What to do on New Years Weekend?

(This is old information, for current info... click here!) What to do this New years weekend? Plenty to do... be aware that some museums are open one day and closed the other. Almost all stores are closed on New years Day... and many restaurants.


Friday, December 31th

Museums- Skansen is open from 10am to midnight. A very popular place with Swedes to ring in the New Year... with the hour before midnight filled with music and entertainment. Besides Skansen, the other museums open today are the Vasa Museum and the East Asian Antiquities Museum (Terracotta Warrior exhibit).
The changing of the guards at the Royal Palace in the Old Town: 12:15pm
Tours- Strömma offers the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, Panorama bus tour as well as the Winter boat tour and Little Archipelago boat tour everyday all weekend.
Other activities- The midnight firework display will take place over the water on the eastern side of Stockholm (ocean side). This can easily be viewed anywhere on the waterfront or a place with a good view.
Ice skating at Kungsträdgården from 11am to 8pm. Hammarbybacken is open for skiing 9am to 4pm. 
Restaurants- Many restaurants closed and the ones that are open serve the traditional nyårsspé dinner. Hope you have a reservation... it's very hard to get one last minute!
Stores- many open, with shorter hours. NK Department store open 10am to 5pm. Gallerian shopping center open 11am to 5pm. Skrapan shopping center open 10am to 4pm.

Saturday, January 1st

Museums- Skansen, Fotografiska, The History Museum and the East Asian Antiquities Museum (where you can see the Terracotta Warrior Exhibition) are all open.
The changing of the guards at the Royal Palace in the Old Town: 1:15pm
Tours- Strömma offers the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, Panorama bus tour as well as the Winter boat tour and Little Archipelago boat tour  everyday all weekend.
Other activities- Ice skating at Kungsträdgården from 11am to 8pm. Hammarbybacken is open for skiing 11am to 6pm.
Restaurants- Many restaurants are closed (hungover staff?)... there are restaurants open in the Stureplan district as well as hotel restaurants. Rival Bistro is open.
Stores- Most are closed, including NK, Gallerian and Skrapan.

Sunday, January 2nd

Museums- all major museums, including the Vasa Museum, are open for business.
The changing of the guards at the Royal Palace in the Old Town: 1:15pm
Tours- Strömma offers the Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, Panorama bus tour as well as the Winter boat tour and Little Archipelago boat tour everyday all weekend.
Other activities- Ice skating at Kungsträdgården from 11am to 8pm. Hammarbybacken is open for skiing 9am to 6pm.
Restaurants- many more restaurants are open for business, but it is a Sunday... so restaurants that are generally closed on Sundays will be closed today!
Stores- Open for business again! NK Department store open 12pm to 5pm. Gallerian shopping center open 11am to 5pm. Skrapan shopping center open 11am to 6pm.

The weather this weekend? Temperatures around -5 Celsius and snowfall expected late on New Year's Eve and in the morning on New Year's Day.

Happy New Years!
.

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New Year's Eve in Stockholm- 2013!

Christmas is finally over... and New Years is just around the corner! If you are visiting the city this coming weekend, then I hope you have already finalized your New Year's Eve plans because it's getting down to the wire. Here are some things you should be aware of when making your plans:

