We chose to go to Copenhagen and Stockholm. Copenhagen because it is one of our most favorite cities ever (and I have a great friend who lives there and we wanted to hang out with her) and Stockholm because neither one of had been there and it was on our list of places we both wanted to see and explore!
I'll break down what we did and where we ate -- but we really only spent about 8 hours in Copenhagen as we had both been there before and explored much of the city previously. Our primary goal for Copenhagen was to see my friend and to enjoy the city (and shop of course).
København (Copenhagen)
Shopping -- one of my favorite cities to shop in as I just love Danish everything. Lego is a Danish brand so while things may not be cheaper, they often have different selections than many other stores. And the original Legoland is in Billund, Denmark and I highly recommend a trip here if you have kids (we went years ago and would love to go back some day). Royal Copenhagen is another favorite of mine -- gorgeous porcelain that started in the 1770s for the queen. Previously, the flagship store had a "seconds" section where there were discounted items that had slight flaws. Now there is a larger store outside the city where they keep their seconds.... sadly, we didn't have time to get out there but we were able to add to our amazing mug collection! There are also plenty of small stores carrying Danish items, so just wander the streets -- you are bound to find something amazing!
Eating -- our personal favorites: the sausages (often called French hot dogs) -- great sausages put inside a loaf of French bread with sauces stuffed inside too (we think the best ones are the random food carts around town) and also the cinnamon rolls (the English translation is snails) which are just amazing at any bakery. We ate at a huge food hall for lunch and then had coffee and snails with my friend. Trevor and I both love Danish cuisine, especially smørrebrød which is essentially a very yummy open face sandwich. You can get just about any toppings on it that you can imagine and they never disappoint.
Tourist Activities -- there is lots to do in and around Copenhagen, and Trevor and I had seen most of it already, so we spent our time eating and shopping, but we did do a few tourist things! A stop at Nyhavn is a must on any trip to Copenhagen (it was the port for the city and today it is very recognizable by its colorful old houses). We also went up the Tower at Christianborg Palace which is free and a great way to see the whole city -- this was our first time doing it and it was great fun! And finally, I can't go to Copenhagen without a stop at Tivoli Gardens which is my favorite amusement park I have ever been to (and it is the second oldest in the world). It is not a Disneyland or Six Flags, so don't expect a park like that. But is has charm, fun rides, and some decent places to eat. We lucked out and the park re-opened the day we were in the city after being closed for three weeks to decorate for Halloween, so we went in at dusk to enjoy all the Halloween decorations and festivities with just about every other person in Copenhagen -- it was perfect! Such a wonderful way to end our amazing short day.
Eating -- our personal favorites: the sausages (often called French hot dogs) -- great sausages put inside a loaf of French bread with sauces stuffed inside too (we think the best ones are the random food carts around town) and also the cinnamon rolls (the English translation is snails) which are just amazing at any bakery. We ate at a huge food hall for lunch and then had coffee and snails with my friend. Trevor and I both love Danish cuisine, especially smørrebrød which is essentially a very yummy open face sandwich. You can get just about any toppings on it that you can imagine and they never disappoint.
Tourist Activities -- there is lots to do in and around Copenhagen, and Trevor and I had seen most of it already, so we spent our time eating and shopping, but we did do a few tourist things! A stop at Nyhavn is a must on any trip to Copenhagen (it was the port for the city and today it is very recognizable by its colorful old houses). We also went up the Tower at Christianborg Palace which is free and a great way to see the whole city -- this was our first time doing it and it was great fun! And finally, I can't go to Copenhagen without a stop at Tivoli Gardens which is my favorite amusement park I have ever been to (and it is the second oldest in the world). It is not a Disneyland or Six Flags, so don't expect a park like that. But is has charm, fun rides, and some decent places to eat. We lucked out and the park re-opened the day we were in the city after being closed for three weeks to decorate for Halloween, so we went in at dusk to enjoy all the Halloween decorations and festivities with just about every other person in Copenhagen -- it was perfect! Such a wonderful way to end our amazing short day.
Sweden
Malmö
Malmö is just a short 30 minute train ride from the center of Copenhagen, across the gorgeous Oresund Bridge (but you will be traveling in the tunnel on the train -- train tickets are super easy to buy in the Central Station in Copenhagen as it is a big commuter train). We chose to stay in Malmö because it was quite a bit cheaper than staying in Copenhagen for the night, and on the way to Stockholm anyways so it worked. We stayed here and loved it, such a unique, old hotel and the beds were so dang comfortable (and had such a good breakfast).
We had been to Malmö previously for a day trip and loved it, so we were happy to head back for a short time! We arrived in town late and after a super long day of traveling, we simply crashed once we got settled into the hotel room. But the next morning, we had some time to explore. On our previous trip, we went to this bath house and I seriously recommend going if you have the chance -- hands down one of the best things I have ever done when traveling (be warned, bathing suits are not allowed)! But we skipped the baths this time and went to the Malmö Museer (museum) and it was actually extremely cool -- had a little bit of everything: modern Swedish design, ancient castle, an aquarium and more. Trevor and I just kept turning corners and finding more and more museum -- it was very unexpected and a great way to spend our morning!
