Taste of Stockholm

During the last two decades Stockholm has seen an ever increasing number of new high standard eating places. Today Stockholm can offer an impressive amount of high quality restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars. In addition to the well established restaurants that serve traditional Swedish dishes, a variety of ethnic restaurants have sprung up during the last two decades. Fish has a prominent place in the modern Swedish cuisine, do not leave town without tasting it. Not only is Stockholm a beautiful city to look at, it is also clean, really organized, funky and stylish. The people are gorgeous and really know how to enjoy life. With its great food markets, fairs, shops, restaurants and waterfront you'll never be short of things to do there. The city is made up of fourteen main islands, so there are bridges and waterways everywhere, which is why it is often called 'the Venice of the North'. The old town, Gamla Stan, is one of the most beautiful medieval cities around.

Shopping in Stockholm

Stockholm is known as a leading design centre, and design in the broadest sense – both contemporary and traditional – is an important part of the city’s exciting shopping scene. Stockholm attracts shopping-hungry visitors from all over the world. And compared to other international cities, Stockholm is reasonably priced. In the city district you’ll find the big department stores and chains, with affordable shopping, especially for the young trendy crowd. Stockholm is filled with shop after shop of dazzling merchandise -- often at dazzlingly steep prices that reflect the high esteem in which Swedish craftspeople are held. Bargain shoppers should proceed with caution. Some good buys do exist, but it takes a lot of searching. If you're a casual shopper, you may want to confine your purchases to handsome souvenirs and gifts. Swedish glass, of course, is world famous. Swedish wooden items are works of great craftsmanship, and many people like to acquire Swedish functional furniture in blond pine or birch. Other items to look for include playsuits for children, silver necklaces, reindeer gloves, stainless-steel utensils, hand-woven neckties and skirts, sweaters and mittens in Nordic patterns, Swedish clogs, and colourful handicrafts from the provinces. The most popular souvenir is the Dala horse from Dalarna. Östermalm is Stockholm’s most exclusive district, offering the finest of everything interior design, international fashion, jewellery, etc. The blocks south of Folkungagatan are packed with interesting, cool and creative shops specializing in clothing, design, jewellery, knickknacks, vintage and second-hand. Several fashion brands have their own stores in this district. There are also scores of restaurants, cafés and galleries. The atmosphere is laid-back, yet highly aware. In the warm months, Nytorget Square is a bustling social atmosphere. Typical tourist shops are in Gamla Stan, the old town in the heart of the city. If you are looking for souvenirs you’ll certainly find something in Västerlånggatan, the busiest street in Gamla Stan. Prices are high. Nevertheless, many find a cuddly elk or a straw puppet dressed in Swedish yellow and blue hard to resist.

Art in Sweden

The art scene in Sweden has attracted increasing international attention in recent years. Some may ask whether, in today’s age of globalisation, mobility and a growing exchange of information, it is appropriate and sensible to look at art from a country-specific perspective. After all, with the avant - gardes born at the beginning of the 20th century, common ideas, themes and formal languages were developed which went beyond national horizons. Upon closer inspection, the history of art and culture reveals that individual countries have provided the impetus for artistic developments in other countries time and again. Art and culture spring from a national context, while at the same time crossing national boundaries. The different nations and cultures of Europe are a valuable source from which Europe can draw inspiration. Without a curiosity for and receptiveness to cultural diversity, this potential would remain untapped, and there would be little room for innovation or for creating common experience.

Culture in Sweden

Centuries of relative ethnic, religious, and linguistic homogeneity were followed by substantial immigration during the last sixty years, creating a multicultural society in Sweden. Most citizens speak Swedish as their first language and English as their second. Swedish is a north Germanic language related to Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, and Faeroese; it has incorporated elements of German, French, English, and Finnish. The language has been nationally standardized for more than a century, but regional variations in pronunciation persist. English is a required second language in school. With a robust feminist movement, comprehensive publicly supported child care, and an unparalleled percentage of women in government, Sweden is considered a leader in gender equality. Advancement in this arena is a significant national self-stereotype, a symbol of what distinguishes Swedes from others. Families are predominantly nuclear rather than extended. While the two-parent household with children remains normative, the rate of single-parent households is high. No industrialized nation has a higher frequency of one-person households, which are particularly common among young adults in urban areas and among the elderly.

