[15-Day Nordic Free-and-Easy Trip] Day 12: Stockholm City Day Tour | City Hall Guided Tour, Vasa Shipwreck Museum, Night Views & Old Town Pub Experience

Table of Contents Trip Overview Trip Preparation One Day in Stockholm Luggage Storage & Breakfast Experience Exploring the City by Electric Scooter City Hall Tour: The Blue Hall and the Golden Hall Vasa Museum: The Legend of Sweden's Sunken Ship First Stay in the Old Town (Gamla Stan) Night View Terrace & Local Bar Culture Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Stories 1. Trip Overview After leaving Tromsø, the City of the Aurora, we began our city exploration of Sweden's capital, "Stockholm.Today's itinerary focuses on a cultural tour of the city center, including a City Hall tour, the Vasa Museum, and riding electric scooters around the city. In the evening, we'll dive into the Old Town's night scenery and the local pub culture. II. Trip Preparation 1. Transportation Tickets & Tools City transportation: mainly using "Voi" electric scooters (SEK 69 per 60 minutes), which is more cost-effective than the bus (SEK 30 per ride) It's recommended to download the Voi App in advance, which supports credit card and Apple Pay binding You can also choose to buy an SL transit card (the multi-day pass option is good for use over the next few days) 2. Luggage Storage Youth hostels charge an extra fee for storing luggage Luggage storage at the train station is expensive (about NT$1000/item)

I suggest using the Radical Storage App (found a rate of €5/piece + €7 deposit this time, totaling 4 pieces for no more than NT$1000)

3. Attraction Ticket Recommendations City Hall: You must join a guided tour to visit, tickets cost about SEK 150 Vasa Museum: Tickets cost SEK 190, can be booked on-site or via the official website The night view platform and Old Town walks are free 4. Accommodation: Explore Stockholm Old Town (booked via Booking) The accommodation is located in Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan), an area with convenient amenities and an old-world charm, though dragging luggage over the cobblestone streets and steps is a bit of a challenge. The apartment is fully furnished with a kitchen where you can cook for yourself, making it great for travelers who like to self-cater. The only minor downside is that the fridge is placed quite high up — we joked that "you'd need to be 178cm tall to live comfortably here!" The nightly rate is about NT$7,800, which is reasonable given the Old Town location and the amenities provided.

3. Stockholm Day Trip Luggage Storage and Breakfast Experience We headed out at 9 in the morning, originally thinking the youth hostel would store our luggage for free, but it turned out they actually charged for it! We had no choice but to drag our four big suitcases and walk about 15 minutes to Central Station. Once we got there, we found out that storing just one piece of luggage cost over 1000 NT dollars — we were stunned! As a temporary solution, we used the Radical Storage App to find a nearby shop — just 5 euros per piece plus a 7 euro deposit, so storing all four bags cost less than 1000 NTD. What a relief! It took a whole hour to sort everything out, but we could finally start today's journey. Our first stop was the local chain café Vete-Katten, famous for its Swedish cinnamon rolls. We ordered four pastries, three coffees, and one tea, and the bill came to about 1000 NTD.A-Juan said, "Isn't this pretty much the same as Taipei?" (Inner monologue: Taipei's cost of living really isn't cheap either)

Exploring the city by electric scooter After eating and drinking our fill, we decided to try the local shared electric scooter service — Voi. Downloading the app and linking Apple Pay took just one step, and off we went right away! We chose the 60-minute plan for SEK 69, cruising easily through the city. It was both convenient and refreshing, instantly becoming everyone's new favorite — much more flexible than taking the bus.

City Hall Tour: The Blue Hall and the Golden Hall When visiting Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, City Hall (Stadshuset) is definitely a must on every traveler's list. It's not just a government office—it's become famous for hosting the Nobel Prize banquet every year. City Hall's exterior is a solemn and stately red-brick building, while the interior is surprisingly luxurious.

Following the guided tour, the first stop is the legendary Blue Hall (Blå hallen). Despite its name, it isn't actually blue at all—it retains its original red brick walls, and the soaring, high-ceilinged space is absolutely magnificent.

On the second floor, you will first pass by the City Council Chamber and the Prince's Gallery.

