Swimming in Sweden (and other bits)

It's been a while! Over two years since my last post. And I write this time not with meaningful insights into Jewish community building, or beautiful sunrises over hilltop temples. I write because I recently visited Stockholm, and found it incredibly difficult to find clear, basic, and non-touristy information about how to do the things I wanted to do while in Sweden. Travel blogs these days seem to be filled with affiliate links for buying packing cubes and travel toiletry sets, or else the exact same AI-generated copies of endless lists of expensive attractions, and I'm here for none of it. I had an incredible time in Stockholm, and I wanted to put the information I picked up out into the world so that other people will be able to find it too and have a simple, nature-y and inexpensive time exploring Stockholm.

Note: Prices given are in Swedish Krona, and exchange rates listed are in Pounds Sterling as of July 10, 2026, but best to check prices for yourself! I've popped links in for your convenience, but they are not affiliate links, just there for you to use!

Airport Transfers

I flew into Arlanda airport, which is big and very nice (compared to other European airports, not compared to Singapore or anything). There is a big flashy train with carpeted train platforms and excessive signage called the 'Arlanda Express', which takes 20 minutes and costs 340 SEK (£26). If you push past the flashy yellow signs, you'll enter something called 'Sky City', which has the regular train station. There are different trains into the city, so just ask what the next one to Central Station is. My train cost 200 SEK (£15), and took 35 minutes. It was very comfortable, clean and efficient. There is a ticket desk at both the airport station and Central Station, although I'm sure there are machines and online booking as well.

On the way back, I opted for the Flyggebusarna (airport shuttle bus), which cost 99 SEK (£7.65 - although it's usually 129 SEK or £10). It took 40 minutes, and went straight to Central Station. I took it three times (due to a cancelled flight on the way back), and all rides were easy, comfortable, and with little traffic, so I'd probably recommend that (also is less than a third of the cost of the Arlanda Express). The bus stop was the other direction from the Arlanda Express (for terminal 5 - there's also a terminal 2/3 stop), and a bit less clear to find, but there are signs, and you can always ask someone for directions. You can buy a ticket online, using the machine at the stop, or from the driver (all card only).

English

I did my Duolingo diligently for weeks before heading to Sweden, and found that it was actually decently easy to pick up the structure as it's quite similar to English. That being said, I didn't encounter a single Swedish person who was not absolutely fluent in English, so definitely no need to worry. Maybe it's less so further outside of Stockholm, but that was my experience.

Money

Everything in Stockholm is card only - most places had signs saying no cash, and I don't think I saw a single ATM. I used my card with no problems. I read that sometimes market stalls will take cash only, but I didn't see many or buy anything from them.

Sleeping

I stayed at the Generator Hostel, which is part of a big chain, that I've generally had decent stays with around Europe. It's a fun vibe downstairs but generally tidy and quiet upstairs. They charge you for every little thing (towel, lock rental, early check in, bag storage, etc.) but I just remember to bring my own towel. I paid an average of £35 per night, although it's a slightly different cost each night.

What I liked about the Generator is that it's a big, established thing, and I find sometimes cheap, independent hostels can be a bit hit-or-miss. It's a 10-minute walk north of the Central Station, which was great for arriving and departing with my bags. It's about a 20-minute walk north of the old town, but I actually liked this because it got me a bit away from the tourists and slightly more into regular Stockholm, so I actually enjoyed my daily walks to and from the hostel.

The area felt very safe to walk around, and there were lots of other hostel guests around. There's an Asian restaurant, a laundromat, and a 7-Eleven across the street, plus a nice bakery half a block north. So basically, if you can afford a nicer hotel, definitely go for it, and if not, it's probably a good bet. It's a 20-ish minute walk to two synagogue options if that's important for you, although I wouldn't describe the hostel as particularly Shabbat-friendly.

Eating

Most of the restaurants I saw were around 200-350 SEK per meal (£15-27), but they also seemed to be quite formal, sit-down affairs, which is not my vibe. I went out with my work programme a few times, and the food was alright (keep in mind it was also vegan so potentially limited), but not overwhelming. One place served us an entire head of cauliflower in sauce, which was nice, but also a significant amount of cauliflower.

There are however, a few recommendations I have for eating fun yet cheap things:

Fika

A cinnamon bun (kannelbulle) is a classic Swedish pastime, and absolutely everywhere you can get a variety of twisted buns (cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, almond, pistachio, etc.). On average, they cost between 30-45 SEK (£2.30-£3.50), with some fancier ones going up to 60 SEK (£4.60). One of the best (experience-wise, not necessarily taste-wise), was on board the ferry to the islands, where they serve you filter coffee in a real cup along with your cinnamon bun. Your average cappuccino is around 40 SEK (£3), although the ones I had were a bit weaker than I'm used to.

