Reader's Trip Review of Stockholm - Have Age Will Travel

This is the first in a segment of posts made up of trip reviews from our Have Age Will Travel’s email subscribers. If you have a recent trip you want to share, sign up to be an email subscriber below. If you’re already a subscriber, you can send an email directly to [email protected] and we will start planning your post! Thank you to our email subscriber, Carol, for this review of her recent trip to Stockholm!

Home » Trip Reports » Reader’s Trip Review of Stockholm

About Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the name Stockholm is mentioned as far back as the 1200s. Today, a population of nearly 1 million people reside in the city. Visitors come to Stockholm to see the old town (Gamla Stan), the recovered 17th century warship in the Vasa museum, City Hall (where the Nobel Prize award ceremony is held), and much more.

Who Visited

Carol, her husband, and their adult daughter made the trip. Her husband had polio as a child, resulting in limitations with stairs and uneven paths due to his ankle. They did not have any other mobility considerations that affected how they spent their time.

When and Where

Carol and her family stayed in Stockholm one full week in May. She notes the weather was mild and that it was a good time of year to visit. Average high temperatures in May in Stockholm are in the upper 50s with average lows in the mid 40s. May also sees an average of 17 hours of daylight. That provides a lot of hours to sightsee! For reference, summer solstice in June provides almost 19 hours of daylight while and winter solstice in December provides only 6 hours.

Street in Stockholm with church spire in distance — Walking down Stockholm street

Lodging in Stockholm

The three stayed in Sky Hotel Apartments (also called Vander Stockholm) in Stockholm. Carol highly recommends this hotel. It has multiple elevators and has options for lodging for more than two people. They stayed in a one bedroom unit that offered a pullout couch in the living area. There are also studios and two bedroom units, providing options for 1-5 people. Their unit also had a small kitchen, eating area, and bathroom with a washer and dryer. They paid about $130/night in May 2025. There is also a restaurant on the ground level and small store selling local Swedish food items.

Sky Hotel Apartments is part of a hotel chain called Vander. Vander has several other hotels throughout Sweden. You can find more information on their website.

Sky Hotel Apartments is located to the east of the city center of Stockholm in the Kvarteret Snöflingan area. There is a large grocery store nearby which made it easy to utilize their room’s kitchen. There are two subway stops with different tram lines about a quarter of a mile away: Thorildsplan and Stadshagen. Carol found that access to subways made it easy to discover Stockholm. All public transportation offers contactless payment, so you can tap your phone or credit card for entry.

A tranquil island with cottage surrounded by calm water in Stockholm Archipelago. — The Stockholm Archipelago

Favorite Activity in Stockholm

Carol notes taking the ferry to one of the islands in the beautiful Swedish Archipelago is a highlight. She notes visiting Vaxholm is “definitely worth seeing”. Small passenger ferries depart multiple times/day and offer stops at several islands near Stockholm. Vaxholm is just a 30 minute ride away. There you’ll find shops, restaurants, and cafes for an afternoon coffee break (called Fika). It is a great half day or full day trip from Stockholm. Other nearby stops include Fjäderholmarna , Gustavsberg, and Värmdö. Learn more about visiting the Stockholm archipelago in this article from the Stockholm tourism office.

Mobility-challenging Aspects of Stockholm

Carol notes her husband had difficulty navigating through the train station due to his ankle. Stockholm Central Station is a large, multi-story complex. All entrances are accessible. Once inside, elevators, escalators and stairs take you to the various floors. The commuter trains and metro both have stations connected via walkways in the central station. A food court and shops are also located here. Aside from traversing through the large station, the train platforms are also long. Learn more about the Central Station from my favorite website for seeing Europe by train: Man in Seat 61.

Also, when visiting the Stockholm Central Station website, use your internet browser to translate as needed. If looking for accessibility information, it may translate to “availability” as it did when I used Google Chrome’s translation feature. This is the direct link to the accessibility portion of the website.

Stockholm City Hall Courtyard — Courtyard of Stockholm City Hall

Carol’s Travel Tips for Stockholm

Know your walking limits. Tourist sites are fairly spread out through the city. Their public transportation is accessible and quick. Carol notes taxis were easily available when they wanted to use one.
Stockholm is ahead of accessibility compared to other countries she has visited. Carol has traveled to many countries and noticed how many changes Stockholm has made to make the city accessible for all. In particular, she noticed:
- The subway stations all have elevators.
- Public buses all have hydraulics to lower the platform to get on/off the bus, making it easy for passengers to get on and off.
- New buildings have wheelchair ramps and spacious toilets.
Do not worry about your lack of Swedish language skills. Carol notes everyone speaks English. They did not have any challenges with a language barrier.

Thank you so much to Carol for her trip review and insights! If you would like to share about a recent European trip, sign up for your email subscription below: