An Easy Day With A Quick Tour Of Stockholm
We were ready for an easy day with a quick tour of Stockholm. We had a very busy few days at the start of our Baltic cruise. After we finished two full days in St Petersburg, we then had another long tour day in Estonia. So we planned to use the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus for a quick introduction to Stockholm. There were a few things that we wanted to see in the city and the bus served as easy transportation.
When we docked at the cruise terminal, we saw a number of large ferries. It was clear these ferries travelled the same route as we did on our tour through the Baltic countries. Maybe next time we would use the ferries for our visit.
A Great Cruise Into Stockholm
We got up very early and watched the sail in to Stockholm with Oceania Cruises. This may have been my favourite part of the day. We saw from the map that we would sail a very twisty path and be close to shore at many points.
David flung open the curtains at 5am and urged me to get up and look at the view. This was a bit earlier than I planned to be up since it was still dark. He headed up forward to the lounge on the top deck and I tried to go back to sleep. I was unsuccessful and joined him shortly after he left.
My timing was perfect. We got a great view of the sunrise towards the stern of the ship. As we cruised along we got a great view along the side of the passages. It reminded me a little of our cruise through the inside passage up to Alaska.
It was a great spot to settle in to work on some blogs and picture editing.
A Quick Tour of Stockholm
We had a great cruise in and the skies were clear. But when we arrived in Stockholm it was cold and cloudy. We were glad we only planned to take the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus for a quick tour of Stockholm. It was even easier when we found that the bus left right from the cruise terminal.
The bus had a retractable roof but it was closed tight. We got a good view from our windows as were moved around the city. There were many things we saw that we would visit on a return trip to Stockholm.
We saw the City Hall as our bus went past. The spires on the building featured the golden Three Crowns. We wanted to climb the towers for a panoramic view of Stockholm. But we did not get off when we were close. By the time we finished exploring the old town, we were ready to return to the ship.
Walking Around Old Town
We left the bus at the Royal Palace in the old town to explore. After we wandered around the outside of the Palace, we considered going inside for a tour. Â But we already saw enough Royal Palaces on our visit to St Petersburg and again in Estonia.
The palace guards seemed a little less disciplined that we saw in the other palaces we visited. We watched the changing of the guard when we started our cruise in Copenhagen. There was a large guard and the ceremony was formal, but nowhere near the ceremonial changing of the guard on Parliament Hill in Canada’s Capital City – Ottawa. We did not wait for the changing of the guard in Stockholm.
Beside the Royal Palace we found the Palace Church.
From there we wandered along the cobblestone streets of the old town. We found the path across the canal by the Parliament. On the other side of the bridge we admired the main square with the Opera House behind it.
We enjoyed wandering around in town on our quick tour of Stockholm.
A Short Visit In Stockholm
We started our day in Stockholm very early as we cruised in. It was a sight not to be missed. When we did the return trip at the end of the day, the skies were grey and the view was not as nice.
A quick tour of Stockholm by bus gave us a general sense of this town. The cold grey day did not inspire me to get out and wander around. We were sure it was a lovely town to visit and explore. But that will need to wait for a return visit. On this Baltic cruise with back-to-back stops, sometimes we needed to pick our down days.
Our next planned stop was in Visby, Sweden. We had a tour planned to see a more rural view of Sweden. Unfortunately the seas were too rough and that port was cancelled. It definitely meant that we will need to plan a return to Sweden! Our next port took us to Germany.
Have you done a quick tour of Stockholm or did you enjoy a longer stay? What would you say we should go back for?
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Stockholm has been on my list. I was supposed to travel to Stockholm couple of years ago but unfortunately the trip did not happen. The city has so much to offer. I hope to be there for a few days and explore the city, mainly by walk. I also like the Hop on and off buses as they are a quick way to get around.
We were sad that the weather was grey for our visit. We did not get the “wow” experience we had hoped for. But we too would go back and see more.
What a lovely post on cruising across Stockholm. The heritage buildings look majestic and the view of your editing seat is stunning :-).It’s on my bucket list seriously.
We found lots to do as we wandered in Stockholm. But the trip in and out were some of our favourite parts of this trip.
I love Sweden, but have never been to Stockholm. I love the understated nature of Swedish architecture – still detailed, but not as pompous as it can be in Europe. You’ll have to go back to enjoy Visby next time!
We wish we had visited when it was not grey and rainy. I think it spoiled a bit of the charm we expected to find. Lots of reasons to head back to Sweden.
I haven’t been to any of the Nordic countries yet, but they are definitely on my radar. I love seeing the architecture, both the similarities and differences to other European countries. The opportunity to visit it while cruising gives you a bit of a taste- to know whether or not you want to return and stay a little longer. It’s good to know Sweden falls into that category.
We did love the opportunity to get a small taste test of Stockholm on this cruise.
What a great idea to do the bus on a grey day. Sounds like the tour piqued your interest and now you have lots to do when you return. The photos from the cruise in are gorgeous!
The bus did work out perfectly on this visit to Stockholm. We wish we had better weather. But the cruise in made up for it.
I have been to Stockholm several times and find it to be the most beautiful capital in Scandinavia. On my ferry trips from Riga, Latvia, to the city, I was surprised to see outstanding views of the Stockholm archipelago. Your beautiful photos remind me how beautiful the Swedish capital is!
We definitely want to go back and see more of Stockholm in the sunshine. Great to be able to visit by ferry.
You did a lot in your short visit to Stockholm! The Vasa museum and Djurgarden are worth visiting too. It’s a pity you missed Visby. I think we all need to do a second visit of all the lovely cities to check out the things we missed. Love that image of your laptop – working while on a cruise! 🙂
We do love to cruise and just get an idea of places we might like to re-visit. But so many get put on that list! We definitely want to go back and spend more time in this area.
