Four new youth hostels!
In addition to the AfChapman ship, Stockholm will have two new cityhotels and two archipelago hostels close to Norrtälje his summer.
STF Hostel Liljeholmen, Nybohovsbacken 43
By Liljeholmen Subway Station, close to Street market on Södermalm and close to the lake Mälaren waters you will find this modern hostel.
STF Hostel Gärdet, Sandhamnsgatan 65
Situated on Gärdet park close the Kaknästower and the museums on Djurgården.
STF Hostel Lidö, at Lidö Inn, Gräddö
Ans Idyllic island in the northern archipelago with hostels, bungalows and an inn. The restaurant is acknowledged
STF Hostel Norrtälje/Hvilan, Lundmansgatan 9 nb, Norrtälje
Small town charm meets archipelago at this newly refurbished hostel in Norrtälje town.
Best outdoor cafées in Stockholm
Where do the regular commuter Stockholmer go for a cup of coffee on a sunny day? The readers Stockholm daily tabloid PunktSE have chosen their best out door café in Stockholm. Here goes:
1. Mälarpaviljongen, Norr Mälarstrand 64, Kungsholmen
2. Vurma, (Three cafées, Gästrikegatan 2, Vasastan/Polhemsgatan 15, Kungsholmen/Bergsunds strand 31, Södermalm
3. Rosendal, Djurgården
4. Lasse i parken, Högalidsgatan 56, Södermalm
5. Blå porten, Djurgårdsvägen 64, Djurgården
6. Chokladkoppen, Stortorget, Gamla Stan
7. Kaffebar, Hornsgatan 80, Södermalm
8. Nyfiken gul, Hammarby Slussväg 15, Södermalm
9. Street, Hornstullstrand, Södermalm
10. Hermans, Fjällgatan 23, Södermalm
Stockholmers own festival
At 08.08 on the 080808 Stockholmers own festival Go08 will take place in Stockholm. Why the obsession with 08, you might ask? Well its the regional dialing number for the Stockholm region and "Nollåtta" (Zeroeighters) is the nick name for Stockholmers. Dance in the city hall, Fireworks, children activities at Eriksdalsbadet, breakfast, karaoke and activities at the Globe Arena, music program at Kungsträdgården, pop and rock at Medborgarplatsen and events at Stureplan are some of the highligts in the programme.
New Folk & Art gallery in Stockholm
Go to Kungsgatan 88 before April 29 if you are interested in unestablished but talented swedish artists. The event Folk & Konst (Folk/People & Art) takes place twice a year - spring and autumn - in new premisses every time.
Popaganda musicfestival returns
Photo: Shout out Louds
Eriksdalsbadet on Södermalm is the arena for this summers Popagandafestival August 29-30. Popaganda is a popular pop-music festival. Sébastien Tellier (FR), Bonde do Role (BRA), Shout Out Louds (S) and Joel Alme (S) are signed for the festival. Some 20 artists will perform on two stages during the two day festival.
Where The Action Is and Acceleratorfestivalen are two other pop/rock music festivals in Stockholm this summer.
Spring is in the air
Photo: Cilla Lundqvist
Spring is surely in the air. Walked through Humlegården this morning. Red and white tulips, yellow daffodils neatly spread all over the garden. These photos were taken by a colleague of mine in Kungsträdgården just this morning. It is absolutely sooo lovely.
The Vasaship - like candy on water
The Vasamuseum is one of Stockholms absolute top attractions and is a beautifully preserved woodencoloured ship from 1628. When the Vasa left her harbour on her maidenvoyage she was painted in strong colours. For the first time the visitors at the museum will be able to see the ship in all her glory. The model in scale 1:10 that is situated at the museum is now beeing painted including 500 sculptures of lions, dolphins, cherubs, devils, roman emperors, mermaids and fruits. The model will be ready on May 21.
500 years of shipping on display this summer
500 years of swedish shipping will come alive this summer when three of Swedens flag-ships all will be in Stockholm by the piers at Vasamuseum on Djurgården Thursday May 29 to Sunday June 1. The Vasaship, The Swedish Ship Gothenburg and Stockholmsbriggen represents 500 years of swedish shipping. During the weekend there will be plenty of activities for the whole family with entertainment, rope-crafts, divingtanks, rig-climbing, boatexcursions etcetera etcetera. The event is a collaboration between the Vasamuseum and the National Maritime Museum
Visitors get help from 70 virtual tourist offices
Photo: Yanan Li, Stockholm Visitors Board
Visitors in Stockholm can now get immidiate help by a tourist advisor without entering the Tourist Centre. A new LiveChat-service is introduced on 70 so called Stockholmspaneler (a virtual Tourist Office and information computor) all over the city at the central station, hotels and touristattractions etcetera.
