WINTER VISIT TO STOCKHOLM

During the winter, visitors to Stockholm are more likely to see snow, ice and crisp sunny days than in other European cities. Winter officially starts on the first Sunday of advent, four Sundays before Christmas. During this time, Christmas markets can be found throughout the city. The markets offer a wide variety of Swedish sweets, smoked sausages, reindeer meat, glögg (mulled wine), and a range of handicrafts and decorative arts.

Skansen, the open-air museum on Djurgården, has a large traditional Christmas market. Stockholm’s oldest area, Gamla Stan (the Old Town) is full of small shops and restaurants with cheery Christmas decorations and plenty of atmosphere. The famous Stortorget Christmas market is also held here. The best-known Christmas market in the archipelago is on the island of Utö. It specialises in local products such as honey, handicrafts and freshly-smoked fish. Drottninggatan, one of the longest pedestrian streets in Stockholm, glitters with Christmas lights. The NK department store on Hamngatan traditionally has the most spectacular window displays.

Julbord, the Swedish Christmas table, has a venerable heritage and is served as a smörgåsbord (buffet) with all the traditional dishes. From November to Christmas, many restaurants in and around Stockholm serve julbord. Many of the steamboats that grace the waters of the archipelago also serve these traditional Christmas buffets for lunch and dinner.Lucia is always celebrated on the 13th of December. Originally a festival commemorating St. Lucia from Syracuse in Italy, Lucia Day is celebrated in Sweden to bring light to one of the darkest days of the year. Visitors can take part in the Lucia festivities by attending the coronation of Sweden’s Lucia and the Lucia celebrations at Skansen, the Lucia Concert at Globen (the Globe Arena) and the Lucia Concert in Stockholm Cathedral.

Activities
Winter opens up a whole new dimension of outdoor activities in Stockholm. Adventurous visitors can go for a brief dip in the icy waters and then warm up in a hot sauna, or go long-distance skiing in the Hellasgården nature reserve just 20 minutes from Stockholm. It is even possible to go downhill skiing in the Stockholm area.

Skates are available for hire at the skating rink in Kungsträdgården in central Stockholm. Visitors can also try long-distance ice skating, a Stockholm favourite, as soon as the water freezes over. Or simply take a walk on the ice and discover the city from another angle. The Stockholm archipelago is also open for business throughout the winter for excursions and overnight stays – quite the exotic experience.

For a range of wonderful winter activities in Stockholm and the rest of Sweden visit ActivitiesInSweden.com