Winter in Stockholm

I am back from my vacation... and it was a bit of a shock to return to a very snowy Stockholm after three weeks on a tropical beach. But Stockholm in the winter definitely has its beauty and charm also! Yesterday I took a nice walk around the island of Riddarholmen to enjoy the winter landscape... some of the pictures in this article are from yesterday for inspiration. There are a lot of fun winter actiuvities to do in Stockholm and the immediate vicinity and below you will find some recommendations of what to do.

Hammarbybacken. Photo: Skistar

As Stockholm is a seaside town with no mountains in the area, people really don't equate alpine skiing with the city. But we actually have a slope, called Hammarbybacken, located in the southern suburbs of the city. In fact, from the top of the hill you have splendid views of the city. Hammarbybacken is preparing to open for the season (check their website, linked above, to see when it opens) and it offers 4 pistes and 2 lifts as well a children's area. Ski equipment rental is available as well. Not exactly St Moritz or Aspen, but a fun activity to do when visiting Stockholm during the winter. To get there from the Rival Hotel, take the subway (green line) from nearby Slussen to Gullmarsplan. There you switch to the tvärbanan (tram) to Sickla Kaj. From there it is only a 10 minute walk to the slopes! The whole trip (hotel to slope) should just take you about 30 minutes.

Besides alpine skiing you also have ice skating. You have the choice of skating on an outdoor rink or being adventurous and take a tour on the waterways around the city. For rinks, the best bet is the one located in Kungsträdgården. Centrally located, generous opening hours and skate available. There are several other outdoor rinks throughout the city, but generally skate rental isn't always available. The countryside around Stockholm is filled with lakes, inlets, canals and other waterways... not to mention of 30,000+ islands of the archipelago. This means you can also experience skating on natural ice. In this case, it is strongly recommended that you do this with a guide who knows where to go. One great company for this is Stockholm Adventures. Or Ice Guide.

Skating on natural ice. Photo: Henrik Trygg/ mediabank.visitstockholm.com

More winter activities can be found at the outdoor activity area Hellasgården. Here they have ski paths in the forests and are one of the few places in Stockholm to rent cross country ski equipment. Skate rental is also available if you want to take to the ice of the lake. Feeling particularly courageous? Try ice swimming! They do have a sauna for warming up before and after your dip (not for the faint hearted- literally). Hellasgården is located on the outskirts of the city but only requires a 15 minute bus ride from Slussen (near the Rival Hotel).

Another great tour company which offers winter excursions in and around Stockholm that we like is Green Trails. For example, they offer cross country ski tours (with equipment) which is a wonderful way to get out and see the nature around the city and enjoy the outdoors. They also offer snowshoe hiking and ice skating tours. I think that it is great that these cross country ski tours are now available... only a few years ago it was hard to even find a place that rented skis for visitors. With any of these activities, keep in mind that winter is fickle and they often depend on the amount of ice/snow available. Snow in Stockholm tends to come and go, so keep an eye on the above linked websites or weather sites for up to date information.

Lots of winter activities! However, there is one that you can't find in Stockholm and that is dog sledding or one-horse open sleigh. Every winter I get requests from hotel guests for these types of tours. As I mentioned, winter is fickle in Stockholm. A dog sledding company, for example, needs months of guaranteed snow to be economically feasible. And in that vein, there is no reindeer sledding here either. For these types of activities, you have to travel north to the alpine areas of Dalarna and Jämtland or the far north in Norrbotten. Definitely a fun, side trip when visiting Stockholm in the winter!