Cultural corner in Stockholm
Photo: from a folder
The Vasastan area in Stockholm has evolved to an art-gallery district for contemporary art during the past two years. The two main reasons are Bonniers Konsthall for contemporary Art, that opened in the autumn of 2005 and the other is the art collective on Hudiksvallsgatan. Here are all the art addresses in the area.
1. Brändström & Stene, Hudiksvallsgatan 6
2. Aerea, Hudiksvallsgatan 8
Andréhn-Schiptjenko, Hudiksvallsgatan 8
Natalia Goldin Gallery, Hudiksvallsgatan 8
Galerie Nordenhake, Hudiksvallsgatan 8
3. Mia Sundberg Galleri, Gävlegatan 12
4. Statens Konstråd (The National Public Art Council Sweden) Hälsingegatan 45
5. Crystal Palace (contemporary art), Karlbergsvägen 44
6. Galleri Loyal, Torsgatan 53
7. ALP/Peter Bergman, Torsgatan 41
8. Bonniers Konsthall, Torsgatan 19
Im also looking forwart to see how the whole area on Torsgatan will be. The City has plans to connect Torsgatan with the City by Clarion Sign hotel.
Stockholm the "Best Destination Experience"
Photo: Stockholm Visitors Board
Stockholm was chosen the winner of 2007 DreamWorld Cruise Destinations Award in the category "Best Destination Experience" (Organised Tours). The prize was awarded at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami just recently by DreamWorld magazine.
New arena at the Globe Arena
Stockholm plans to expand with yet another events arena. I have written about the Swedbank Arena north of the City centre before. The new arena is situated by the Globe Arena in the southern part of the City and will be ready in 2012. The new arena will be named Stockholmsarenan.
Shop until you drop...
One thing that I really love about Stockholm is the different residential areas. Vasastan, Kungsholmen, Östermalm and Södermalm has its own caracter. The monthly glossy magazine ICity have done excellent guides to the different areas - they are in swedish but the guides give you a great selection anyway.
Vasastan-guide takes you to the great shopping around Rörstrandsgatan
Kungsholmen -guide to known and unknown places
Old Town - takes you where tourists normally don't go
Södermalm - a great overview
City - Oldies and goldies
Royal portraits exhibition
Fascinated by royalty? Then dont miss out on the "Bernadotte-portraits from two centuries" in Rikssalen at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The exhibition includes some thirty portraits of seven generations of the Bernadotte-family from Karl XIV Johan and his queen Désirée to our present King and Queen. The exhibition takes place between April 30 until October 5.
Nisch shopping - in creative city
What does this have in common: A shop named KattKatt (cat cat)dedicated all to cats, a ribbonshop with all ribons you can think of from simple ones to advanced named Folckers ribbonmakers, Bågar och Pilar (bows and arrows) for bows and arrows and Svarta Katten (black cat) that rents out outfits for lives and theatres. They are all in Stockholm. The ideas came from Arlanda Express Magasine.
Archipelago raid this summer
Archipelago Raid - A quest through beauty - is a fitting name for an an extreme sailing competition in theArchipelago. Sport, Nature and Adventure are perfectly associated. Today, the Archipelago Raid is "the largest and most extreme orienteering sailing competition in the world" and it takes place June 13-18 with start and finish in the beautiful Stockholm archipelago.
Happy birthday Af Chapman & welcome back
The popular youth hostel-ship af Chapman is back at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm today! You can stay at the hostel from June 1st. The ship has been a youth hostel since 1949 and is one of Stockholms landmarks. In October 2006 she was towed away for renovation and is now turning back to the city on her 120th birthday.
The best in life is for free - musicfestivals
23-24 May: Re:Publik - 23rd with Roots Circus, Mofeta & jerre with band Karnage & MC flodan, Resound, Syster
Sol & Mr Gillis, Dj Large & Organismen. 24th with Dupont Oldskool Reunion, Fixmer/ McCarthy, Restricted Area, System, The Pain Machinery, Youthanasia.
23 May: Campusfestivalen - with Adam Tensta, Henok, Rigael Damar, Carls Candy Band och High Drive
Orchestra.