We then caught the train to....
Stockholm
We took an afternoon train from Malmö to Stockholm -- it was a great way to see the countryside and also relax a little bit (the ride was about four and a half hours). We stayed here and it was amazing -- perfect location, great breakfast buffet and super comfortable room! It is brand new (and still under going some construction), so we got great deal. I highly recommend going with a hotel that has a free breakfast; Scandinavian breakfasts are amazing -- huge spreads of meats, cheeses, bread, pancakes, eggs and more. So so good!
Our first full day in Stockholm we slept in (no kid, remember?), ate a huge breakfast and off we went to explore. We started off at the Vasa Museet -- an amazing museum completely dedicated to the Vasa ship -- a warship that sank in Stockholm harbor in 1628 and was raised and restored over 300 years later. This museum was so cool and so impressive to see all the restoration work up close and personal (pictures were a little rough in the dark museum, so no judging!)
We then made our way to Skansen -- the world's largest open air museum. This place would have been amazing with our Peanut. It has a large zoo, a children's petting zoo (this part was so much fun), and interactive exhibits showing life in Sweden past and present. Because we were there during off season, there wasn't much going on but it was still very cool to walk around. We had an okay lunch inside Skansen -- I would recommend eating elsewhere unless you are stuck (like we were)!
Then we went to the Nordiska Museet -- a museum all about Swedish cultural history. My personal favorites were the jewelry and fashion sections, but we both enjoyed this museum. We then grabbed some coffee and went on a boat tour of Stockholm. I am not usually one for super touristy tours, but 1) I had a broken toe and desperately needed to sit for a little bit and 2) it was such a wonderful way to see the city that I actually highly recommend it! We would've preferred to do a tour of the archipelago or go to a neighboring island to visit more of Sweden or see a castle or two.... but either the timing didn't work for our plans or the boats weren't running as we were visiting during off season. But we did this exact tour and really enjoyed it. We learned a lot of and it was a great way to rest while still seeing the city.
We had only one more day to spend in Stockholm, so we first headed to Fotografiska -- Stockholm's famous photography museum. It was well worth the long walk (it isn't close to a metro stop) and a much smaller museum than I expected, but we both loved it. And the view from the cafe on the top floor is amazing -- definitely worth a coffee and cinnamon roll break!
Then we went shopping and sight seeing on Gamla Stan, the old town and geographic center of the city. This island has the palace (Kungliga Slottet) which sadly was closed but you usually can go inside and it houses a few smaller museums. We went to Sjätte Tunnan for some beer and mead before heading to dinner. Sjätte Tunnan is an old medieval cellar and does serve food but we never saw anyone actually taking orders -- they are known for their mead so that was what we tried. We then had dinner at Günters Korvar -- traditional Swedish korv (or sausages). This place was so damn good. It is a ways outside the main city area (required a subway ride and also a 10-15 minute walk), but again so so worth it. So worth it. Oh and it is a small shack/food truck type place in the middle of the sidewalk with no seating. But seriously, some of the best food I've ever had in my life.
Sadly we then had to head back to our hotel to get some rest for our early flight out of Sweden. We flew out of the main airport and took the Arlanda Express -- a super easy train straight from Stockholm to the airport. I recommend booking your tickets online in advance (it'll save you money the further out you book your ticket) and also give yourself plenty of time to find the train, it is across the street and almost underneath the bus station, but still not easy to find. We almost missed our train -- oops!
Just a little note about Stockholm -- it is made up of a 14 main islands. The museums we did our first day were all in the same area/on the same island, making it easy to go to all three on the same day. We did use the subway system a little but honestly, it was easier to walk to most places! They do sell day (or a few day) passes for the subway, but for the amount we used it -- they wouldn't have been worth it. So we used a refillable card and just paid as we needed for the subway. There is also TONS to do, way more than what we had time for -- so many museums and activities, especially in the summer months when you can explore the islands and more outside of the city.
Kid Friendly....
While we didn't take our Peanut with us on this trip, we were extremely surprised and impressed with how kid-friendly every single place seemed to be, both in Copenhagen and Sweden. All of the museums we went to had interactive exhibits for the kids or even entirely separate kid museums attached to the main "adult" one. Stockholm had a few children's museums as well (most notably Junibacken -- a cultural center for kids focusing on the books by Astrid Lindgren). I am actually seriously bummed we never made it to Junibacken as I am a huge Pippi Longstocking fan (HUGE), but next trip for sure! Almost ever single place had stroller parking in a designated area so strollers weren't just clogging up walkways or entryways. Most stairs in Stockholm had ramps for strollers (and bikes) -- no more carrying strollers up the stairs! And each city had quite a few parks and/or green spaces for kids to play and run around. This could easily be a trip we take again with the Peanut!
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