Category: Tours

Cruise to Rosersberg Palace

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: VERY GOOD*
(surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)

What did I like the most: amount of original content in the castle
What is the biggest area for improvement: more time slots for English tours

Logistics

We got our tickets at the Stadshuset and Riddarholmen Boat Tours, Stadshusbron, Klara Mälarstrand 2, 111 52 Stockholm. They were 445 kr each.

The Boat trip is two hours each way, and the return time is fixed, meaning the boat leaves and then returns to pick you up at the specific time. We left the dock from Stadshuset at 10am sharp. It is a guided tour, meaning they will call out points of interest along the way over the speaker system.

The Boat

The name of our boat was s/s Evert Taube. She is what I’ve come to expect from Stromma for cruises like this.

There’s a fairly large internal cabin, a large upper deck (exposed) and a smaller back deck that is outside but covered.

It has a snack bar in the main cabin that serves sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks. You can also get wine and beer at the bar.

There is also free wifi. Just don’t count on it always working. 😉

The Cruise

The cruise was excellent. Going out, we sat up on the outside deck and enjoyed an abundance of sunshine, fresh air, and good company. We even got some coffee and pastries from the bar and brought them up.

As I have mentioned on all Lake Mälaren cruises, the scenery here is just amazing. It’s great watching the landscape transform from city to country.

This is especially evident on the above shot, which is Hasselby Strand, the end of the green line. After that, no more big buildings. The guides will sometimes call that out, but other times they don’t. And this brings up my biggest gripe about the cruise; there is no speaker down in the main cabin. So if you want to hear the tour guide, you have to be on the top deck.

The Palace

This is now one of my favorite Swedish palaces. It is just bristling with Sweden’s history, and so much of the castle contents is still original, including many rugs, tapestries, paintings, and furniture.

This was the palace of King Karl XIII before he was king. He was the younger brother of the famous Gustav III, who of course was assasinated at the opera and whose son was exiled.

Unfortunately, the only way to see the palace interior is by guided tour. But, the tour was very well done. She pointed out some of the more intimate details, like the hidden passage into the queen’s bedroom and the cool stairway from the king’s bedroom that led to his upstairs library. Fascinating stuff.

The tour was 100 kr, but certainly well worth it. As I mentioned earlier, this palace has a lot of original content and is very well preserved. Some of the rooms define majestic beauty and look exactly like you envisioned from novels you may have read.

If I have a complaint here, it is that the English tour only ran at 3pm, and we arrived at 12pm. On the other hand, that gave us plenty time to have lunch and tour the grounds on our own.

Food

There were snacks and sandwiches on the boat. In the morning, we had coffee and pastries. On the afternoon cruise, there is a cooked meal available. I believe our offering was salmon, but we didn’t get it. If you want the afternoon meal, you should inform the staff prior to disembarking at the palace.

There is a cafe in the palace. It is very small and offers some salads and sandwiches, plus a selection of desserts. And of course wine and beer.

* Each area is rated on a scale 1-5, with 1 = poor, 3 = good, 5 = exceptional
How did this do compared to what I had expected: 4
How well were the logistics handled: 3
Was the staff helpful and friendly: 3
Overall execution and presentation: 4
Total score: 14
4 – 8 is POOR (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)
11 – 13 is GOOD (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is VERY GOOD (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (outperformed my expectations, great value)

Bridges Boat Tour

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: OK*
(quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)

What did I like the most: Audio guide provided useful info about history and architecture
What is the biggest area for improvement: Boat was small, insufficient outdoor seating

The boat did not afford good views of the bridges. The content from the audio is good, but you’d be better served to use the Drottningholm Palace cruise. The boat is much better, and the scenery is fantastic. It’s about the same amount of cruising time, but costs less.

Logistics

We bought our tickets from and departed from the Strandvägen terminal. The tour also departs from Strömkajen, but on a slightly earlier schedule. We paid 260 kr each, and the tour was around 2.5 hrs. The boat leaves leaves on the hour from 10am to 6pm during prime season. Check online for departure times from Strömkajen.

