People come to Stockholm to discover its old town (Gamla Stan), its cobbled streets with a medieval layout and its colorful gabled houses, its royal castle, its islands and its museums. Seduced by Stockholm, we come back for its avant-garde spirit, its concern for sustainable development, its clean air and the wind of creativity that blows there.

Stockholm would therefore have found the recipe for a harmonious art of living: a bouquet of nature wrapped in an ecological conscience at the forefront, a good dose of design, a ladle of gay-friendly spirit and a pinch of gourmet organic version. We adhere without moderation!

Where the lakes meet the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is built on 14 islands. Due to the topography of the places, water and nature have always been inseparable from the development of the city, the movements and the daily life of Stockholmers.

Sweden is a pioneer of sustainable development, and Stockholm one of the spearheads of ecology. In the public space, the municipality is multiplying green initiatives: urban tolls at the entrance to the city, use of biofuels, self-service hybrid electric bicycle project, shared gardens (kolony)…

In terms of urban planning, the eco-district of Hammarby Sjöstad, south-east of Stockholm, is recognized as a paragon of sustainable urban development. Since the 1990s, it has seen technical and environmental innovations flourish: materials, energy efficiency, photovoltaic panels, water treatment, recycling of waste for heating, etc.

For all these reasons, Stockholm was the first in 2010 to receive the title of Green Capital of Europe.

Skansen in Stockholm

And since it is so pure, the Swedes love the great outdoors. After long winter months, they take full advantage of long summer days and endless evenings. On the program: a multitude of outdoor activities and parties.

To refresh, there are countless beaches, pontoons and rocks where to take a dip in the city: Långholmens bad, Fredhällsbadet, Oxhålsbadet , or, further west, on the side of Lake Mälar . Be careful, the water is cool: around 20 ° C maximum!

Do you want a beautiful break in the countryside in the city? Head for Skansen, an open-air ethnography museum. In the undergrowth, houses restore habitat in Sweden from 14th century to the early 1920s: houses, mansions, church, school, town hall, mills, farmhouse … The extras in period costumes there mimic and recount the life of yesteryear. A journey through time!

A little further on the island of Djurgården, Rosendals trädgård (Rosendals garden) is one of Stockholm’s favorite green spots on Sundays. We practice biodynamic agriculture in orchards, vegetable gardens and vineyards. A stone’s throw from a rose garden, installed in the greenhouse, the café serves “made in Rosendals” fruits and vegetables, guaranteed 100% organic.

Stockholm LGBT: a gay friendly city

Sweden saw the birth of progressive ideas in the 1960s. In terms of equality between men and women, it very early pursued a committed policy: joint government and parliament, encouragement of paternity leave, etc.

Another political and social priority is the non-discrimination of sexual minorities. Legalization of homosexual relations from 1944, right to adoption for same-sex couples in 2003, right to insemination for female couples in 2005, integration into the constitution of the prohibition of homophobic speech (in 2003), the ban on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation (in 2011), marriage for all in 2009… the legislation is not only one of the most favorable for LGBT citizens, but also one of the most garde. A model!

Stockholm has also established itself as one of the most gay friendly capitals in Europe. The Stockholm Pride is the biggest gay pride in Scandinavia, and one of the highlights of the summer. LGBT addresses – bars, restaurants and hotels with small rainbow flags – have flourished in town, especially in Gamla Stan, the old town, and in Södermalm.

Gay friendly sticker in a restaurant

No ghetto here, LGBT cafes and bars are open to everyone. Cozy and intimate, the little Chokladkoppen café (Stortorget 18) was one of the first gay friendly addresses in town, and not anywhere: on Stortorget, in the heart of Gamla Stan. Everyone loves the menu of smörgåsbord (sandwiches), hot chocolates and pastries.

The Secret Garden (Kornhamnstorg 59), which combines a restaurant, bar and nightclub, is appreciated for its garden and its Wednesday DJ sets. Another hotspot for the gay community in Gamla Stan is the Hjärtat på torget café-club (Mälartorget 13). A little further, the Nytorget Urban Deli restaurant-bar (Nytorget 2-4) cultivates the trendy spirit of SoFo.