• Restaurants- Many restaurants are closed on the 31st. The ones that are open generally serve a traditional multiple course menu called nyårssupé and nothing else. It can be anywhere between 3 and 9 courses and cost anywhere between 500 and 1200 SEK, depending on the restaurant. This means that going out for a simple dinner or quick bite will probably be problematic unless you are looking at pubs or fast food establishments. These dinners are quite popular and the restaurants tend to fill up, so don't leave it to the last minute! Most of these restaurants have two seatings during the evening... an early (5-8:30pm) and a late (8:30pm-12am). There are a select few that serve both the nyårssupé alongside a regular menu. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact us as soon as possible to make arrangements!
• Nightclubs- Here it is important to plan ahead as well. Tickets to the parties at the nightclubs can be pre-purchased in advance. If you don't pre-purchase a ticket, you can end up standing in long lines in subzero temperatures! Here are some of the larger nightclub parties this year: Stureplansgruppen (an umbrella group that runs several nightclubs), Café Opera, Södra Teatern and Berns. These are the more posh nightclub venues... there are, of course, many smaller parties going on at different venues.
• Taxis- These are notoriously hard to catch on New Year's Eve... especially after 11pm. This is because of the huge demand. Most taxi companies don't accept prebookings because they don't want their cars tied up waiting for people who don't show up. You don't have to worry about being stranded though... the subways will be running all night long. If nighttime subways aren't your thing, just make sure that you are within walking distance of your hotel. Stockholm isn't that big so this isn't that hard to accomplish. And remember... be careful when catching taxis in Sweden!
• Fireworks- Locals will be setting off their own fireworks throughout the city, especially in the parks & squares and at midnight. The official fireworks will be shot off above the harbor (eastern side of Gamla Stan). The best places to see the fireworks are along the waterfront, by the City Hall, on Fjällgatan or Monteliusvägen. Some places will be quite crowded, especially the Slussen area which will be cordoned off from car traffic, but you will still be able to see the fireworks!
• Skansen- Once again, this is the center of Swedish holiday tradition. This is the spectacle that is televised and shown around all of Sweden... kind of like the Swedish version of the ball dropping at Times Square. There will be music and speeches and the official countdown. Skansen is also a great place to see the official fireworks! To be honest, I'm not sure how much someone who doesn't speak Swedish will get out of the event as most of the program is in Swedish... but it is an option. The program starts at 11:10pm and ends at 00:10am.

The Rival Hotel- our restaurant is already fully booked on this evening! However... our bars are open until 2am and there is no entrance fee (rare on this evening). There will be a DJ playing and the square in front of the hotel is a popular place for the locals to light their fireworks.

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Church Services on Christmas and New Year's 2013

Storkyrkan at the top...

And finally, after info about restaurants, museums and shopping during the holidays, church services! The two main Christian denominations in Sweden are Lutheran and Catholicism. There are, of course, many churches spread throughout Stockholm... but I will concentrate on the larger churches (more likely to have services in languages other than Swedish). If you are staying at the Rival Hotel and are interested in other churches or religions (Judaism, Islam, etc;), come speak with us directly.

Storkyrkan (Lutheran)- Located in Gamla Stan.
-December 24th: 4:30pm Christmas music and prayer. 11pm Midnight Mass (in Swedish).
-December 25th: 07:00am traditional early morning service called Julotta. 11:00am High Mass (both in Swedish).
-January 1st: 11:00am High Mass (in Swedish). 4:00pm New Year's Concert.

St Jacobs Kyrka (Lutheran)- Located next to Kungsträdgården.
-December 24th: 5:00pm Christmas service ("with lots of music and singing. No communion").

Katolska Domkyrkan (Catholic)- Main Catholic Church in Sweden. Located on Södermalm. there are plenty more service times, the ones listed below are "highlights".
-December 24th: 8:00am mass in Swedish, 9:00pm mass in Italian, 10:00am mass in Croatian and a midnight mass with Bishop Anders Aborelius (at midnight!).
-December 25th: 8:45am mass in Italian, 11:00am Pontifical High Mass with Bishop Anders Aborelius, 2:00pm mass in Swedish, 5:00pm mass in Polish and 6:30pm mass in Swedish.
-December 31st: 5:00pm Thanksgiving Mass with "Te Deum".
-January 1st: 11:00am High Mass (language?), 12:30pm mass in Croatian, 2:00pm mass in Spanish and 6:30pm mass in Swedish.

St Eugenia (Catholic)- Located next to Kungsträdgården. Below are also just "highlights", many other days and times for masses. But the good thing to know is that St Eugenia is the place to go for Catholic mass in English.
-December 24th: 7:30pm Christmas prayer, 8:00pm open house, 10:00pm Christmas mass (Swedish) and midnight Christmas mass (in English).
-December 25th: 11:00am High Mass (Swedish) and 6:00pm High Mass (English).
-December 31st: 4:00pm Year's end mass (Swedish).
-January 1st: 11:00am High Mass (Swedish) and 6:00pm High Mass (English).

