Parks and Outdoor Areas in Stockholm

Haga Park

As most people are aware, Sweden chose a different path in tackling Covid 19. Sweden did not, like most other countries, lock down entirely. Instead, the government mandated certain restrictions and set out recommendations which they expect citizens to follow. I am not going to get into the politics of it, but so far it seems that we have passed the top of the curve. Fingers crossed! However, I will say that I have seen a lot of misleading statements and information in articles from foreign publications about the "Swedish model". For example, Swedes are not living life as normal. Like I mentioned, there are many restrictions in place... museums, concerts, festivals, sporting events are all (for the most part) closed or cancelled until further notice. Older students (high school and college) study from home, people are also working from home when possible, restaurants are required to space tables to keep social distancing, etc. I have read one article that is more accurate than the others: Vanity Fair. You can click here for more information for visitors regarding Covid 19.

Haga Park

At any rate, when travel rules are eased in the future, and you plan to visit Stockholm but might still be a bit nervous... here are some tips for parks and outdoor areas, which are great to visit when you want to keep space between you and others while still enjoying the beauty of the city! Swedes love space and, as our former Prime Minister Carl Bildt recently said in an interview, Swedes have been practicing social distancing for centuries. Stockholm, a large city, is often described as being comprised of 1/3 city, 1/3 water and 1/3 green areas. No Stockholmer lives more than 400 meters from a green area (park, woodland, fields, etc.). So, when you visit Stockholm, get outside and walk, jog or bike around the city! Visit Stockholm has made a list of 11 beautiful parks to visit in Stockholm.

Haga Park

The largest and most famous park in Stockholm is called Djurgården. It is actually the world's first National City Park. What is a "national city park"? It must be in an urban area, include a unique historical landscape of cultural importance and be suitable for people's recreation. Most people just assume that this park is the same as the island Djurgården where many of the city's main attractions are found (Skansen, Vasa Museum, Gröna Lund, ABBA the Museum plus much more). But this island is actually just a small part of the entire park which actually stretches all around the northeast part of the city and includes Ulriksdal, the pastures of Gärdet, Fjäderholmarna islands and Haga Park as well. The northern part of the park also has many attractions, including the Natural History Museum and Haga Palace. Keep in mind that the above mentioned museums and attractions are, for the most part, temporarily closed due to Covid 19. Check their websites to get updated information if they have reopened. I will write a blog article when they start to reopen with more information. It is good to note that Skansen, an open-air museum and our zoo, is one of the only museums still currently open as it is almost all outdoors.

Kungsholmen

Stockholm has another interesting feature that allows for a lot of outdoor exploration. Citizens, by law, have the right to walk along waterfronts and shorelines. This law is called allemansrätten (everyman's right). This means that you can walk, jog and bike pretty much around all 14 islands which make up Stockholm. There are a few small exceptions where the terrain doesn't allow this (i.e. cliffs or rocky outcrops). Make sure you take advantage of all of this free outdoor space when you are in Stockholm. And don't forget, during our summer months we have up to 20 hours of daylight, giving you even more opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors while visiting Stockholm. We have had some really beautiful spring days recently, so I was out one day in Haga Park and the other day I walked around the island of Kungsholmen. The pictures in this article are from those two days!

Kungsholmen

Kungsholmen

Kungsholmen

Haga Park