In the trendy Hornstull district, west of Södermalm, the Bitter Pills bar (Verkstadsgatan 4) is renowned for its homemade cocktail menu. Summer address, Mälarpaviljongen (Norr Mälarstrand 62) opens a restaurant and music bar on a pier, overlooking the bay of Riddarfjärden.

The LGBT scene in Stockholm still vibrates all night long in clubs and nightclubs. We wiggle around on the boisterous Limbo shows, on the Moxy slope, or even in the torrid atmosphere of the Club King Kong in Södermalm and, on Sunday, aboard the Patricia boat, one of the best evenings in the city for 20 years.

Stockholm design and innovative

Stockholm is bursting with creativity. Design, fashion, music, digital, gaming industry … it is steeped in a culture of innovation and is a pioneer in many fields.

Sweden is the 2 th most connected countries in the world, with a weekly utilization of the web of 91%. Stockholm is full of design agencies, studios, ready-to-wear and start-ups that are launching at lightning speed. It’s a whole generation of engineers, designers, producers and artists who emerge or settle here to break through. Sweden is thus the cradle of the ABBA group, the musician Avicii, Spotify … Things are constantly changing in Stockholm!

Stockholm is at the forefront of design. The credo of Swedish design: functionality and ergonomics, ecology, durability and respect for materials, simplicity of lines and innovation, elegance, without forgetting a touch of humor: it is all a way of life.

The streets are full of design signs. The Designtorget chain selects emerging designers to offer inventive and fun everyday objects at low prices. Other big names in design, Bodrum, famous for its cups and coffee makers, the Stockholm Svensk Tenn (interior design signed by the founder of the “  Swedish Modern Style  ”), Design House Stockholm (assortment of concepts from different designers in furniture ), Granit (interior design), Znogg (interior decoration and kitchen items), Ording & Reda (stationery and office supplies), or the Finnish Iittalla (kitchen utensils and tableware).

The KonstantWerkArna artists’ cooperative, a modern arts and crafts gallery, is the oldest and largest craft cooperative in Stockholm. It brings together the creations of nearly 90 artists: ceramics, glassware, wooden objects, textiles …

Impossible to name all the brands, especially as it is moving into the design market, but one thing is certain: Stockholm, Södermalm in mind, is a destination of choice for touring design stores and taking the pulse of the latest trends.

ArkDes

Things are also moving in museums. Stockholmers are used to saying that their city has the highest number of exhibition places per inhabitant.

On the island of Skeppsholmen, called “Museum Island”, the Moderna Museet is one of the most visible modern and contemporary art museums in Europe, a leading figure in the art scene in Stockholm. The modern building sits on a carpet of greenery, surrounded by works by Nikki de Saint-Phalle. Its bay windows offer magnificent panoramas of the island of Djurgården. The collections, at the artistic avant-garde of the 20th and 21st centuries, present big names: Matisse, Chagall, Dalí, Picasso, Magritte, Warhol, Bacon…

In the same building, the ArkDes, center for Architecture and Design, also hosts exciting temporary exhibitions.

Between shops and museums, design is everywhere in town: contemporary art museums, furniture and decoration stores, boutique hotels and art galleries, and even in the streets, in parks and resorts metro, decorated with frescoes!

Södermalm: Stockholm hype

Former working-class district, Södermalm, in the south of Stockholm, became the haunt of artists, hipsters and students, the temple of “trendiness”. It is nicknamed “Söder” or “SoFo”, contraction of “SOuth of FOlkungagatan”, in reference to the Folkungagatan artery and by analogy with the New York SoHo. It is also compared to London Shoreditch.

Södermalm is THE fashionable district. Having an address is the height of chic. Its wide arteries at right angles line fashion boutiques, thrift stores, designer and design stores, craft shops, tattoo parlors, art galleries and other concept stores established in former workers’ houses. In the windows and on the stalls, the trendy and ultramodern design mixes vintage and retro.

With its appetite for good things, Södermalm is also in turmoil on the culinary scene: its delicatessens present organic fruits and vegetables from the region. Finally, it is one of the most “trendy” districts to spend the evening in one of the countless trendy bars. The cultural and festive scene is not to be outdone, with bars, theaters and concert halls. In short, what not to be bored in “Söder”!

