Do you need advice about Stockholm?

[Desdichado62]

I visited Stockholm and a few of its julmarknader (Yule/X-mas markets) and I can definitely recommend it.

Especially the one at Stortorget in Gamla Stan is recommended.

However the one at Skansen is nice as well although its a more spread out the Gamla Stan.

 

There is also one at Kungsträdgården which also a worth a visit

although its not as good as the other ones.

 

Here are a bunch of pictures:

 

 

Gamla Stan:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

end of part 1.

 

Part 2 will feature pictures from Skansen, Kungsträdgården as well as

some pictures of general public yule-decorations in Stockholm city.

 

 

edit what is wrong with the pictures?

Edited December 20, 2012 by Desdichado62

[Ultima Thule]

edit what is wrong with the pictures?

 

I think there is max of four (or five?) pictures per post and that might be the reason. Either try to resend with just four pictures or send just the links to the pictures.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Ultima Thule

[bhealy]

I will be staying to Stockholm two nights before a cruise. Which hotel has a better location, Hilton or Radisson?

 

Thank you

[Desdichado62]

Not sure this has been posted before.

 

A map of cruise-ship berths at Frihamnen: http://www.stockholmshamnar.se/Documents/Övrigt/Karta%20Frihamnen_kryssningslagen.pdf

 

-----------------------------------------

 

I will be staying to Stockholm two nights before a cruise. Which hotel has a better location, Hilton or Radisson?

 

Thank you

Radisson is closer to the shopping areas while Hilton is closer to Stadsgården dock.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Desdichado62

[dolfans0704]

Hello all...need advise on if it is too ambitious to do City Hall, Vasa and Gamla Stan in one 7 hour port stop. We will be visiting May 31st on Brilliance of the Seas. We dock at 9:00 am and depart at 5:00 pm so hopefully the crowds should not be too bad that time of the year. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[north-bound]

Hello all...need advise on if it is too ambitious to do City Hall, Vasa and Gamla Stan in one 7 hour port stop. We will be visiting May 31st on Brilliance of the Seas. We dock at 9:00 am and depart at 5:00 pm so hopefully the crowds should not be too bad that time of the year. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

There should be enough time to do all three. But there are a few things you have to be aware of. The first thing is that in May the Vasa Museum is open from 10.00 am, it is not before June 1 that it is open from 8.30 in the morning. The Town Hall will only accept visitors to go inside if they are on a tour. It is too early now to find out when there are tours in English on May 31. Or if there are any tours, on some days there are none because of other events taking place inside. But here is a link so that you can find out closer to the cruise: http://international.stockholm.se/City-Hall/Guided-tours-of-the-City-Hall/

 

Your ship is booked to dock at Stadsgården port. Here is a link to a map which shows where the port and the main sights are located:

https://maps.google.se/maps?hl=sv&mid=1358415745

[dolfans0704]

Thank you, north-bound, for the great information. We are planning to visit Vasa first and from there head over to City Hall to catch there noon tour if it is scheduled. We will then head over to the Royal Palace/Gamla Stan area and do Rick Steves walking tour which ends at Slussen Locks. We will be using public transportation during our visit so we will catch the bus from Slussen to the stop close to where are ship is docked. Can't recall the stop name but I know it is right by the dock and there is now a walkway where you can access it from the port parking lot. It is in my notes. We purchased and have received by mail our Stockholm Cards. Please feel free to add any additional comments. Thanks again.

[dolfans0704]

I would appreciate your advise on one more thing, north-bound. Do you think it is worth going by City Hall to get the tickets for the noon tour prior to going to the Vasa? Or possibly doing the City Hall tour at 10:00 am? I noticed on their website that you provided (thank you for that) the tours are only for 10 people at a time. I would hate to arrive too late and not be able to visit inside. What do think would work best? I am not too sure on what the crowds will be like toward the end if May. Thank you for your input.

[north-bound]

I would appreciate your advise on one more thing, north-bound. Do you think it is worth going by City Hall to get the tickets for the noon tour prior to going to the Vasa? Or possibly doing the City Hall tour at 10:00 am? I noticed on their website that you provided (thank you for that) the tours are only for 10 people at a time. I would hate to arrive too late and not be able to visit inside. What do think would work best? I am not too sure on what the crowds will be like toward the end if May. Thank you for your input.

 

I am not sure it is possible to buy the tour tickets in advance. But if there is a 10.00 am tour you could of course start with that tour and go on to the Vasa museum later. I know that everybody here recommends that you start with the Vasa Museum first thing in the morning, because later on there will be long lines outside to get in. But when I have taken visiting friends there I have done it during the afternoon, and there have been no crowds.