Stockholm has been on my list. I was about to travel to Stockholm in 2019 but unfortunately the trip did not happen due to covid issues. The city has so much to offer and see. I wish to be there for a few days and explore the city by walk and explore the places, pubs and streets.
We certainly needed more time to really give Stockholm justice. But it was nice to get a small taste test on this trip.
A trip to St Petersburg, Sweden and Copenhagen would be amazing. Stockholm appears gorgeous. A hop on-hop off bus seems the perfect way to see many things quickly when you have a short cruise stop. That is for sharing your awesome pics!
For this visit to Stockholm in the drizzle the bus was the perfect way to get a good overview and learn more about the city. Definitely lots to see on a return visit.
I’ve been to Stockholm a couple of times and it’s such a lovely place! I like Malmö a little better though hehe 🙂
We were sorry we did not get to see more of Sweden.
Yes, you got a general sense of Stockholm. We stayed two days and got to see more, came from Helsinki, and then moved to Oslo,.and picked up the cruise ship to Copenhagen, Iceland, and Scotland.
We hope to spend more time in Stockholm if we get back to Sweden.
Stockholm looks like a dream. I like how you are able to walk to see many of the attractions because I love staying active while vacationing. The city really seems as if it has a lot to offer and do!
We too love to wander by foot and explore a new city like Stockholm.
I’d love to visit stockholm and see all this architecture and the islands. The hop on hop tour buses are such a fantastic way to be introduced to a city. I hope you get to go back and explore here and visby.
The bus was a great way on this trip to get a quick overview of Stockholm. Hope to explore more one day.
You still managed to see some great sights in Stockholm, even though it was a short trip. I haven’t been there on a cruise, but a long weekend for me is enough to see the sights and to get a feel of the city. A bus tour is a great way if you only have a short time!
The bus trip did give us a good overview of Stockholm and helped us to decide where to get off to explore on our own.
This looks like a great day! It can be a lot, but you still can cram in a ton if you hustle. I’m glad you were able to experience so many things here. I’ve always wanted to go to Stockholm. One day we will get there… a cruise like this might be just the ticket!
I am sure there was much more to discover in Stockholm when the weather is co-operating a bit more. But we were happy we went out and saw as much as we did.
I remember Stockholm from years ago. Expensive but very beautiful! Really nice to see the photos.
We did like our first visit to Stockholm. Glad to bring back memories.
Nice beautiful architecture. This is such an awesome quick way to get a feel of Stockholm. That sunset looks majestic! Traveling by cruise is next on my agenda!
Stockholm was a great city to visit by cruise ship with the lovely views cruising in.
This refreshed our memories of Stockholm. We had spent 3 days there and it turned out to be such a memorable trip. We too love to use hop-on-hop-off buses in every new city to get a good feel first before hopping off at some of the must visit landmarks.
There is definitely much more to see in Stockholm than we saw. Three days sounds perfect.
You certainly made the most of your day stopover in one of the most beautiful and historic capitals in Scandinavia. Having spent a week, your post brought back nice memories. ?
A week in Scandinavia must have been great. An area we definitely want to re-visit.
I would love to cruise around Europe and stop at many different ports and cities! Great that you got up early to see the sunrise – weather can be rather fickle and makes a place very different. It can also change your experience too. Love the old town beauty of Stockholm
We always try to get up early or stay on board late when we know that the views will be good. We were definitely not disappointed on our cruise in to Stockholm.
What a great way to start your day in Stockholm, sunrises are so special, particularly when travelling. The Hop-on & off buses can be a great way of seeing a lot in a short period of time but I completely get why the weather didn’t encourage you to get off! I spent a few days in Stockholm a couple of years ago for the Christmas markets. My main memory is how cold it was (in November) but I was lucky to see the blue skies along with the cold & it was beautiful.
We would love to go back to Stockholm and the other Scandinavian cities in the winter for Christmas markets. We will be good Canadians and go prepared for the cold.
Thanks to hop-on-hop-off buses. It was easy for you to appreciate the beautiful structures without the need to get down. It looks like everything nice is on a walking distance. But yes, maybe you are meant to come back and get to know Stockholm in another level next time.
We often use the bus to get a view of a city before we explore. It worked well in Stockholm in the drizzle. But we did find some gems.
This was a great overall view of Stockholm and gave me an idea of what to expect if I should ever travel there. I particularly liked the architecture but I guess everything would have looked even better on a good day.
We loved all the things we got to see but agree it would have been nicer on a sunny day.
Beautiful city. Great information. Just the info you look for when visiting a city.
So glad this quick view of Stockholm was helpful. We enjoyed one day but know there is much for a return visit.
We’ve been to Stockholm several times and enjoyed it very much. If you return you must visit Gamla Stan (wander around the narrow medieval streets away from the main tourist squares), the Vasa Museum, and take a Thousand Islands cruise. All three were highlights for us.
Alison
We did love the cruise into Stockholm and can imagine how lovely a cruise around the islands would be. We definitely needed more time on our visit. Thanks for the suggestions.
I skipped Stockholm on my last Sweden road trip, although I know the city is worth visiting. But we left them for the next visit because we were traveling in a camper and avoided parking problems. For sure I would love to see the impressive Royal Palace and famous Opera House. I will consider some of the Baltic cruises from Poland for my next visit, as it’s a perfect idea for sightseeing!
I can understand passing on city visits when travelling with a camper. But if you get to book a cruise, a stop in Stockholm has lots to see.
It was so helpful reading your article. This is how a professional explains.Thankyou for your suggestions.
Always glad to find that our suggestions were helpful for visits.