It’s an audio guided tour. If you don’t bring your own earphones, they will provide you a pair at no cost.

The Boat

This is the aspect that brought their rating down. Considering it was advertised as “Under the Bridges of Stockholm” I would have expected to be able to get some great pictures of the bridges, like in the advertisements.

But we were seated in the interior, with limited window seats, and facing out to the sides. It’s bench seating on each side of a table. If you don’t get there early, you may not get a window seat. Furthermore, there are two pickup spots, so if you are boarding at Strandvägen, there may not even be any good seats left since it leaves from Strömkajen first. There was a very small outdoor area in the back, but it only seated about 10 passengers and was full when we boarded.

There is a snack bar with sandwiches and treats, and they also serve wine and beer.

The Tour

The boat goes all the way around the southern island (Södermalm), turns around at the City Hall, then comes back using the same route. It swings a little bit wide on either side to pick up a couple of extra bridges.

I would have thought the audio guide would be mostly focused on the architecture and history of the bridges, but it was just general Stockholm information. This included a full spoiler for The Vasa, so if you have friends or relatives with you and you were wanting them to learn about The Vasa incident at the museum, then don’t use the audio. Thanks to my friend Melissa for hanging out the window to get the above shot!

There was some really good architectural and historic information about the buildings we saw and how they came into being as the culture and politics of the area evolved.

The route took us all the way around Södermalm, so you get to go through the Lock of Hammarby, which separates the fresh water lakes from the Baltic ocean.

We went by the old Absolut factory, but somehow were not able to see the famous vodka barrels. Was probably too busy talking and just missed them. 🙂

* Each area is rated on a scale 1-5, with 1 = poor, 3 = good, 5 = exceptional
How did this do compared to what I had expected: 2
How well were the logistics handled: 3
Was the staff helpful and friendly: 3
Overall execution and presentation: 2
Total score: 10
4 – 8 is POOR (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)
11 – 13 is GOOD (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is VERY GOOD (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (outperformed my expectations, great value)

Södermalm Segway Tour

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: VERY GOOD*
(surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)

What did I like the most: riding Segways is great fun!!
What is the biggest area for improvement: some of the units were showing their age and could use a refresh

Logistics

There are several Segway tours in the Stockholm area, and we intend to do them all eventually. The tour we did for this review was hosted by Daytrip Stockholm AB, located at Mälartorget 19, 111 27 Stockholm (all the way south on Gamla Stan).

Our tour lasted about two hours, and cost 495 kr each ($60). It’s a guided tour, meaning there are a few planned stops where your tour guide will give some narration on the local area you are traveling through. But the way these things generally work is you’re really more interested in riding than talking, and they are aware of this. Our tour guide was Åsa, and she was awesome.

The Training

This was not our first time on a Segway, so we didn’t really need the introduction session that they all give, but it never hurts to hear it again. They help you get on it the first time so you see how it works, then you ride around in the designated training area for about five more minutes and now you’re ready. It really is that simple.

The Tour

We had a nice route that took us around Södermalm. I say it was a nice route because they kept us away from the heavy traffic areas and we had limited big intersections to get through.

And Södermalm has a lot to offer in terms of beauty. Looking down at the water from those high cliffs is spectacular. One of the areas our guide stopped at was where some of the older houses were that were there before the big Södermalm buildup. Very historic. Then she took us to a large seemingly private paved area that went around a group of trees in the middle. She let us do laps around it as fast as we wanted. Kinda of a neat way to blow off some steam!

All in all this was a great tour and honestly, the length was just right for us. I will definitely add the other tours once we do them.

