[15-Day Nordic Self-Guided Tour] Day 12: One Day Exploring Stockholm City | City Hall Tour, Vasa Ship Museum, Night Views and Old Town Bar Experience

Table of Contents Trip Overview Trip Preparation One-Day Trip in Stockholm Luggage Storage and Breakfast Experience Exploring Downtown by Electric Scooter City Hall Tour: The Blue Hall and the Golden Hall Vasa Museum: The Legend of Sweden's Sunken Ship First Time Staying in the Old Town Night View Terrace and Local Bar Culture Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Notes 1. Trip Overview After leaving Tromsø, the City of the Aurora, we began exploring Sweden's capital, "Stockholm.Today's itinerary focuses on a cultural tour of the city center, including a City Hall tour, the Vasa Museum, riding electric scooters around the city, and in the evening, delving into the old town's night scenery and local bar culture. 2. Trip Preparation 1. Transit tickets & tools Getting around downtown: mainly using "Voi" electric scooters (SEK 69 per 60 minutes), which is more economical than the bus (SEK 30 per trip) It's recommended to download the Voi App in advance, which supports linking a credit card or Apple Pay You may also choose to buy an SL travel card (the multi-day pass is suitable for use over the following days). 2. Luggage storage The youth hostel charges an extra fee for storing luggage. Luggage storage fees at the train station are high (about NT$1000/item).

We recommend using the Radical Storage App (this time we found 5 EUR/item + 7 EUR deposit, totaling 4 items for no more than NT$1000)

3. Attraction Ticket Recommendations City Hall: Visits require registration for a guided tour, tickets approximately SEK 150 Vasa Museum: Tickets SEK 190, can be booked on-site or on the official website Night view platform and Old Town stroll are free 4. Accommodation: Explore Stockholm Old Town (Booking reservation) The accommodation is located in Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan), offering convenient amenities and a charming, historic atmosphere. However, you'll need to drag luggage across cobblestone streets and stairs, which is somewhat challenging. The apartment is fully furnished and features a kitchen for self-catering, making it ideal for travelers who enjoy cooking. The only minor downside is that the refrigerator is positioned quite high—we joked that 'you need to be 178cm tall to live comfortably here!' The nightly rate is approximately NT$7,800, which is reasonable considering the Old Town location and facilities.

3. A Day Trip in Stockholm 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 wanted to charge for it! We had no choice but to drag our four big suitcases and walk about 15 minutes to the Central Station. Once we got there, we found out that storing just one piece of luggage would cost over 1000 NT dollars — we were stunned! I quickly found a nearby storage facility using the Radical Storage App. Each item cost only 5 euros, plus a 7-euro deposit, so four pieces of luggage came to less than 1000 NT dollars in total. Finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief. After taking care of everything, an hour had already passed, but we could finally start our journey for the day. Our first stop was Vete-Katten, a local chain café famous for its Swedish cinnamon rolls. We ordered four pieces of bread, three coffees, and a tea. The bill came to about 1000 NT dollars.A-Juan said: "Isn't this just about the same as Taipei?" (Inner thoughts: Taipei prices really aren't cheap either)

Electric Scooter City Exploration After eating and drinking our fill, we discussed trying out the local shared electric scooter service — Voi. Download the app, link Apple Pay, done in one step, and off we went right away! We chose the SEK 69 60-minute plan and cruised easily through the city. It was both convenient and fresh, instantly becoming everyone's new favorite — way more flexible than taking the bus.

City Hall Tour: The Blue Hall and The Golden Hall When you arrive in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, Stadshuset (the City Hall) is absolutely a must on every traveler's list. It's not just a government office — it's also famous for hosting the annual Nobel Prize banquet. The exterior of City Hall is a red-brick building with a stately, majestic presence, while the interior is surprisingly opulent.

After following the guide inside, you'll first arrive at the legendary Blue Hall (Blå hallen), which despite its name is not actually blue, but rather features original red brick walls with strikingly high ceilings.

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

Next, you'll enter the Golden Hall (Gyllene salen), where an entire wall is adorned with a spectacular mosaic made of over 18 million pieces of gold leaf that truly dazzles the eye. At the center of the Golden Hall stands the image of the "Queen of Lake Mälaren," a symbol of Sweden, and when the light and shadows play across it, you'll feel an overwhelming sense of reverence. After the tour concludes, if you have time to spare, you can also purchase a separate ticket to climb the tower and enjoy magnificent views of Stockholm's cityscape and the surrounding archipelago.

In-Depth Attraction Introduction > [In-Depth Attraction Introduction] 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, and even Swedes themselves proudly recommend it as a must-visit. On display here is the warship "Vasa," which sank in the 17th century. Historically, it sank due to a design flaw — and at the time, it was a military ship project personally overseen by the King himself.In 1961, the Vasa, which had lain sleeping on the harbor seabed for 333 years, was salvaged completely intact, and it amazingly retained about 98% of its original wooden structure — truly a wonder of the world. The museum's main exhibition hall is designed to wrap around the entire massive wooden ship, letting you admire it from different angles and different floors, which is visually stunning. Every single carving is full of intricate detail, and the exhibition areas nearby also introduce the salvage process, the ship's sailing history at the time, and the stories of its crew, making it a wonderful place that combines education with entertainment.

In-Depth Landmark Guide > [In-Depth Landmark Introduction] The Vasa Museum | A Colossal Sea Beast Emerges After 300 Years of Being Sunken My First Stay in the Old Town After exploring two major attractions, we headed to Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan) where we would be staying for the night. However, the Old Town is characterized by typical cobblestone streets, and dragging luggage really isn't an easy task. If I were to come again, I would choose to stay in the surrounding area and then come into explore.

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

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 on the spot that had live music — the atmosphere was great, and the beer was even a bit cheaper than in Denmark. We ran into a girl from Africa who chatted with us enthusiastically, but the conversation left us completely baffled, so in the end we quickly finished our drinks and left as fast as we could, wrapping up today's trip.

IV. Trip Summary & Other Nordic Travel Notes The one-day Stockholm trip was packed and unforgettable, from cultural sights and city transport to the night view experience. City Hall and the Vasa Museum showcased Sweden's deep historical heritage, while the night view of the Old Town added a touch of romance to the journey. Explore more independent travel notes on the Nordic Four Countries The Nordics are more than just the Northern Lights and snow and ice — they also offer urban elegance, the mystery of the polar regions, and rich cultural depth. This journey across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden will take you to discover the charm of Europe's purest corner! 🇩🇰 Denmark Freewheeling Trip 📍Day 2: A Day in Copenhagen | 📍Day 3: Exploring Freetown Christiania, Flying to Finland 🇫🇮 Finland Arctic Journey 📍Day 4: Helsinki City Tour & Night Train | 📍Day 5: Santa Claus Village & First Taste of the Northern Lights 📍Day 6: Rovaniemi Husky Sledding & City Wandering | 📍Day 7: Lake Inari & Aurora Hideaway 🇳🇴 Norway Cruise & Northern Lights Adventure 📍Day 8: Cross the border from Inari and enter Kirkenes by cruise ship | 📍Day 9: Stay in Hammerfest and enjoy life aboard the ship 📍Day 10: Tromsø Museum and stunning snow views from the cable car | 📍Day 11: Transportation disrupted—extended stay in Tromsø 🇸🇪 Swedish culture exploration and perfect ending 📍Day 12: Fly to Stockholm and see the northern lights from above | 📍Day 13: City Hall & Vasa Shipwreck Museum 📍Day 14: Deep exploration of the old town and Swedish culture