A gastronomy that reinvents itself

Stockholm’s bulimia for innovation also manifests itself on the culinary scene, which has made the Swedish capital a gastronomic destination. Sweden in general and Stockholm in particular are at the heart of a culinary revolution that has dietetic, ecological and ethical ingredients.

The capital concocts inspired cuisine, innovative dining concepts, sprinkled with Michelin-starred restaurants. A gastronomy centered on local and organic products, and fused with molecular cuisine.

With a reputation as much linked to its finesse as to its dynamism, the Swedish culinary scene is undergoing a revolution. The phenomenon of “new Nordic cuisine” or “new Swedish cuisine” is on everyone’s lips. It brings traditional Scandinavian cuisine up to date by bringing a touch of creativity to it.

Take a healthy dose of healthy products, give pride of place to green vegetables, organic and sustainable agriculture, short circuits that respect ecosystems; add innovation, a generous dash of ethics and social responsibility, and you will get a cuisine that tastes good Swedish values. A cuisine that respects the environment and people.

The proximity of lakes and the sea, forests and fertile plains allows chefs to prepare products from local ecosystems. And cultural diversity spices up the recipes a little more.

Grocery store in Stockholm

Consequence of this boiling on the culinary scene: food trucks, covered markets, covered markets, farmers markets and delicatessens are popping up everywhere in town. Many spots are surfing the new wave of new Swedish gastronomy and bustling in the city.

Nytorget Urban Deli (Nytorget 2-4), in Södermalm, is a tasty mix of sweet and savory, an alchemy between delicatessen, restaurant and bar. On the stalls, organic is in the spotlight, vegan is welcome, and locavores will enjoy products from the Stockholm archipelago.

The Söderhallarna halls (Medborgarplatsen 3) also combine, under a glass roof, the concepts of caterer and restaurant. The smallest shop, the smallest snack bar in Söderhallarna is committed to an ecological approach, opens its pots as a priority to local products, watches over grain to limit food waste and promote recycling, compost and recuperation.

A little further, in the same spirit and still in Södermalm, the Cajsa Warg grocery store (Renstiernas gata 20) gives priority to taste, organic and local products.

Fika: a gourmet Swedish break

An essential complement to meals, the fika break (derivation of kaffe) is an institution in Sweden, an inescapable tradition of Swedish gastronomy. The formula is simple: coffee + snack. At any time of the morning or afternoon, we take the time to sit down over coffee or tea.

The sweet beaks will dip into the bullar (pastries), in the forefront of which the kannelbullar (a brioche rolled in a snail, stuffed with cinnamon and sprinkled with pearl sugar), will enjoy seasonal fruit pies, muffins …

The fika sometimes comes in a salty version: it then turns into a Nordic brunch. In the plate, the smörgåsbord, a sandwich often with rye bread, sometimes with white bread. We put shrimp, salmon or herring, cucumber, cheese and / or yellow pepper. More than a simple snack, the fika is a vector of conviviality.

Stockholm is full of cafes, pastries and mysig fiks (“mysig” meaning “comfortable”) where you can sit quietly, in the light of lanterns in winter or on the terrace in fine weather. Steeped in tradition, these cafes are no less relaxed and brimming with creativity: we love it! Let us mention the Tösse bakery, awarded for its brioche (semla), the traditional Vete-Katten coffee, the Espresso Sosta Bar, renowned, as we have guessed, for its espresso…

Notice to lovers of gastronomy in the great outdoors! The street food movement has swarmed around twenty food trucks in Stockholm. They park around the market halls of Östermalm, oriented typically Swedish products, in those of Hötorget , more cosmopolitan, or on the side of Södermalm and in the district of Hornstull.

With Stockholm food trucks, guaranteed boarding to the flavors of the world! Among the trendy trucks, those from Indian Street Food & Co serve modern Indian cuisine. The Vegan Schmegan foodtruck (Djurgårdsvägen 6-16) serves dishes inspired by the Mediterranean, the Middle East and California, certified vegan and made on site. As for Bun Bun (St Eriksgatan 63), it is famous for its bánh mi, these Vietnamese sandwiches inherited from French colonization, and its Vietnamese noodles.

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