* Each area is rated on a scale 1-5, with 1 = poor, 3 = good, 5 = exceptional
How did this do compared to what I had expected: 3
How well were the logistics handled: 3
Was the staff helpful and friendly: 4
Overall execution and presentation: 4
Total score: 14
4 – 8 is POOR (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)
11 – 13 is GOOD (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is VERY GOOD (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (outperformed my expectations, great value)

Drottningholm Palace Cruise

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: VERY GOOD*
(surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)

What did I like the most: the inside of this palace is magnificent, better than the Royal palace even
What is the biggest area for improvement: all of the outdoor walking areas are on gravel, be careful if with elders or handicapped

Logistics

This was a Strömma boat ride from Stockholm to the Drottningholm palace on Lake Mälaren (third largest lake in Sweden). It’s one hour out, and one hour back. You could easily spend a couple of hours here, especially if you also visit the Chinese pavilion and the gardens. There is also a cafe and restaurant in the immediate area, which would take even more time. Your best bet is to allow for being there for three hours, then you can always cut it short and come back sooner if you wanted. So that puts the total even time at 5 hours.

We got our tickets at Stadshusbron, Klara Mälarstrand 2, 111 52 Stockholm (this is over by City Hall). We paid 210 kr ($25) for each adult. That only covers the boat ride over and back. Entry to the palace itself is 130 kr ($15), and the Chinese pavilion is 100 kr ($12). If you’re concerned about the pricing, Strömma does offer package deals, so check their site.

Departure times vary dramatically, so check online for latest schedules leaving Stockholm. On the return trip, a boat leaves Drottningholm every hour.

The Cruise

You’ll get one of three boats that service this tour. They all feature plenty of seating, a bar, and a restaurant if you want have a meal on the way over or back. We managed to get the M/S Prins Carl Philip going out and coming back.

It was pretty warm when we went, so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery of Lake Mälaren.

When I think of Sweden, for some reason, beaches just never really comes to mind. But they have them here, and yes they swim in the cold water!

Lake Mälaren offers some really fantastic landscapes. This is one of my favorite trips since it is so beautiful, and the one hour boat ride each way is just right.

The Palace

Ok, spoiler alert here, in case you haven’t already heard, Drottningholm Palace is one of the nicest palaces in all the land! Think I’m exaggerating? Guess where the royal family lives…. Nope, not in the Royal Palace. They have lived in the Drottningholm Palace since 1981.

I haven’t reviewed the Royal Palace for you yet, but if you saw it, you would understand why everyone, including the royal family, loves this palace so much more.

While the palace grounds do not stand up to the great Château de Versailles, you can’t help but feel the influence. And it is beautiful in its own right.

We were a little pressed for time when we were there, so we did not do the Chinese pavilion but I promise I will add it in at some point.

The comments about this palace vs. the Royal Palace apply as much to the inside as the out. The Royal Palace is much more business oriented and doesn’t have nearly the luxuries of this place.

One thing you will notice is that the statues throughout the palace are made to look like expensive Rome era artwork, when in fact they are cleverly disguised painted replicas. Still, very nice and very impressive.

Once we finished our tour, we had a few minutes before the next boat, so we sat down at the cute little cafe right by the boat dock. It’s nice because you can have a nice glass of wine or coffee and still be able to see if the line for the boat starts growing.

All in all this is a great way to spend a half day.

Vaxholm Dinner Cruise

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: VERY GOOD*
(surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)

What did I like the most: sipping wine while watching the spectacular scenery of Sweden’s archipelago drift by
What is the biggest area for improvement: condition of the windows made photography a tad challenging in direct sunlight

Logistics

The dinner cruise is hosted by Strömma, aboard the s/s Stockholm, with restaurateurs Maria Svensson and Jesper Taube handling the culinary aspects.

We got our tickets at Strömma Kanalbolaget Terminal, Nybrohamnen 4, 111 47 Stockholm. They were 200 kr per person and do not include food or drink.

The cruise goes non-stop from Strömma Kanalbolaget Terminal (ours was slot #15) to the beautiful Vaxholm. We left the dock at 7pm sharp, and the entire trip was around 3 hours. The menus were in Swedish and English, and there is no tour guide, it is strictly scenic.

