There are many fantastic places to visit in Europe and Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, is one of the best. As soon as you arrive the cleanliness and beauty of the city hits you and makes you want to get out and explore. Luckily, Stockholm has something to offer everyone no matter what their interests or ages. One unique thing about this city is its green initiatives. Stockholm is one of the greenest cities in Europe and encourages residents to leave their cars at home and use public transport or their bikes to get around. The result is that the roads are free of maniac drivers and there are plenty of cycle lanes and paths enabling people to safely get where they want to go. This offers visitors the unique experience of being able to get to know Stockholm by travelling around with a bike.
The first thing that visitors will find is that it is incredibly cheap to rent a bike that is modern and well maintained. The hire companies ensure that the bikes are a perfect fit and also provide modern safety equipment. So which of the many sites should you be heading for when travelling around with a bike?
The first place to head for is Gamla Stan, which is nearly a thousand years old. You can bike around the small cobbled streets, taking in all of the medieval architecture and sites situated here. Because you are on bikes you will have the advantage over the bus tours that bring tourists here on a regular basis during the summer. When their feet get tired after seeing only a quarter of what Gamla Stan has to offer, you will have found all of its hidden secrets and be relaxing in that secret café enjoying the local cakes and pastries.
Time for a bit of history and a trip to the Vasamuseet is the perfect destination for all of the family. On the 10th August 1628 the warship Vasa tragically sank only minutes after leaving the harbor, taking her crew with her. In 1961 she was carefully raised and then painstakingly reassembled, like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, and is now housed in this museum. Visitors can see lots of artifacts that were salvaged from her and get a real glimpse into the life of the sailors at that time. This is a fascinating place to spend a few hours.
Stockholm has its fair share of museums and palaces and all of them are fantastic places to visit as they each have something different to offer. However the Hallwylska Museet is the perfect place to go if you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary. Looking like it was built for a scary movie set; this palace was the home of Count Walther Von Hallwyl and his wife Willhelmina. The countess was well known for her passion for collecting and went about stuffing the rooms of the palace full of priceless artifacts such as paintings, silverware, tapestries, etc.
If you are feeling the need to relax after riding around the city, then head to the Tyresta National Park. It is approximately 20km outside of the city, but you can take your bikes on the train with you. Once here you will be able to take one of the many cycle paths around the forests, lakes, marshes, two billion year old rocks, etc. They have a visitors centre so you can learn more about the area its wildlife and flora and fauna as well as other parks that are worth visiting. There are hotels in Stockholm (the term in Swedish is Hotell Stockholm) with restaurants available on site, but to be honest it’s much nicer to throw some goodies in a rucksack and have a picnic while you are here.
