Status: Away – Stockholm, Sweden

Estimated read time: 4.5 minutes

If you’re looking for an archipelago escape that’s one-of-a-kind, why not check out the city of Stockholm? Stretched across 14 islands, and over 50 bridges are where you’ll find over 700 years of history and culture to discover. Some call it the “Venice of the North,” but we’re calling it 2026’s breakout star.

Arielle T., from the Air Canada Vacations team, recently visited Stockholm during the summer, and she’ll be sharing her itinerary, as well as some insider tips for making the most out of your visit to the City of Islands.

Sweden

My favourite thing about travelling is experiencing the local history and culture, so Stockholm was such a dream. I know Copenhagen is the place to be in 2025, but if you’re looking to discover Scandinavian culture, don’t sleep on Stockholm! I’ve travelled extensively in Europe, but this was one of my favourite trips. Stockholm is a lot less touristy, and well-worth visiting. Most of the other tourists we met were European, so it looks like North America hasn’t realized how beautiful this city is.

Plus, you’re up north so you get to skip out on the summer heat waves that hit the rest of Europe.

Quick Tips:

• Be prepared for inclement weather and pack raincoats or umbrellas because the weather can turn on a dime
• Grab the Stockholm Pass for easy and affordable access to the city’s top attractions
• Walking tours are the best way to experience the local area, history and culture
• Check if there are any concerts happening before your trip as tickets in Europe are often cheaper than in North America

Staff picks:

• The ABBA Museum isn’t included with the Stockholm Pass, but it’s a must for anyone, fan or not
• Live like a local and experience fika at great cafes like Panem, Stora bagariet or Mälarpaviljongen
• For traditional Swedish fare, check out Restaurang Tradition or Under Kastanjen

Stockholm

We stayed for about six days in June, and I think we really got a good sense of the city. There’s so much to do and so many things to see that I think we could have stayed even longer. We spent the first three days doing all the touristy stuff you learn about online, and then the rest of the time we used to return to things we wanted to see in more detail.

Getting around

Public transit in Stockholm is super convenient. You can buy a 7-day pass for about $70, which gives you full access to trams, the metro, ferries and buses. The only thing you need to pay extra for is the transfer from the airport to the city centre. When you arrive, you’ll see ads for the Arlanda Express, but if you download the SL-Journey app, you can buy a train ticket there. It’s a longer ride, but it’s cheaper.

We booked a hotel that was located about 15 minutes by tram from the city centre because it was so convenient to just take the tram every day.

Things to do

The first thing you should do when you get settled in is buy a Stockholm Pass. It includes entry to the most popular museums and activities, so our first three days were spent seeing everything we could with the pass. We thought it was worth it because it included stuff we wanted to see, as well as things we weren’t sure we needed to see, but because it was all included, we saw them all anyway.

Museums

The neat thing about Stockholm is that the city is on an archipelago, so most of the museums are on one island. You take the tram over, and you can see all the museums in one day if you’d like. Since they're all so close together, we got to see a ton of museums which I don’t think we would’ve otherwise visited, like the Nobel Prize Museum or the Photographiska museum of art and photography. We visited the Skansen, which is the country’s oldest open-air museum, and the Vasa Museum, which is this enormous sunken warship from 1628 they resurfaced. We also visited the Nordiska history museum; the building was voted the most beautiful in Stockholm.

The Pass also includes access to all three museums in the Royal Palace. Normally, you’d pay for each of them individually, with no all-in-one ticket available, but if you’re a passholder, you get to see everything. Plus, if you arrive at the right time, you can see the changing of the guard, with an orchestral accompaniment of ABBA or Swedish House Mafia.

If you’re short on time, I’d try to see the Vasa, as it’s incredible to see something so old preserved so well. It’s something you’ll hear locals and tourists recommending. Most museums also offer free guided tours with entry which basically cover its greatest hits, so it’s a nice way to see the essentials while staying on the move, and the guide will even tell you what they recommend if you’re in a rush.

Even more to explore

The Pass also includes entry to a few other activities, like the Ice Bar Experience, which includes a drink and is something you should dress warmly for—though they do give you a long coat and gloves for your visit. Finally, there’s a boat tour, which is a great way to contextualize where you are in the city during your stay. It’s hard to tell how far apart things are because of how easy navigation is.

Outside of the Stockholm Pass, we went on a few walking tours. Walking tours are my favourite travel hack, and in my opinion, the best way to learn about the city. These tours are typically guided by locals or ex-pats; people who have lived there long enough to know interesting trivia or fun details you might miss. We did one on our first full day through the Old Town, where many of the touristy things are, and our guide pointed out tourist traps to avoid.

And of course, while you’re in Sweden, you need to visit an IKEA. We couldn’t visit the IKEA Museum as it’s not in Stockholm, but in the city centre, there’s an IKEA pop-up where you can buy and look at early designs (I bought some very cute coasters!).

Things to eat

Things tend to be pricey in Stockholm, so we generally looked for cheaper lunch options while splurging a bit on dinner. The locals have this daily tradition called fika, where you just take a break and socialize over a pastry and a hot drink, which we, of course, had to indulge in every day.

For dinner, our favourite spot was this restaurant called “Under Kastanjen”, which means under the chestnut tree in Swedish, which is, shockingly, located under a chestnut tree in Stockholm’s Old Town. We had, by far, the best Swedish meatballs of my life there—it was so good we ate there twice. When you’re in Sweden, you must try the meatballs; when in Stockholm, right?

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