Sights and sounds of Stockholm

Sweden, the land of forests and lakes, also boasts bustling cities where cutting edge design mixes with rich cultural heritage. The capital city Stockholm is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, largely due to the archipelago system it is built around. Captivating landscapes abound in Sweden from scenic coastlines, idyllic islands, arctic wilderness areas, vast lakes and starkly beautiful forests that cover over half the country. Stockholm has to be seen by water as it sparkles with the water that surrounds it. Made up of fourteen islands ‘the water city’, as it has been nicknamed, is the capital of Sweden and the Nordic region’s largest city. Here grand historic buildings and culture dating back to the 13th century intermingle with some of the best contemporary art and design in the world. Stockholm’s extensive public transport system makes it easy to get around and discover hidden corners of one of the world’s most beautiful cities. City Sightseeing has bus tours guided in several different languages. The buses take you from the centre of the city and around the different parts of Stockholm passing all interesting sights. If you prefer to step off at the sights we recommend our Open Top busses and the Hop-on Hop-off tour that can also be combined with the Hop-on Hop-off boat. If you want to go further out in the archipelago the Cinderella boats depart from Strandvägen heading far out to small isles. Also recommended is the purchasing of the Stockholm Card which provides free entrance to 75 sightseeing spots, free use of city sightseeing buses, undergrounds, bus and suburb trains. The Stockholm card is sold in most tourist information centers and hotels. There are many ways to see Stockholm apart from the ones mentioned above. There are biking tours, kayaking tour of the archipelago, sunset wildlife safari tour, royal tour, historical tour, Viking history day trips, royal canal tour and so on and so forth. You can take your pick as per your liking and convenience. You can also do a round of sightseeing in just a day if you are short on time.

Stunning Stockholm

If you ask someone who has visited Stockholm the first word they would probably use to describe it is “beautiful”, and that it is. Sweden's capital is one of the most beautiful major cities in the world, a mirage of saffron and terracotta coloured buildings shimmering between blue water and bluer skies all summer, or covered with snow and dotted with lights in winter. Perhaps more than any other city of its size. What is so special about Stockholm is its natural location, its waterways and its parks. To the north, south, east and west are lakes, sea and forest. Even the city centre is crisscrossed by vast open water and wonderful parks, forests and walking areas, filled with historical sights and attractions. It's also a vibrant, modern city, famous for producing sleek designs, edgy fashion and world-class nightclubs. Stockholm offers great shopping, quality eateries in abundance, fabulous standard hotels, an internationally renowned club and music scene and a vibrant cultural life. Where Stockholm comes into its own, however, is its sheer natural beauty. Stockholm, as a city, is over 700 years old and spreads across 14 islands as it faces proudly out to the Baltic Sea. You can get to just about all of Stockholm’s many wondrous sites on foot, which is the perfect way to see the city. You can also take a boat trip that will give you a different facet of Scandinavia’s largest and probably most beautiful city. Around 16% of greater Stockholm's 1.2 million people are immigrants, which creates a much more multicultural and diverse cityscape than many travellers might expect. Stockholmers themselves are almost uniformly polite and friendly, making travel both easy and rewarding. Swedes are helpful and speak adequate English in general. Most swedes won't approach a tourist if they think that they are lost, in respect that they might not need help. But if you ask for directions or recommendations you will most likely get it. A popular destination in the summer months, the Stockholm Archipelago begins just a few miles east of the capital, covering about 140 kilometres (90 miles) from north to south. Only 150 of the islands are inhabited but many Stockholmers have summerhouses there. The landscape varies tremendously, from the more populated, thickly wooded inner archipelago to the bare, flat rocks of the central and other islands.

Surviving Denmark

Danes in general are a very quiet and patient people. They are seldom loud and self-indulgent (except for the occasional teenager). They keep to themselves out of courtesy and consideration for others. Don´t take their reserved nature as indifference or unkindness, because it is often more due to friendliness and their respect for your privacy. In most countries, we are used to saying and hearing "How are you?" all the time. It's just a typical part of greeting, and you might not necessarily want to know the answer. However, in Denmark, "How are you?" is reserved for people you have a close relationship with, and it's only asked if you truly want to know the answer. Denmark is a country that is very proud of their culture. Respect the Danish while on your trip and keep some basic etiquette in mind. You will find that people in Denmark are very polite, so return the thoughtfulness and be polite back to them! You'll blend in much better and impress those around you. Have a wonderful trip to Denmark.