I am now off for a week... spending the holidays with family in northern Sweden (Luleå). I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Riddarholmen Church- no services, but pretty to look at!

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Stores and Subways on Christmas & New Year's 2013

NK with holiday decorations!

So far I've covered restaurants and museums during the holidays... now on to stores and public transportation! Stores and boutiques all, of course, have their own individual opening hours. But you can generally say that they close early on December 24th & 31st and are closed on December 25th and January 1st. There are always exceptions to the rule! Here are the special holiday opening hours for some of the larger department stores and shopping centers. Take a look at their websites for information about other specific dates.

• NK department store: open from 10am to 9pm on the days leading up to Christmas. 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 10am to 5pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Åhlens City department store: open from 10am to 10pm on the days leading up to Christmas. 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 10am to 6pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Mood shopping center: 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 10am to 5pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Gallerian shopping center:  open from 10am to 8pm on the days leading up to Christmas. 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 11am to 5pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Sturegallerian shopping center: open from 10am to 8pm on the days leading up to Christmas. 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 10am to 2pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Skrapan shopping center: open from 10am to 8pm on the days leading up to Christmas. 10am to 2pm on December24th, closed on December 25th, open from 10am to 4pm to December 31st and closed on January 1st.
• Barkarby Outlets: closed on December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
• Systembolaget (state run liquor stores): They are closed on Sundays, December 24th, 25th and 26th. On December 31st they close at 2pm and are completely closed on January 1st. So... plan your shopping wisely!

The days in between Christmas and New Year's are called mellandagarna ("middle days") and are some of the biggest shopping days of the year. This is due to the sales! Keep your eyes open for signs saying rea ("sale") or mellandagsrea ("middle day sale"). Buying electronics is especially popular during these days.

Public transportation runs a little differently during the holidays... several days on a Saturday schedule (less frequently) or Sunday schedule (even less frequently). Of specific interest is the night schedule for the subways. Here are the subway's hours on specific days:

• December 24th- 10 minute traffic until 3pm, half hour traffic in the evening and no traffic at night.
• December 25th- "Sunday schedule" starting at 6am, including the night (25-26th).
• December 26th- "Sunday schedule" all day, however no traffic at night (26-27th).
• December 31st- "Saturday schedule" all day and all night (31-1st).
• January 1st- Regular "Sunday schedule". 

One note for busses: they cordon offthe area around Slussen from motor vehicle traffic starting at 8:30pm on December 31st (until after midnight). This is because of the fireworks and that people tend to congregate there. This means that several bus lines going through Slussen will be rerouted. If you are out at night and there are no subways and you don't want to deal with busses... you can take a taxi. But be aware of which taxi you take! We recommend Taxi Stockholm. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact us if you need help in organizing a taxi. It is notoriously hard to get a taxi late on New Year's Eve and the taxi companies don't accept pre bookings on this date... so you might want to plan on walking or taking the subway (just in case). 

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Museums During the Christmas Holidays 2013/11

(EDIT: this is infor for 2013/11, for current info... click here!) Museums and other tourist sites have pretty generous opening hours during the holiday season. There is no day where eveything is closed! Here is a short list of the most popular museums and the days they are closed, which will make it easier for you to plan your stay in Stockholm!

Vasa Museum- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th and January 1st.
Skansen- open 365 days a year!
National Museum- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th and 31st as well as January 1st.
History Museum- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th and 31st.
Fotografiska- closed December 24th and 31st.
Nordic Museum-  closed December 24th, 25th and 31st.
Nobel Museum- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
Mideaval Museum- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
East Asian Antiquities Museum(Terracotta Army exhibit)- closed December 24th
Stockholm City Museum- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st. They are still offering the Stieg Larsson Millenium tour on Christmas Day and New Years Day, but be aware that you need to buy tickets ahead of time as the museum is closed.
Royal Palace(and adjacent museums)- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
Millesgården- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th and January 1st.
Modern Art (Moderna)- closed Mondays, December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.