The IKEA Restaurant

Actually the best. It's a casual, food-court style place, just north of Gamla Stan, but pretty central still. You can get a plate of vegan meat balls, mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam for 78 SEK (£6), which is very good for Stockholm. But most importantly, they have soft-serve ice cream (dispensed from a fancy self-serve machine) for 9 SEK (£0.70!), as opposed to 35 SEK (£2.70) which seemed to be the going rate everywhere else, plus cheap coffee, and cinnamon buns for 7 SEK (£0.50) - not as delicious as elsewhere but a true Swedish experience (in my opinion). Plus, how can you go to Sweden and not go to IKEA? I went three times - such a good Stockholm hack! Note that the bathroom costs 16 SEK (£1.25), which is more than I paid for my coffee and ice cream combined.

7-Eleven

There seemed to be a 7-Eleven on every block in central Stockholm, just like a Greggs or Caffe Nero in Glasgow. And unlike a Canadian 7-Eleven, they actually had decent (and pretty affordable) hot food options. Think spinach and cheese burek for 39 SEK (£3 - and filling enough to be a whole meal), toasted sandwiches, baked goods, and all sorts. There's also another shop called Pressbyran which is slightly cheaper, but with fewer options.

DIY Smörgåsbord

You can pay a lot of money for a fancy smörgåsbord in a restaurant, but I often just got picky bits from the local coop (there's one in Vaxholm, and plenty around Stockholm proper). I loved the cranberry bread, local cheeses, and ready-to-eat salads, like potato salad and other dips. On average, including enough food for the whole day, water and snacks, I paid around 100 SEK (£7.75), although if you were including meat or fish it would be more. This was also a great way to bring my food with me for my adventures, rather than spending lots of time at expensive and faffy restaurants on the islands.

Museums

Every single travel blog I read about Stockholm was an endless list of museums to visit. Apparently a lot of them used to be funded by the government, but most are no longer free, although some will have a free hour during the week. I didn't visit a single one of the big museums, so no advice on this. I did visit the Jewish Museum, which was alright, and worth a wander if you have time. They give out free copies of their catalogue which is a nice souvenir. If I had more time, I would have also visited the Holocaust Museum. Note that the Jewish Museum has free entrance from 11:00-12:00 on a Saturday, l'kavod Shabbos. I arrived at 12:15 after speed-walking from synagogue and was not allowed this free entrance, despite not having any money (l'kavod Shabbos), so if you're aiming for this, maybe duck out of shul 5-minutes early.

Doing

Now that I've told you what I didn't do in Stockholm, here's what I did do:

Not much really. Walking. Wandering. I was on a 10-day Jewish education programme, which took up a lot of my time. Stockholm to me is the type of place for visiting parks, and walking along the waterfront. They have tons of great public sitting areas - hammocks, benches, wooden recliners, etc. Everywhere I went seemed to be a great place to sit down, and I spent loads of time wandering, sitting, etc. But mostly what I did in my free time was:

Swimming!

I have never been anywhere in the world with as excellent public access to outdoor swimming as Stockholm! There are beautiful public docks all over, and you can just climb in and swim without worrying about clambering over sharp rocks or getting covered in sand as you change. It was absolutely unbelievable! I was there late June / early July and the water was a very swimmable temperature.

This website lists swimming spots around the city, including water quality and temperature (in Swedish, but you'll figure it out). I believe sometimes the water is rated as not for swimming, due to algaes that develop. I did swim at a few that were rated no-swimming, but loads of other people were swimming, and I did have a look at the water to make sure it looked alright (which it did), and it was honestly way cleaner than what I swim in back in Scotland. (And I survived, fyi).

Here are some of the places I swam, along with some notes (you can pop the name in Google Maps to find them) :

Amazing

Oxhålsbadet, Stora Essingen

To the western side of Gamla Stan, away from the Archipelago, but so beautiful! There were three docks, each with ladders and benches, so plenty of space for everyone. There were also several sitting platforms on the hill behind, a pit toilet, and a boardwalk along the water front. It was a great blend of in-the-city and island vibes - I loved it so much! It's a 20-minute ride on bus number 1 from Central Station, and then a 5-minute downhill walk to the water. There's a coop, a pizza shop and a few restaurants where the bus stops.

Norrbergsbadet, Vaxholm

You'll need to take the ferry to Vaxholm for this one (or there's a bus as well). From the ferry terminal on Vaxholm, it's a 12-minute walk. From Stromkajen, in central Stockholm, the ferry is just over an hour, with regular departures. From the ferry terminal, make your way through the lanes (follow Google Maps, as my directions will not suffice). There's a beautiful boardwalk which winds its way around a big rock, with lots of cute seating areas along the way. At the end, there's a dock with two swimming ladders, and some flatter areas of rock to sit on. You can keep following the path up and to the left to do a circle and get back to the beginning of the boardwalk, but the path is a bit fiddly.

Källviken, Grinda

A beautiful spot, with rocks to lounge on, a wooden dock with a ladder, and sandy beach access, all surrounded by beautiful trees and island scenery. This one's a bit further out - Grinda is 2-2.5 hours by ferry from Stromkajen in central Stockholm (there are two ferry stops - Nora Grinda and Sodra Grinda - north and south - either are fine, just check which one you're going to), and then a 15-minute walk from either ferry terminal. There are a few restaurants on the island, but all a bit fancier.

