Day 3 – A 3-hour bike tour round Stockholm
Today was much hotter than the previous day and involved a 9 am start. I had organised a 3-hour sightseeing tour by bike since I had enjoyed my cycling experience so much in April when I had visited Rottnest Island off Perth, Australia. I hadn’t realised how much I had missed cycling until that trip, as I used to do so much at one time. There were quite a few cycling tours on offer in Stockholm, but I ended up booking this one with Stockholm Adventures. The bikes are city bikes, and everyone was measured for their bikes and offered a suitable helmet. You could also purchase water bottles that fitted on the bike, plus there was water available before and after the bike tour. It is worth noting that there is nowhere on the bike to store anything, so if you need to take any belongings with you they will have to go in your pockets or in a small bag that can go over your shoulder or on your back.
We set off with our guide cycling ahead of us, and one person in our group had to volunteer to wear the ‘Gold Helmet’ and stay at the rear of the group to ensure that no one got left behind. It was a nice small group, as there were only ten of us. There are plenty of cycle lanes set up in Scandinavia, so it was perfect to cycle around and there were only some areas where we had to cross traffic and go over pedestrian crossings.
The trip was most enjoyable, and we all got a great taste of the contrasting areas of Stockholm, including the Royal Palace, City Hall, and the famous Vasa Museum. There is also impressive Gamla Stan which is Stockholm’s oldest town and has beautiful colourful houses from the 17th and 18th century along cobbled streets and around a square that has a number of lively cafes and restaurants. Throughout the tour, short stops were made for us to be informed by our guide of the local history of each area. We also rode out into the countryside which wouldn’t have been accessible by any other form of transport. We also had a lovely scenic stop at a rural café that sold homemade cakes, drinks, and other fresh and wholesome cuisine. So, this tour comes well recommended and was a great way to see some of Stockholm’s wonderful sights.
In the evening, I had a little trip over to Grona Lund, and I did actually take a Bolt taxi over to here. Grona Lund is a theme park with quite a few rides. If you go after 7pm it is cheaper, but not all the rides are open. However, the best rides were still open at that time, and I have to say that a couple of those rides were really scary - and I have been on all the big rides in the US! It was a good way to spend my last evening in Stockholm, and the weather had turned because it started to rain. There were a few snack stalls still open in the evening, too. So, if you fancy a bit of adrenalin whilst you are in Stockholm, this is the place to go!
There are plenty of museums to see in Stockholm too, which I didn’t get to see, including an Abba one if you are an Abba fan! I believe the museums are all really good, so perhaps give a couple a try if you visit here and have enough time.