So, in short... you have Skansen open everyday including the 24th, East Asian Antiquities and Fotografiska on the 25th, Vasa on the 31st and History on the 1st. So you always have at least two museums to choose from everyday (except the 24th)!

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Museums During Christmas and New Year's 2013

Now... on to museums! There is always something open so you don't have to worry about wandering the streets aimlessly. However, many are closed on the major holidays (some more than others) so a list will help you plan your holiday visit better. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel and can't find the museum you are interested in... contact me directly. Stockholm has 80+ museums and I am only covering the major ones here! Please note that the National Museum is closed for renovations and instead they have exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (listed below). Some museums are closed on Mondays and I have added those dates as well when applicable (Dec. 23rd and 30th this year).

• Skansen- open every day! Shorter hours on ceratin days.
• Vasa Museum- closed on December 23rd, 24th, 25th and January 1st.
• ABBA The Museum- closed only on December 24th!
• Fotografiska (photography)- closed only on December 24th!
• Skeppsholms Caverns (Bergrummet)- closed on December 24th, 25th, 31st and January 1st.
• Moderna (modern art)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Center for Architecture & Design- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Nobel Museum- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Historiska (history)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th and 31st. 
• Nordiska (nordic traditions)- closed on December 24th and 25th. 
• Medeltids (medieval history)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Stadshuset (city hall)- closed December 24th, 25th, 26th and January 1st. Closes a bit earlier on other days.
• Spritmuseum (alcohol spirits)- closed December 24th, 25th and 31st. 
• Royal Palace- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Livrustkammaren (royal armoury)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, & 31st.
• Konstakademien (Royal Acad. of Fine Arts)- closed December 24th, 25th and 31st.
• Millesgården (art museum)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th and 30th.
• Thielska Galleriet (art museum)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Liljevalchs (art museum)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, 31st and January 1st.
• Waldemarsudde (art museum)- closed December 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, & 31st.
• Drottningholm Palace- closed between the 15th & 30th of December. Open daily between December 31st and January 6th (Swedish school's winter break). Click here for program.
• Naturhistoriska (natural history)- closed December 23rd, 24th and 30th.

Sightseeing tours, provided by the company Strömma, are offered everyday during the holidays... like the Panorama bus tour and the Winter boat tour among others! The company Free Tours have walking tours everyday except December 24th and, as the name suggests, they are free. On the other hand, Stockholm Our Way is taking a holiday break... no guided tours between Dec 22nd and Jan 6th. So, with this list you should be able to keep yourself culturally active every day of your holiday visit in Stockholm.

Christmas tree in front of Fotografiska on a snowy day last year!

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Restaurants During Christmas and New Year's 2013

Over the next two weeks, I will be doing a series of articles detailing which days restaurants, museums, shops and church services are open/closed during the holiday season to help you plan your visit in Stockholm. First up... restaurants!

Chefs at F12 (photo by Wolfgang Kleinschmidt)

Restaurants are a little tricky this time of year. Some restaurants are open every evening, others are just closed on the major holidays while others may be closed for up to three weeks. Christmas Eve (December 24th) is the hardest! Almost all restaurants are closed with the exception of hotel restaurants (like the Rival Bistro) and a scattered few others in Gamla Stan and on Djurgården. Christmas Day is also a bit difficult... though better than the previous day as more restaurants are open for business. Some restaurants may even be closed on Boxing Day (Dec. 26th). Around New Year's you have similar problems: on the 31st many restaurants are closed and the ones that are open generally serve a traditional multiple course set menu, called nyårssupé, and nothing else. There are a select few restaurants that are open and just serve from their regular menu. If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact me directly for help in reserving tables. And don't wait too long... restaurants tend to fill up (especially on New Year's Eve)! January 1st will find many restaurants closed for business as both staff and patrons are generally hiding under the covers, resting up!

Chef's Table at the Rival Bistro.

