the city, Ugglan, which translates to "owl", is located here. Other than that, you should definitely know that you can easily give yourself over to shopping here. Trust me, the Swedish brands deserve your attention. First of all, H&M - it would be a mistake to come to the homeland of the famous mass-market and not to honor it, so stop by. You will be surprised, but the prices for many things are lower than in the Ukrainian branch of the brand. In the same price category pay attention to Monki, By Malene Birger and Weekday. If you are interested in flea markets, go to Ostermalmshallen (Ostermalmstorg) and Loppmarknaden (Fjärdholmsgränd, 4).
But keep in mind, the stores here close ungodly early. On weekdays and Saturday most of them are open until 18:00, and on Sunday - until 17:00, shopping centers a little longer - until 19:00.
Next on the plan is to touch the beautiful. Of course, two days are not enough to go around at least some of the art galleries and museums, so you have to prioritize at once. I recommend to spare no time for Moderna Museet - the main museum of modern art in Stockholm. Here you will find Dali, Matisse, Picasso and other artists dear to the heart of any art lover. A ticket costs €10.
Toward evening you may discover the unfortunate fact that after 21:00 the city goes quiet, and most of the tourist attractions are closed. But there is at least one more attraction that will leave a vivid imprint in your memory and finally fall in love with Stockholm - the subway.
Three branches and 100 stations, 90 of which are full-fledged art objects. I recommend seeing at least 10, the most beautiful of which are these:
By the way, T-centralen, Stadion and Rådhuset are among the most beautiful in the world.
Sweden is an amazing country, where you can feel that every detail is thought out and everything is done for the people, but there is no refinement and excessive gloss like, for example, in equally affluent Switzerland. Stockholm is now definitely in my personal top 5 cities for city-break. At the same time, two days is a monstrously short time to get to know this city, so next time you should definitely come back here for a longer period of time.