The Boat

The name of the boat was s/s Stockholm, and she was classy and cozy. We sat up on the second deck. Each table is by a window. There were three of us in our party, and we had a table to ourselves, but I don’t know if couples share a table with others or not. Will find out, though, since Jana and I will definitely be doing this again.

The Dinner

As you might imagine, dinner is handled very much like a restaurant. You order whenever you’re ready. It is possible to book your food in advance, and have it brought in by course, but we opted for à la cart. I ordered the classic steamboat steak, and it was cooked exactly to order, served hot, and tasted delicious. Combined with the gherkin, it made a surprisingly good taste combination. I did bulldoze some of those onions off though, haha. They also offered lamb tenderloin, corn fed chicken breast, and various other seafood dishes. Overall a very good menu.

The wine list was very diverse, better than most restaurants. Stockholm leans more towards the French and Italian wines, and seldom if ever have any USA representation. But the cruise had not only French, Italian, and USA, but also some selections from Spain, Italy, Chile, and Africa. We also ordered some of the desserts, which were all very good.

You really can’t go wrong here, the dinner and drinks were excellent; we and everyone around us had a marvelous time.

The Cruise

The cruise was on par with the rest of the experience, very smooth sailing, and magnificent views of the archipelago.

The noise levels inside the restaurant were acceptable, and there was no boat or engine noise whatsoever. We were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather. I will say we sat on the starboard (right hand) side. Folks on the other side seemed to have more sun coming in, which we wouldn’t have preferred.

There was a brief stop at Vaxholm before starting back. We saw enough of it to make us want to go out there for a weekend stay. There was a really nice looking hotel right on the water and this cool palace to discover.

I should mention that photography was a tad challenging at times. As you can see above, there is a lot of glare. There is really no controlling this, nor any way to really deal with it other than to try different angles with the camera.

The other thing, which would be controllable, is that the windows could have been a little cleaner on the outside. Especially with the evening sun hitting them, any dirt becomes highly visible, which added additional challenges to photography, as you can see above. I know, first world problem, just sayin’.

But if you’re persistent and creative, you can work around these challenges. On the return trip, we got to experience a breathtaking sunset.

This was Brandi’s last evening with us. I can’t think of a better send off…..

* Each area is rated on a scale 1-5, with 1 = poor, 3 = good, 5 = exceptional
How did this do compared to what I had expected: 4
How well were the logistics handled: 3
Was the staff helpful and friendly: 4
Overall execution and presentation: 4
Total score: 15
4 – 8 is Poor (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)
11 – 13 is Good (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is Very Good (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is Highly Recommended (outperformed my expectations, great value)

Rooftop Tour

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: VERY GOOD*
(surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)

What did I like the most: full unrestricted 360 degree rooftop views
What is the biggest area for improvement: a better solution for using smartphone cameras

Logistics

I did the rooftop tour with our friend, Brandi, who had come out to see us from the US. Quite honestly, I had never even heard of a rooftop tour and really had no idea what to expect.

There are several companies in Stockholm that provide this service, we used Talvandring at https://takvandring.com. The cost was 595 kr (about $70), and it lasted a little over two hours.

We met at the statue of Birger Jarl, right at the center of Birger Jarls Torg, on Riddarholmen. Our two guides, Lydia and Eva, showed up in full body harnesses and exactly on time. They escorted us around the corner to the old parliament house (pictured at the very top of this article). The entire tour was in English.

The Tour

After they gave us our instructions and safety tips, we rode the elevator up, then climbed up the attic stairs, through a hatch, and onto the roof. Eight floors above the ground. As you can see from one of our guides, above, we suited up into a full body harness and helmets.

Look closely on the picture above and you can see the steel platform/walkway. It’s only about a foot wide, and you can see the cable that goes alongside on the left side of the platform. Your body harness hooks onto this with a cable so you are attached. Note the platform has no railing, a little scary. But look over to the right and that one has a railing. Some do, some don’t.

