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Stockholm – 2018 update?

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Morning all
I’m off to Stockholm for the weekend a week on Friday, with my mate Phil, seeing our beloved Hooters on the Saturday night in Uppsala. (Well, it makes a change from Germany.)
We had some great tips for activities and bars/restaurants from a thread in 2018, I was wondering if anything has changed much since?
We’ll almost certianly go to the Vasa museum, possibly Sunday, but any hot tips for eats/drinks for the 2 nights (Friday/Sunday) we’ll have there? (Return flight is a sobering 07.15 from ARN on Monday)
Any top bars to recommend (in either place)? We’re both ageing rockers and beer drinkers, does Stockholm have any good “rock” and/or “craft beer” type bars?
(We went to HopDog in Munich last year before the gig, which ticked both boxes at once!)
Are any of the “free” guided walking tours especially good/worthwhile? (I’m not a great fan of aimless wandering…)
Etc etc.
Thanks in advance.

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Comments

  2. I don’t know about rock bars but Craft beers wise there are two local breweries who have their own bars. Omnipollo and Stigberget. These are central in and around Södermalm. They do food as well. Omnipollo gets crowded, might not be a table. These places gafe a long lists of weird and wonderful sounding beers. I tend to stick to quality lagers, not being a fan of their IPAs and ales.

    Another bar is Tak which is on a roof top. We like it. I guess these places get busy later on. People go out late. We seek out the places that are quieter. I think there are places in Söder that might fit the bill. It’s a bit hipsterish there.

  3. Hmm…I searched for the 2018 post to see what we recommended back then (a winter recommendation – which is quite opposite to a summer recommendation, I have to say!) and got a bit sad, because many of the places mentioned are no longer there, or temporarily closed…

    Also, I feel woefully inadequate for this one; I don’t drink so never go to bars, and I’m a great fan of aimless wandering (also known as Getting Lost, because my sense of direction and space are non-existing).
    And I haven’t been eating at a restaurant in ages (bar a workplace pre-summer event) so I’m afraid to recommend one only for you to find out that it has closed – for good or for a summer holiday!
    This time of year many smaller businesses and restaurants will close for a holiday break, unless they’re located where all of the tourists gather.

    But I would recommend going to Östermalmshallen, an old gorgeous food hall with several restaurants in it as well. In 2018 it was closed due to an ongoing renovation, but it’s open now.
    I love visiting Nybroe Smörrebröd there (even though the concept is Danish!) to feast on shrimp sandwiches (open-faced, of course) – especially the one with Shrimp and Skagenröra (a shellfish/roe/mayo/dill salad). Or the breaded fried plaice on rye bread with Danish remoulade. A cold beer (but they probably only have the usual suspects) and perhaps a snaps with that…yum!
    But perhaps you want a huge plate and a big steak on it? Then that’s not the pla(i)ce for you!
    Still – go to Östermalmshallen just to look at the food, perhaps get a sample of something exotic, to awaken your appetite. It’s a beautiful building. The food hall is closed for business on Sundays, but the restaurant opens to the street and stay open, late on Friday, early closing on Sundays (17:00).

    But Duco is the restaurant guy for Stockholm, I think, and he and Kaisfatdad are probably more familiar with the pubs in Stockholm than me!

    YouTube is full of travel vloggers rushing through Stockholm, visiting all the same places, mostly, and not the ones I’d recommend! I’d say; skip the Old Town, it’s been ruined a long time ago by the tourist souvenir economy and is not worth it.

    Oh, and one more thing has changed since 2018 – most museums are NOT free to enter anymore, unless you only visit the gift shop or the restaurant…

    Sorry, I can’t think of any more recommendations at the moment…if I get any bright ideas, I’ll get back to you later!

  5. Stockholm in the summer is a joy as there are so many open-air bars. Just take a walk in any of the big parks and you’ll find somewhere pleasant

    I suspect you would enjoy bohemian, hipster paradise, Södermalm so I suggest you start there..

    Pet Sounds Record Shop om Bondegatan is never wrong and it is situated in a very lively street.

    https://petsounds.se/shop

    They’ve also opened a new bar

    https://petsounds.se/

    https://petsounds.se/bar

    You could also take the Gondolen lift up from Slussen, walk over the bridge and there’s a bar with stupendous views

    A stone’s throw away is Mosebacke Terrassen a classic summer meeting point which has some live music.

    https://sodrateatern.com/mosebacketerrassen/

    Soldaten Svejk with its wonderful selection of Czech beers and rather decent food is my favourite Stockholm pub.

    Östgötagaten 35, 3 minutes walk from MEBORGARPLATEN T-Banan

    svejk.se

    My favourite eaterie…

    Blå Dörren, Södermalmstorg 6, at Slussen

    Old style beerhall with excellent Swedish husmanskost at sensible prices. I always take any visitors from the UK there
    Blå Dörren – Ölhall och Matsal

    https://bla-dorren.se/

    Also love Zum Franziskaner, Skeppsbron 44, in Gamla Stan, has great German beer and food
    zumen.se

    The Bishops Arms in Gamla Stan is large and very cosy and has an excellent selection of beers.
    Gamla Stan – The Bishops Arms

    KULTURHUSET in Sergelstorget . There’s always something interesting going on.
    Startsida | Kulturhuset Stadsteatern

    I’m sure you won’t want to miss their current exhibit, TOTAL METAL.

    https://kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/utstallningar/total-metal

    A history of Swedish METAL MUSIC. Take your ear plugs. Strangely enough, @DuCo01 and I have seen it yet. Can’t think why.

    i am very fond of the Debaser rock club at Hornstull,

    There’s a restaurant and always lots of live music.

    https://www.debaser.se/

    Here is a very useful list of the best views in Stockholm. All worth visiting

    https://viewstockholm.com/best-views-stockholm/

  6. A big up for Östermalms. I always try & visit when visiting for work.

    If steak is your thing & you are pushing the boat out, then I have had a few good meals at Restaurang AG. It is in an old silver factory & a nice vibe. It is fairly expensive, but if steak is your thing it is a goodie.

