5 Best ways to celebrate a real Stockholm Christmas
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Pierre-2
Pierre Mangez: guide, entrepreneur, photographer.  Pierre is co-owner of The Green Trails and Stockholm Outdoor. On the side he is a freelance sports- and outdoors photographer. Meet Pierre in the archipelago during summer or on the ice in the winter, when he guides our outdoor trips!

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Stockholm must be one of the world’s best places to visit during Christmas times. The Snowy winters, the medieval center of Gamla Stan, numerous Swedish Christmas traditions and the vast amount of Christmas-sy things to do all add up to the magical atmosphere that can be felt anywhere in the streets.  Here is my take on the best 5 things to do to experience a real Stockholm Christmas!

 

“To us Christmas also marks the beginning of real winter”

 

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Cozy Christmas in Stockholm center

Many of my local friends never set foot in Gamla Stan. Except during Christmas times. Wandering around its small alleys with candles burning in the windows, elegant Christmas decorations above you and the smell of ‘glögg’ or ‘pepparkaka’ is one of the coziest things I know! But it’s not only that. To us, Christmas also marks the beginning of real winter. Leaving the city behind, you quickly enter a true winter wonderland and adventure!

 

 

1 Ice skating (on natural ice)

With real winter comes ice. And with ice comes skating! Will skating circles around an ice rink rock your world? Then check out Kungsträdgården! Here you can rent skates for cheap and have some family fun in a cozy environment. If you’re more adventurous you should give skating on natural ice a go! If you are experienced and have equipment, the possibilities our endless, due to Stockholm’s vast amount of lakes that come in all different shapes and sizes. Dammtorpssjön in example freezes early in the season and is relatively safe compared to other lakes, although it’s a smaller lake. Drevviken is great if it has been snowing, as the local municipality maintains a snow-free skating track that circles the lake, 22km! If you would like to try skating with a guide or you don’t have equipment you are welcome to join our day trip, during which we pick you up from the center and take you out skating on natural ice. If you are experienced and want a local guide to show you the best spots you can check out our weekend package, on which you skate from hotel to hotel. 

2 Drink ‘glögg’ on a Swedish Christmas market

1. The old town of Gamla Stan is a no brainer when it comes to Christmas markets and strolling around to soak up the Christmas vibes. And its Christmas market is free, too! Meet a local and share a glass of ‘glögg’, which is Swedish mold wine, or buy your loved ones some eco-friendly gifts like socks or gloves that are knitted in Sweden!

2. Another great option is Skansen, hands down. Skansen is Stockholm’s historic open-air museum where you can walk around traditional farms and landscapes from different regions of Sweden. You can also see moose, reindeer and other Swedish mammals! But why you should visit Skansen over Christmas is the Christmas market they host. It smells of cinnamon that we use to bake ‘pepparkakor’ (which we use to build ginger bread houses!), and ‘glögg’ is easy to find and always warm. Skansen is also a great way to discover Swedish culture and traditions so do not hesitate to bring your kids!

http://stortorgetsjulmarknad.com/sv/julmarknad_bilder.php

3 Hiking and Snowshoeing!

Whatever people might tell you, hiking in Stockholm is best during winter. Think snow covered winter forests, frozen lakes, animals tracks and complete silence around you! Thanks to the many nature reserves and National Parks there is plenty to explore. Best reasons to take a hike during Christmas days:

  • Cross frozen lakes.
  • See animal tracks in the snow.
  • Less people outdoors, chances are good you won’t meet anyone!
  • Quiet forests. The snow absorbs most sounds, creating a special, damped silence. 
  • You may need to wear snowshoes, depending on the amount of snow. This is adventurous and plenty of fun!
  • Sit around a cozy campfire for lunch.

Hellasgården is easily reachable by public transport. A few easy trails and lakes are waiting for you to discover. Often busy due to its good location. Check out SL (Stockholm’s public traffic) on how to get there.

Tyresta National Park is beautiful, but is hard to reach by public transport. It offers 100’s of kilometers of trails, both marked and unmarked. There some well marked routes that are easy to follow in the beginning, but to get deeper into the park it can be tricky to find your way. Don’t forget to bring a map, enough water and a packed lunch! 

If you want to see the best places with a local guide or if you don’t feel comfortable going out by yourself we will gladly take you on our snowshoe winter hiking excursion. We also try out snowshoeing and crossing frozen lakes with safety equipment! Maybe you simply like getting picked up in town for an all arranged hiking trip? We can take you to clear lakes, high cliffs with great view points and deep pristine forests.

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Guide Pieter one one of our winter hikes

4 Did you know that you can actually downhill ski in Stockholm city?

Jep, you read it right! Visit Hammarbybacken (highest top: 93.5 meters / longest piste: 750 meters) and rent a pair of skis. With a total of 6 pistes, Hammarbybacken can well be enjoyed for an hour or two!

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View over Stockholm from Hammarbybacken on a cold winter day

5 Cross country skiing in winter wonderland

As I am writing the article I can see the snow piling up slowly on the trees outside my window. It seems like we are in for a white Christmas. And a white Christmas = cross country skiing! Unfortunately you cannot rent cross country skis in Stockholm. But try renting a pair from Erik in Uppsala!  If you want to learn or improve your technique you are welcome to join our guided skiing adventure. We’ll have time to practice the right moves before an outdoor lunch and in the afternoon we head for a trail going through the forest and passing some lakes.

“It seems like we are in for a white Christmas”

 

These are my favorite things to do for Christmas in Stockholm. I hope that these 5 tips will help you plan your stay. Now before I forget, have a Merry Christmas and I hope to meet you on the ice, in the forest or on the slopes. Share our tips with your friends to plan your Christmas holidays!

/PIERRE

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