But it was very safe. I wouldn’t classify myself as a daredevil by any means, and I never felt scared or that I might fall. However, if you are in any way scared of heights or have any vertigo issues, I advise you steer clear of this event.

After you’ve been up for a few minutes, you really get the hang of it and start relaxing a little and taking in the unprecedented view you are getting. A full 360 degrees with no windows, walls, or barriers. It is truly breathtaking.

So now a word about photography. Your phone goes into a thick clear plastic case around your neck. And you’re not really supposed to take it out of the plastic. So when you take pictures, the plastic is sometimes in the way, and the screen controls through the plastic can be cumbersome.

See the picture above and how it’s a little blurry on the bottom right. This is the plastic effect and it happens on a lot of the pictures. Now if you had a real camera with strap on it, you could get some killer, I mean really killer pics up here. As it is, however, over half of my pics had to be deleted they were so bad.

Aside from the most spectacular views you will probably ever see in Stockholm, there is an educational side to this as well. The guides are quite knowledgeable of the landscape and the long history of Stockholm. So while you’re up there observing all this beauty, they are giving you some really good historic perspectives on what you’re looking at.

Our guides were Lydia and Eva, and in addition to knowing all the history, they were also very friendly, professional, and very educated on safety procedures and protocols.

* Each area is rated on a scale 1-5, with 1 = poor, 3 = good, 5 = exceptional
How did this do compared to what I had expected: 4
How well were the logistics handled: 3
Was the staff helpful and friendly: 3
Overall execution and presentation: 4
Total score: 14
4 – 8 is POOR (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it
11 – 13 is GOOD (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is VERY GOOD (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (outperformed my expectations, great value)

Free Walking Tour Stockholm

Recommendation

The Travelin’ Man’s Overall Recommendation: OK*
(quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)

What did I like the most: historical information about the buildings and statues
What is the biggest area for improvement: tour guide was not very energetic

It felt more like a quick tour of the area around Kunsträdgården than a tour of Stockholm. It was informative and I am glad that we did it. But it felt hurried, and our guide was just not that enthusiastic. So the content was good, but the overall quality of the tour was below average.

I will be taking this tour again and will probably get a different guide. If so and if it turns out to be better, then I will come back and adjust this recommendation accordingly.

Logistics

This is a global walking tour company that works strictly on tips. So while their company title “Free Walking Tours” does imply it is free, keep in mind that it is a job for them and they only get paid from customer tips. The amount of the tip is based on your opinion of how good the tour was. I think generally anywhere from 130 kr to 450 kr (approx $15 to $50). But that’s just a rough guideline that I go by.

The tour we took was called “Free Walking Tour Stockholm.” It’s definitely a tour worth taking, even for locals since you probably walk right past a lot of this stuff but don’t know its history. Our tour was about an hour and a half. The advertisement said it was two hours, and I think two hours would have covered it better.

Our tour guide was Hanna. She did not put a lot of energy into it, but she was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions. The tour started in Gamla Stan and ended in Kungsträdgården. The advertisement said that it would end at the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace. So it looks as though our tour ended quite a bit earlier than it should have.

The Tour

We did learn about some of Sweden’s history, including the gruesome blood bath, but we did not get to see the square where it happened. We did see quite a few statues along the way. Our guide did a good job explaining the statues and their historical significance.

We saw the parliament building, the Royal Palace, and the old church (which is the oldest building in Stockholm). The featured image at the top of this article is the parliament building. Fantastic view. Also probably the best photograph I have ever taken in my life!

4 – 8 is POOR (was not at all what I expected and/or was not worth the time/money)
9 – 10 is OK (quality of the experience was a little low, but I enjoyed it)
11 – 13 is GOOD (met expectations, would recommend, would do again)
14 – 15 is VERY GOOD (surprisingly good, exceeding on some levels)
16 – 20 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (outperformed my expectations, great value)

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Recommendation

Logistics

The Boat

The Cruise

The Palace

Food

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The Cruise

The Palace

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