 

It is true that the Town Hall public tours will take a limited number of visitors, but I think it is more than 10 people. Maybe when they refer to maximum 10 people that is for small groups, if you are a group of more than 10 you will have to take a private tour and can not join the public tours. At least that is my guess. In any case, it is always wise to come in good time before the tour starts. I have no idea how often it happens that there are people who are unable to join the tour, it is probably impossible to judge how many visitors there will be in Stockholm on a certain day. The number of cruise ships in port may be an indication, but there are so many other visitor’s too. One example is that at this time of the season there are many school classes from around our country who visit the capital, but for the Town Hall they would need private tours.

[dolfans0704]

Thank you so much for all the valuable information you have provided. IMHO, it makes more sense to me to do the City Hall tour first since this is a "timed" event and we could arrive somewhere around 9:30 am to purchase tickets for the 10:00 am tour then go to Vasa from there. This will also give us more flexibility touring Vasa in case we want to spend more time there. I just worry with all the posts saying to do Vasa first thing due to the long lines that form. As of now it appears that there is only one ship in port besides ours so maybe it will not be so flooded with cruise ship passengers needing to rush to the Vasa first thing in the morning. Also, seeing City Hall first will give us the flexibility to pop in to see some if the exhibits on display at the Nordic Museum after Vasa prior to going over to Gamla Stan. What are your thoughts? Thanks again, north-bound!

[SoBaycruiser]

I have that concern too. The day we are in port there will be 5 ships there. Three of them dock at 8 am and we dock at 9. If passengers are all advised to do the Vasa first, I can imagine a mighty long line by the time we get there. On the other hand,we don't want to arrive in the afternoon and find we don't have enough time to thoroughly see it.

[dolfans0704]

It is a "catch 22"! When are you visiting Stockholm? The opening hours change to 8:30 am starting June 1st as north-bound points out in his post so depending on when you are there will determine your plans. With 5 ships in port I would think that your first stop should be Vasa since others who do not post in these boards may take there time in getting over there. Are you planning on doing the City Hall tour as well?

[SoBaycruiser]

It is a "catch 22"! When are you visiting Stockholm? The opening hours change to 8:30 am starting June 1st as north-bound points out in his post so depending on when you are there will determine your plans. With 5 ships in port I would think that your first stop should be Vasa since others who do not post in these boards may take there time in getting over there. Are you planning on doing the City Hall tour as well?

 

I would like to but it is secondary to the Vasa. I still haven't figured out how we'll do the transportation since we don't have a chip CC and I think it would make purchasing a 24 hr ticket more difficult.

 

BTW, we are visiting toward the end of June...the next day there is only one ship in port. It's our bad luck. Three are large ships so I anticipate about 8500 extra people in Stockholm that day. Arg!

[SoBaycruiser]

I was just making a comparison of the cost of touring the three things I'd like to see: Vasa, Gamla Stan and City Hall. The ship has a 4.5 hour tour of these 3 places for $99 and I assume no waiting in lines or worrying about reservations. Using the HOHO bus and paying for admissions (assuming you can get a time at city hall) is about $65. Buying the Stockholm card and using public transportation is about $75. I assume there are no lines using that card at the Vasa but you still need a city hall tour time.

 

So while the HOHO bus looks like the cheapest way to go, I worry about them being too crowded with 5 ships in port and the lines for purchasing tickets to the Vasa etc. The Stockholm card looks like the most flexible way to go despite the lack of assurance of getting in city hall. I really do hate ships tours, but it may be the most relaxing.

 

Comments?

[dolfans0704]

I did the same comparison prior to purchasing the Stockholm Card but I figured for the extra $10.00 for the card as opposed to $65.00 for HOHO and ticket admissions, it was worth it to us. Especially since we enjoy utilizing the public transportation in ports and that the bus drivers do not take cash when you board. From what I understand, you must have a ticket in hand to travel on the bus. In your case with 5 other boats in port and if you are really set on visiting all 3 sites, it may be worth considering the ship tour. Sometimes the ship tours are more convenient and less stressful especially when you have time restraints. That is probably the direction I would go in if I was in your shoes. I am looking forward to reading other opinions on this as well. Best of luck in your planning!

[dolfans0704]

I was just making a comparison of the cost of touring the three things I'd like to see: Vasa, Gamla Stan and City Hall. The ship has a 4.5 hour tour of these 3 places for $99 and I assume no waiting in lines or worrying about reservations. Using the HOHO bus and paying for admissions (assuming you can get a time at city hall) is about $65. Buying the Stockholm card and using public transportation is about $75. I assume there are no lines using that card at the Vasa but you still need a city hall tour time.

 

So while the HOHO bus looks like the cheapest way to go, I worry about them being too crowded with 5 ships in port and the lines for purchasing tickets to the Vasa etc. The Stockholm card looks like the most flexible way to go despite the lack of assurance of getting in city hall. I really do hate ships tours, but it may be the most relaxing.

