Go There puts Stockholm on the map

Go There puts Stockholm on the map

Promotion gives free access to the city’s main attractions

Stockholm by Matt Bond

Cresta hosted an educational for eight agents to Sweden’s capital city as part of its Stockholm Go There promotion.

Launched last week for October to April, the promotion is run in conjunction with Scandanavian Air Services, the Stockholm Tourist Board and Scandic Hotels.

Now in its second year, the Go There card gives visitors free access to many of the city’s museums and attractions and free public transport in the city.

Also included is the 20-minute train journey on the Arlanda Express from the airport to the heart of the city.

Travel Weekly’s Matt Bond joined the agents for the two-day visit to see what the card offered and how the agents would respond.

Day one

1pm. The 9.30am SASflight landed at Arlanda airport at lunchtime but we had no time to acclimatise or nip to the nearest bar for an Absolut and tonic. Instead, we were whisked away to the first of many museum visits.

2pm. Stockholm is not a city short on museums, with just under 70 in total. The first visit was to the National Museum of Fine Arts, Sweden’s largest art museum, where furniture, jewellery and design classics are on display.

We filled the rest of the day with visits to Svensk Form, a Swedish Design Exposition, and the Museum of Modern Art which caused some amusement as everybody tried to work out the meaning behind a piece consisting of a stuffed sheep with a tyre around its waist.

5pm. A must see for any visitor to Stockholm is Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old medieval sector, which formed the foundations of the city over 700 years ago. Now, the same cobbled streets and brightly painted buildings boast a variety of small bars and cafés where an evening’s outdoor drinking can be enjoyed if you wrap up warm.

8pm. The evening atmosphere was anything but medieval. We dined at the minimalist Restaurant Sturehof situated in the city centre. Sweden is famous for its seafood and herring is a particular favourite: pickled, salted, you name it, it will probably be on the menu. Not a personal favourite but the wine flowed freely until the early hours.

Day two

9.30am. The morning after the night before … a nightclub had given us all the chance to bond – outbursts of limbo dancing played a part here – and everyone, including me, was feeling a little fragile as we approached the ferry terminal to Djurgården Island.

10am. Thankfully it was a smooth crossing to Sweden’s most visited museum, the Vasa.

The sight of the warship Vasa which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 was enough to wake us up.

More than 750,000 people are expected to visit the museum this year to see the almost complete warship, which sank after being overladen with armour and adornements.

2pm. Most of the group visited nearby Skansen, the world’s first open-air museum, founded in 1891, and wandered among its 74 acres of landscaped gardens that chart the history of Sweden. More than 160 life size farmsteads and houses from all over the country have been built and a small animal park with bears, monkeys and moose gave the chance to see some of Sweden’s wildlife.

8pm. More herring was on offer tonight when traditional Swedish dishes were served at one of the city’s most impressive hotels, the Radisson SASRoyal Viking, which has a towering central foyer and a glass spiral staircase.

I declined the herring but enjoyed another local delicacy, färskpotatis, new potatoes boiled with dill.

Final day

11.30am. More museum visits today as we visited Junibacken, home to the museum of Swedish children’s literature, in particular Astrid Lindgren, creator of Pippi Longstocking.

After a ride on a floating train through the make-believe lands of Lindgren’s stories we enjoyed our last meal in Stockholm at the top of the 155 metre Kaknäs Tower, the highest observation tower in Scandanavia, and had a chance to reflect on an informative and enjoyable weekend.

&#42 All the attractions andtransport options mentioned are available free with aGo There card which is only available through a Cresta package.

Stockholm old town: the cobbled streets and bright buildings boast many trendy bars and cafés

Sampleproduct

The three-star ScandicMalmen Hotel is featured in Cresta’s Stockholm Go There promotion weekend package. The lead-in price for a two-night weekend stay is £249 per person,including breakfast and flights. A three-night stay over Friday, Saturday and Sunday leads in at £289 and also includes the Go There card, flights and breakfast.

Stockholm – the agents’ view

“Stockholm is very clean and tidy but I thought the people were a bit glum. My favourite place was Skansen, which had lots of Swedish culture and I could see families going there for picnics and a day out. I would recommend Stockholm for more mature couples or families wanting a short break to a Scandinavian country. It will appeal more to culture lovers, art lovers and people who like parks and walking.”

Howard Handley, BG Travel Worldchoice, West Malling, Kent

“My favourite spot was the Museum of Modern Art which wasn’t typically Swedish but I liked the variety and the open spaces inside. I would sell Stockholm to the younger market because it is a very modern city.Perhaps it would suit a yuppie couple who have a bit of money, but it would definitely appeal to a younger clientele more than older.”

Nicky James, Thames Valley Travel, Twylord, Berkshire

“Stockholm is never going to be very popular, but the Vasa museum was my favourite because the ship had real character. I would sell Stockholm to amiddle-aged, more affluent couple who just want to get away and can’t get anywhere else. Most people have done Paris and Amsterdam and if they want to go somewhere different for three nights then it’s fine.”

Linda Dwan, Baldwins Travel, Tonbridge, Kent