Easier to golf in Stockholm
15 of Stockholms top class golfcourses have joined forces. They are all to be found with in one hour from the city centre, the offer high quality service and a beautiful golf climate. They all supply golf carts, rental clubs, golfshop and restaurant making it easier to golf in Stockholm. In a near future all of them will have english websites and offer an easier booking system: The 15 golf clubs in the network Golf in Stockholm are so far:
Bro-Bålsta Golfklubb - 18 + 9 holes
Brollsta Golfklubb - 18 + 9 holes
Frösåker Golf & Country Club - 18 holes
Fågelbro Golf & Country Club - 18 + 9 holes
Huvudstadens Golf (Three courses: Lindö Park & Äng, Riksten/ Lövsättra) 36 + 18 +18 holes
International Golf Club - 18 holes
Kallfors Golf Klubb - 18 holes
Kungsängen Golf Club - 36 holes
Kyssinge Golf - 27 holes
Nynäshamns Golf Club 27 + 9 holes
Ullna Golf Club - 18 holes
Vallentuna Golf Klubb - 18 holes
Vidbynäs Golf Club - 36 holes
Åda Golf & Country Club - 18 holes
Österåker Golf Klubb - 36 holes
Golfing in the midnight sun
For foreign golfers "The White Night Golf Tournament" at Vidbynäs Golf course must be something out of the ordinary. The program of almost a week includes dinner at Vidbynäs Castle, midnight concerts, Swedish Smörgåsboard at the golfclub, boat excursions, barbeque and of course eveninggolf in daylight, teeing of at 6 pm. The price is 24 000 SEK and includes everything but the airtravel. The tournament starts of pn Mondayt July 7th and ends the morning of Saturday July 12.
Green Stockholm gets greener
Photo: virtual tourist
Four of the city's parks will be even greener this summer. The Solvändan in Rödabergsparken, Vasastan, Rålambshovspark on Kungsholmen, Humlegården park and Tessinparken on Östermalm will all undergo a facelift during this spring. New grass at Solvändan, plants and light in Humlegården and Tessinparken and better skatefacilities in Humlegården and Rålambshovsparken among other things.
Lifestyle store Pub and Rica cooperates
"A room with a view" is the name of the ten meter high artinstallation that is place in the atrium of PUB and contributes to an artexperience at Rica Hotel Kungsgatan. The artwork consists of four transparant images in four different colourcodes casting shadows on the walls surrounded by them - like a ever changing shadow-forrest. The installation is a collaboration between the hotel and the gallery Operating place, situated on level 3 in the lifestylestore PUB.
Brunch at Nordic Light
Walk in the genuine Stockholm
Photo: Mäster Mikaels Street on Södermalm
When I visit a new city on a city break I try to use the time efficiant by walking around upon arrival. Stockholm is a perfect walking city, with its beautiful layout and compact format. This weekend I went on a guided tour around the "hights of Södermalm" and combined it with some SoFo-shopping.
Stockholm City Museum will this year for the first time produce a Södermalm-sightseeing-map, a map free of charge, with some of the main sights and historical points pointed out. I think this is a great idea, because this is something you can do by yourself anytime you like it. The view is amazing! You will be able to find the "map" at Stockholm Tourist Centre and at the Stockholm city museum
Changing of webbplatform
Painter Carl Larsson - highly topical again
Photo: Magasin 3/Fredrik Söderberg
The swedish painter giant Carl Larsson is currently interesting at two exhibitions in Stockholm, though he died almost one hundred years ago in 1919. If you visit nationalmuseum you will see the entrance walls with his gigantic paintings.
1)The renowned Magasin 3 Stockholm Arthall presents an exhibition where the young Swedish artist Fredrik Söderberg (b. 1972) meets the giant of the Swedish artistic canon, Carl Larsson (1853-1919). "Fredrik Söderberg's paintings encompassing the magical, fantastical and enchanting are a blend of historical references and contemporary cultural codes. Carl Larsson is one of these historical references" according to Magasin 3.
2) The Fine art dealer Åmells presents the Painter Carl Larsson in their springexhibition 19/4-17/5. The theme is "The City of Stockholm in art" and includes paintings of all swedish giants: Anders Zorn, Bruno Liljefors and Carl Larsson. Åmells will devote an entire room to Carl Larssons paintings during a period.
New guided tours on bike in 7 languages
Bike hike is a new company offering guided tours on Djurgården in seven languages: Swedish, french, italian, spanish, english, german and dutch.
"We introduce you to the compelling history of Stockholm and the National City Park by bike around Djurgården, while telling you about e.g. the Vasa Museum, Prince Eugene's residence Waldemarsudde and the Rosendal Palace". The tour takes 3 hours including stops on the way. So why not rent a bike and go for the tour.
Check the website for times and dates.
Bicycle - Sign of spring
Bikes on the streets are a sure sign of spring. Stockholm City Bikes rent out bikes for a three day period for 125 SEK or for the whole season for 250 SEK at Stockholm Tourist Centre for example. There are 66 bicycle stands and 800 cycles for rent, which is more than last year.