Pretty Nice

Bryggor Norr Mälarstrand, Kungsholmen

I came here loads of times because it's so close in to the city centre, and I could easily walk from the Generator Hostel. Note that the water quality here was rated lower, but it really seemed very clean for swimming, and loads of locals were swimming as well. There are three wooden docks, with benches and railings, running right along a strip of grass in a residential district. The middle one has a ladder going down into the water. It was so lovely because it's right in the city, and such a convenient stop on the way home. Plenty of shops and grocery stores nearby. It's a 25-minute walk from either Central Station or the Generator Hostel.

Norrhamnsbadet, Vaxholm

This one also starts with the 1-hour ferry ride from Stromkajen to Vaxholm, from where it's a 10-minute walk. The lanes are a bit twisty-turny, but you'll figure it out. There's a sandy beach area that you can walk into the water from, some rocks to sit on, and one platform area with a ladder down to the water. It's in a wee harbour, with some small boats, so the water just seemed a bit less fresh, and also there were a lot of people there for the amount of space. Still nice though.

Brunnsviksbadet, Stockholm University

Take the metro to the university station, from where it's a 15-minute walk up and down through the woods (on a path) - follow Google Maps. There's a dock and a sandy-beach, and some rocks further along, plus a pit toilet. Nice, gentle swim, and because it's a closed(ish) lake, the water was much warmer than elsewhere.

Less Nice

Munkbrohamnen, Gamla Stan

A lovely area to sit, right on the edge of Gamla Stan. Note that to find it, you have to cut underneath the railway tracks through the Gamla Stan metro station, and back up the other side. There are wooden swinging benches and recliners to sit on, great views, and a big metal basket with a ladder that you can immerse into. The water was a bit gross, and you couldn't see over the edge of the dock, which was unpleasant. So not super recommended, but still fun to swim right in the city centre, and I'd check it out anyways, even if just for a quick dook.

Synagogues

I spent two Shabbats in Stockholm, and went to services at two synagogues - Adat Jeshurun (Orthodox - small vibe, in a community building, but very pretty and very nice), and the Great Synagogue (Masorti - massive and very pretty historic synagogue, mixed seating, also relatively small). Both Shabbats were during the summer vacation, when most Swedes head out of town, so I think it would have been a bit busier another time. Visitors need to register over 72 hours in advance via this form. 

Public Transport

Stockholm is spread over several islands. It's centered on Gamla Stan, or the old town, but there are attractions and things to do on many different islands. A single metro ticket costs 43 SEK (£3.30), and lasts for 75 minutes. You can use it on any mode of transport within that 75 minutes, and you just need to tap into the last one before the 75 minutes are up. The transit is expensive if you just want to take the bus for 2 stops, but can also be very good value. For example, the ferry to Vaxholm (using Waxholmsbolaget - not all other companies) is over an hour, on a boat, but you can do this on a regular ticket - just tap your phone on the reader when you get on. Note that if you check the ticket price from Stromkajen to Vaxholm on the Waxholmbolaget website, it shows up as 104 SEK (£8), but you can actually just tap your phone for a single ticket for 43 SEK (£3.30).

You can also buy 24-hour, 72-hour, 7 day or 30 day tickets in the SL app - check the prices to see what makes sense for you. A 24-hour ticket is 180 SEK (£14), so is only worth it if you're buying 5 or more single tickets in a day, which is more than I ever did.

One thing I noticed is that the transport options still usually involve a lot of walking. For example, many places I wanted to go were either a 30-minute walk, or a 10-minute walk, 5-minute metro-ride, followed by another 10-minute walk, so the transport options weren't really cutting down on time. Which was fine, because I like walking and seeing things, but just make sure to factor that into your timings. For example, from the Generator Hostel to Stromkajen (for ferries to Vaxholm) is a 30-minute walk, and there wasn't really a transport option to cut down on that much.

There are bikes and e-scooters which you can rent on the street - these freak me out so I didn't do it. Traffic was quite light all throughout central Stockholm, so I imagine these would be alright if I was so inclined. I also took an Uber when I switched between two hotels (it was raining and would have been 20 minutes of walking uphill, even with a metro ride), and it was only 70 SEK (£5.50), which is not much more than the public transport option would have been.

Tick-Born Encephalitis (TBE)

I had booked to stay in a no-water-no-electricity cabin in the woods on one of the archipelago islands, and the host messaged me to remind me to get a TBE vaccine. I had never heard of tick-born encephalitis, so I looked it up, and I didn't have the time to get the vaccine (the regular course is three-doses, each a month apart). The cost for all three is around £200 (in Scotland). I didn't have time to get the vaccine, so I wore long trousers tucked into socks and checked myself for ticks regularly, as I also do in Scotland, but also chose to visit the islands as day trips rather than sleeping out there. I don't know much about this, so definitely do your own research, although TBE does sound like quite a serious disease. I will say that someone on my programme did pick up a tick in the park outside our school, so maybe my precautions were unnecessary.