    Can’t give anything on the beer front i’m afraid

  8. The City Hall on the banks of Lake Mälaren is my favourite Stockholm building. You can take a tour and see the Blue Hall where the Nobel Banquet takes place. I go there all year round to just sit in the gardens and enjoy the view.

    And just round the corner is the jetty where you can take a boat to Drottningholm Palace. Nice boat trip and the grounds are perfect for a walk and a fika. Best of all is the 18th century opera house which has performances every summer.

    https://dtm.se/home#set2-eng

    How long will you be in Uppsala @bobness?

    I recommend Linnaeus’s House and Garden, the University Library and Old Uppsala which is a bus ride of about 20 minutes from the town centre. Well worth it!

  10. I see that the Hooters gig starts at 19.00 @bobness.

    https://parksnackan.se/konserter/the-hooters-2025/#:~:text=L%C3%B6rdag%202%20Augusti%202025%2C%20kl%2019.00&text=Legendarerna%20The%20Hooters%20spelar%20live,ett%20efterl%C3%A4ngtat%20stopp%20i%20Sverige.

    I was pleased to see that for your sake as the trains from Uppsala to Stockholm only go about once an hour and the later you go, the frere the trains. Something that reduces my enthusiasm about going up to gigs there in the cold winter months.

    I’m surprisen what a very poor service it is between two major cities.

    • We’re booked on the 22.44 back and we’re at staying in the Comfort Inn in the station, basically, so piece of cake.

      To be totally honest, I was quite impressed as to the frequency of the trains, and all seem direct. Perhaps that’s more of a comment on English trains than Swedish ones. It looks a bit like Sheffield to Nottingham kind of distance, and I’d never think of going to a gig in Sheffield on the train. That said, I don’t live at Nottingham train station…

      • A lot of people commute from Uppsala to Stockholm
        and vice versa.

        And by it would boost cultural events in both cities if audiences did not have to look at their watches all the time and worry about the last train.

        The UKK has an excellent programme and now manages to attract artists that would normally have played Stockholm. It’s a win-win situation

        @DuCo01 and I have seen a lot of excellent gigs there.

  11. While you are waiting for the train after the gig @bobness, I recommend a drink in Katalin, one of Sweden’s most famous rock clubs which is five minutes from Uppsala station, Katalin/ All that Jazz.

    Katalin.com

  13. @Kaisfatdad and others.

    Got back yesterday lunchtime, beating the winds…
    Friday we went to see the Vasa, then evening at Stigberget (a bit “clubby” for us, but I guess it was Friday night) and Omnipollo, where the beer and pizza were excellent, if the weather a little wet.
    Saturday morning we mooched around a bit, went to the Fjallgatan viewpoint, and watched a cruise ship do a three point turn right in front of us.
    Train north was dead on time, Uppsala is a lovely town, the titular park of the Parksnackan was a delight to wander round, and we went to have a look at the Cathedral and the University museum. We had a quick beer in Oconnors (ease more than anything) and spoke to a lovely Swedish guy called Ake (I think is how you spell it, with an “O” on the A, if you get my drift?)
    The gig itself was (as usual) excellent, but started at 7pm on the dot, finished at 9, so the sun had barely gone down at the end, let alone the start!

    https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-hooters/2025/parksnackan-uppsala-sweden-73446a69.html
    (Eric snuck in a couple of what I assume are traditional Swedish songs in, done solo?)

    We had a quick one at Katalin while waiting for the train, and returned on the dead on time 22.44.
    Sunday started slowly, but we went for a mooch to the Modern Art museum and then took a #7 tram to the terminus and had a very pleasant walk in the sun around Djurgarden.
    After a quick burger at the wonderfully named Bastard Burger chain, we reprised a beer at Omnipollos, before retiring early, to get up at 430 for the flight back.
    Thanks everyone for your time on this thread and here’s a couple of videos from the gig. (I was a bit further to the left as you look at it)

    You can see me in this one, next to my mate in the pork pie type hat.

  14. What perfect weather you had for the gig! One can never be certain so I am delighted it worked so well.

    Very glad that our advice proved so useful. You certainly packed a lot into your weekend.

    There’s lots more to see so next time you come over, i’ll join you for a pint in Omnipollo. A place I’ve never heard of! Sounds like Italy’s answer to Colonel Sanders and KFC.

    • Yes, the weather couldn’t have been better on the Saturday and Sunday, but it was very wet on the Friday evening. Luckily, we went to the pub…
      I’ll look forward to buying you a (nearly) pint, it would be a pleasure.
      We decided the translation was “Chicken for all!” (smiley face thing)

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