As I mentioned earlier... some restaurants close for 2-3 weeks during the holidays. Sadly, for foodies and gourmands, these are generally Michelin star and other high end restaurants. Here is a list of some of the restaurants that are closed for a longer period of time this holiday season:

• Mathias Dahlgren(Matsalen & Matbaren)- closed from December 22nd through January 6th. 
• Frantzén- closed from December 22nd through January 6th. 
• F12- closed from December 22nd through January 12th (open New Year's Eve).
• Gastrologik- closed from December 22nd through January 6th.
• Oaxen Krog & Slip- closed from December 22nd through January 8th.
• Ekstedts- closed from December 22nd through January 8th, with the exception of Dec 26, 27 & 28.
• Esperanto- closed from December 22nd through January 9th.
• Lux Day by Day- closed from December 23rd through January 2nd. 
• Djuret- closed from December 22nd through January 2nd.
• B.A.R.- closed from December 22nd through January 1st. 
• Wedholm's Fisk- closed from December 23rd through January 6th. 
• GQ- closed from December 23rd through January 7th.
• Jonas- closed December 22nd through January 6th (open New Year's Eve). their Food & Wine Bar is open on Dec 27th & 28th as well as Jan 3rd & 4th.
• Himlen- closed from December 22nd through January 8th (open on New Year's Eve).
• Kryp In- closed from December 23rd through January 7th. 
• Pubologi- closed from December 22nd through January 2nd.
• Sjögräs- closed from December 22nd through January 7th. 
• Östermalm's Saluhall (indoor food market and popular place for lunch- no dinner)- closed on December 24th, 25th, 26th and 29th as well as January 1st. 

I have actually compiled a list of 90 Stockholm restaurants and which days they are closed/open during the holidays. So, if you are staying at the Rival Hotel (lucky you!), contact me and I will help you find restaurants for your stay. And I would, of course, be remiss in not mentioning that the Rival Bistro is open every evening... year round!

Esperanto.

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Restaurants During the Christmas & New Year Holidays




Photo by: Henrik Trygg, Stockholms Visitors Board

(Edit: for current information click here for a newer blog article!) I have already written about this once, but it is time for a friendly reminder...
As a tourist coming to Stockholm, you should be aware that many restaurants close during the holiday season. Some close just for the main holiday dates (Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, etc;), others close for a few more extra days while others actually close for a couple of weeks. When it comes to Christmas Eve, you should plan on eating in a hotel restaurant. They are the only restaurants of real quality open on that date. Many of the major hotels are open to general public, so you do have a choice! The Rival's Bistro is open to all guests (whether you are staying at the hotel or not) during the entire holiday season and there you can enjoy a menu filled with both Swedish Classics and international favorites. We will not be serving a Christmas smörgåsbord this year. To make a reservation, contact the bistro at bistro@rival.se . On Christmas Day a few more restaurants open in the city for business again and on Boxing Day a few more... so you don't have to only eat at hotels during your stay. As many restaurants do close, the ones that are open do tend to fill up so reserving a table on the same day can be difficult in some cases. I would recommend, if you are staying at The Rival Hotel, to contact me at concierge@rival.se and I will help you with recommendations of restaurants that are open as well as with eventual table reservations. If you are not staying at the Rival then I suggest you contact your hotel for help.


Photo by: Henrik Trygg, Stockholms Visitors Board

Regarding the New Year's weekend, it is New Year's Eve that is the tricky day. While some restaurants are closed, the majority will be open and will be serving a traditional multi-course New Years supper (nyårssupé). This is quite popular and last minute reservations are a near impossibilty... so make sure you have your dinner plans arranged before coming to Stockholm! The Rival's Bistro will be serving a traditional nyårssupé starting at 7:30pm. After dinner there will be a DJ playing in the Cocktail Bar, which is open until 2am. Local fireworks can be viewed from the Bistro's balcony, otherwise it is only a 10 minute walk down to the waterfront where the official firework display can be seen at midnight. For more information about the Rival's New year's Eve dinner and celebration click here. Many restaurants will be closed on New Years Day and the next (mainly due to staff hangovers one can assume!). Once again, if you are staying at the hotel, contact me for recommendations and reservations...

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