Right after that, you'll enter the Golden Hall (Gyllene salen), where an entire wall is covered by a dazzling mosaic made of over 18 million gold leaf tiles. At the center of the Golden Hall stands the image of the "Queen of Lake Mälaren," symbolizing Sweden, and when the light falls just right, the sense of sacredness is overwhelming. If you have enough time after the tour ends, you can also buy a separate ticket to climb the tower and take in a panoramic view of Stockholm's city center and surrounding archipelago.

Attraction Deep Dive > 【Attraction Deep Dive】Stockholm City Hall｜The Nobel Banquet and the Legend of Nordic Red Brick Vasa Museum: Sweden's Legendary Shipwreck The Vasa Museum is one of Stockholm's most popular attractions—even Swedes themselves proudly recommend it as a must-visit. On display here is the 17th-century warship "Vasa," which sank due to a design flaw, in a shipbuilding project that the King himself personally oversaw.In 1961, the Vasa, which had lain on the seabed of the harbor for 333 years, was raised completely intact, still retaining about 98% of its original wooden structure — a true wonder of the world. The main exhibition hall of the museum is designed to wrap entirely around this enormous wooden ship, allowing visitors to admire it from different angles and different floors, offering a truly stunning visual experience. Every carving is full of intricate detail, and the surrounding exhibits also introduce the salvage process, the ship's sailing history at the time, and the stories of the crew, making it a wonderful place to learn while having fun.

Attraction Deep Dive>【In-Depth Attraction Introduction】Vasa Museum｜A Sea Giant Reborn After 300 Years Beneath the Waves First Experience Staying in the Old Town After finishing up at these two major attractions, we headed to Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town, where we'd be staying for the night. However, the Old Town is paved with typical cobblestone streets, and dragging luggage over them is really no easy task. If I could do it again, I'd choose to stay on the outskirts and come in to explore instead.

The accommodation itself was great, it's just that the fridge was placed a bit high up — we joked, "To live in this city, you'd first need to grow to 178 cm tall!" Night View Terrace and Local Bar Culture After settling in, we went to the supermarket to buy ingredients for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast, and after eating we headed out to the Mariaberget night view terrace. From here you can look out over the whole of Stockholm, including the Old Town and Kungsholmen, making it a fantastic spot to enjoy the night view. If the aurora index happens to be high (KP5 or above), there's supposedly a chance of seeing the northern lights here too.

In the evening we experienced the local bar culture. The bar we originally wanted to go to was full, so we switched to another one with live music instead. The atmosphere was great, and the beer was even a bit cheaper than in Denmark. We ran into an African girl who chatted with us enthusiastically, but the conversation left us completely confused, so in the end we had to quickly finish our drinks and leave as soon as possible, wrapping up today's journey.

IV. Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Notes Our one-day Stockholm trip was packed and unforgettable, from cultural landmarks to city transit to the evening scenery. City Hall and the Vasa Museum showcased Sweden's rich history, while the Old Town's night view added a touch of romance to the journey. Explore more Nordic Four-Country independent travel notes The Nordic region isn't just about the aurora and snow — it also offers urban elegance, polar mystery, and cultural depth. This journey across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will take you to discover the charm of Europe's purest corners! 🇩🇰 Denmark Free Travel 📍Day 2: Copenhagen One-Day Tour｜📍Day 3: Exploring Freetown, Flying to Finland 🇫🇮 Finland Arctic Journey 📍Day 4: Helsinki City Tour & Night Train｜📍Day 5: Santa Claus Village & First Aurora Experience 📍Day 6: Rovaniemi Husky Sledding & City Exploration｜📍Day 7: Lake Inari & the Secret Aurora Land 🇳🇴 Norway Cruise Voyage & Aurora Chasing 📍Day 8: Cross the border from Inari into Kirkenes and board the cruise | 📍Day 9: Stay in Hammerfest and life aboard the ship 📍Day 10: Tromsø museum and cable car snow scenery | 📍Day 11: Transportation disruption, stranded in Tromsø 🇸🇪 A leisurely stroll through Swedish culture and a perfect finale 📍Day 12: Fly to Stockholm, unexpectedly catch the Northern Lights from high above | 📍Day 13: City Hall & the Vasa Shipwreck Museum 📍Day 14: An in-depth stroll through the Old Town and Swedish culture