Danish Cuisine

Danish food culture has been cultivated and improved for many generations and is mainly rooted from the old country kitchen and the cold weather conditions in Denmark. The cold and often wet climate in Denmark requires a lot of food with high nutritional values that contains many vitamins - minerals and proteins to mobilise a great potion of energy - which is a vital source - needed for work - school - sports and other form of daily activities - when living in a dynamic and modern society like Denmark that demands plenty of human recourses every day. The natural content and ingredients in Danish food culture has been built up for centuries and flavoured to match the taste of the traditional eating habits of the Danish people from region to region and up to this century. To preserve food in olden days - the items of meat - fish and fruit was either salted - smoked or brine-pickled and could be stored for a very long time. The modern Danish kitchen uses many old recipes from the non refrigeration period - and is still highly preferred and enjoyed at the dinner tables in Denmark.

Shopping in Copenhagen

A showcase for world-famous Danish design and craftsmanship, Copenhagen seems to have been set up with shoppers in mind. In fact, the city name Copenhagen (København in Danish), actually means the "merchant's harbour," because it was once a major centre of trade. The spirit of those days remains with countless specialty shops in almost every corner of the city. The best buys are such luxury items as amber, crystal, porcelain, silver, and furs. Danish clothing design is now coming into fashion and is considered one of the nation's most important exports. Besides offering a great classic shopping, the Danes are famous for their range of quality designed cloths, furniture, glass-wares, ceramics and jewellery. The inner city has lots of exiting and creative handcrafters and designers with small ateliers. One of the things that make Copenhagen so attractive for shoppers is that you can do the whole thing by foot. Be sure you visit the pedestrian shopping street Strøget and Købmagergade with several small boutiques and the malls as Illum and Magasin. Other great places to shop in Copenhagen are Strædet, Kronprinsensgade, Grønnegade, Ny Østergade, Latin Quarter, Vesterbro and Nørrebro. The two longest shopping streets are Strøget and Købmagergade. Here you will find brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, Chanel,  Karen Millen, Marc Jacobs, Hennes and Mauritz, Benetton, and many more. You can wander for hours and still find the shopping exciting. You find shopping malls in the heart of the city as in the outskirts of Copenhagen. In the shopping malls you find exclusive boutiques as well as chain shops represented all over Denmark. While the shops and stores offer plenty of temptation and enjoyment, the atmosphere itself is a part of Copenhagen's appeal for shoppers, from the ateliers, jewellery, souvenir, fashion, design stores to different second hand shops. Shopping hours in Copenhagen: Shops & Stores: Monday-Friday: 9.00/9.30/10.00 a.m. - to - 5.30/7.00 p.m. Saturday: 9.00 a.m. - to - 4.00/5.00 p.m. City centre in and around greater Copenhagen: Monday-Friday: 9.00 a.m. - to - 9.00 p.m. Saturday: 9.00 a.m. - to - 5.00 p.m. Small supermarkets, kiosks, bakeries etc. : Open: 10.00 a.m. - to - 4.00 p.m. Bakeries open early every day. Sunday - Shops and malls: The first Sunday in every month – shops and malls are open from 9:00 to 17:00.

Art in Denmark

Denmark is rich in craftsmen, who can often be visited in their galleries, potteries, glass and candle factories, weaving mills or other workshops around the country. Here you can observe the artists as they work and perhaps buy some of their art and unique specimens. In more candle factories you are able to make your own candles. At these Danish places you can see and buy everything from beautiful oil and watercolour paintings to graphics, lithographs, life-drawings, paper collages, figures and sculptures, made out of granite, gypsum, iron, wood etc., hand-made candles, home-made soaps, flower decorations, knitwear, woollens, textile art, leather goods, glass art in all colours and shades, amber ornaments, ceramic ware, raku as well as articles for everyday use of wood and pottery. The Art and Culture of Denmark are rich in its diversity and variety. However, there are some general characteristics of Danish Art and culture, associated with Danish society and daily life. Danish people are generally fun loving sympathetic, and expressive.