 

Comments?

 

Come to think of it, you may be better off doing a private tour through Alla! Not sure who your are using in SPB (or even if that is one of your ports of call) but we received the info below announcing that they are now doing inside visits to both City Hall and Vasa you may want to check it out and it is less people on her tours. Below is the post that our board received.

Alla Ushakova - 02 January 2013 11:27 pm

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year to you and your families!

I am writing to inform you about availability of early tour booking discounted prices for our tours in St Petersburg!

Cost of St Petersburg group tours is:

St Petersburg Grand tour $325 is changed to $300 pp

St Petersburg Comfort tour $300 is changed to $275USD pp

St Petersburg 3-day Grand tour $420USD pp changed to $385USD pp

 

Our pricing policy for the early booking of the package tours has been changed as well:

1. Now we offer booking packages with as many cities as you wish starting form just 2 cities! It gives you extra package discount when booking 2, 3, 4 or 5 cities!

2. Our 5h Stockholm Grand tour includes both Vasa museum and City hall inside visits

 

Cost of our most popular 4-city and 5-city packages is:

4 city package with St Petersburg 2-day tour, Helsinki, Tallinn and Berlin 480USD pp

4-city package with St Petersburg 2-day tour, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm 450USD pp

5 city package with St Petersburg 2-day tour, Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm and Berlin is $575USD pp

 

We kindly ask for your friendly support on cruisecritic roll calls by posting the current pricing information for your fellow cruise mates that enables them to join the groups at the guaranteed prices listed above. Thank you so much!

Sincerely yours,

Alla

[SoBaycruiser]

Dolfans,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I am booked on Alla's St Petersburg two day Grand tour, so it is an option to add Stockholm. I had forgotten about her discounts. A smaller group would be nice. I'll have to consider it. Thanks.

[Ultima Thule]

I noticed on their website that you provided (thank you for that) the tours are only for 10 people at a time.

 

I think that's a misunderstanding. Reading the Swedish text it is clear that they want to say that the guided tours are meant for individual tourists and that they therefore ask groups of 10 persons or more to make special arrangements so that huge groups will not fill up places in the normal tours meant for individual tourists. So the tours themselves are not limited to 10 persons. Rather, they ask you not to come and ask for 10 tickets.

 

But I have some idea that there might be a limit (10?) on the special tower tour? (Its not in the text as the tower is closed right now).

 

It also says that tickets cannot be bought or booked in advance.

Edited January 19, 2013 by Ultima Thule

[dolfans0704]

Thank you so much for the correct information and clearing up the misunderstanding. So do you think it would be okay to show up to City Hall at 9:30 for the 10:00 tour? We should be safe with this plan? Thank you for your input. I greatly appreciate it.

[north-bound]

Great that Ultima could confirm that the City Hall tours are not limited to 10 persons. Of course it is always impossible to predict how many people there will be on a certain day, and the tours will only take a limited number of visitors, but I think that you would be safe if you are there to get your tickets at 9.30 for the 10.00 am tour. And it is always a good idea to take a look at their site again just before you leave for the cruise. The same tours are not always available, and on some days there are no tours at all due to what else goes on within the building.

[dolfans0704]

Thank you so much Ultima and norh-bound for all your assistance! Your wealth of knowledge is such a an asset to us visitors. Thanks again!

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

[Desdichado62]

A new attempt to post the Stockholm Yule Fair pictures:

 

An advertising banner for Old Town Yule fair which was held at Stortorget:

 

 

 

 

We walked along Västerlånggatan before heading to Stortorget.

 

 

 

A first glimpse of the fair with Börshuset in the background.

 

 

 

A stall selling typical Nordic Yule goats.

 

 

 

A stall selling Swedish candy canes called Polkagrisar.

 

 

 

more pictures are coming later.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Desdichado62

[Desdichado62]

overview photos of parts of the fair:

 

 

 

 

 

Then we took Djurgårdsfärjan to Allmänna Gränd from where we walked to Skansen:

 

 

 

[dolfans0704]

Beautiful photos! Thank you so much for sharing. Did you enjoy your visit during this time of the year as opposed to your summer visit?

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

[Desdichado62]

Beautiful photos! Thank you so much for sharing. Did you enjoy your visit during this time of the year as opposed to your summer visit?

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

 

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do!"

Walt Disney

 

Sure I always enjoy going to Stockholm. I think I have made 6 visits the past 10 months.

.

The Yule fairs in Stockholm were all lovely all though the one at Stortorget is the best one.

Kinda makes me wonder why cruise lines does not have X-mas time cruises in the Baltics.

I think it would be a popular cruise.

Edited January 21, 2013 by Desdichado62