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Which international folk villain is coming for you?

Overview

Like Locals Do: Explore a City With a Greeter Guide

Writer Alexandra Marshall finds the reality behind the mystique of craft and artistry in the world’s fashion capital.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent writer Susan Orlean on a spontaneous journey to Denmark.

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent Vendela Vida on a spontaneous journey to St. Maarten.

Split! Eight Quirky Border Towns

AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent Chris Colin on a spontaneous journey to Iceland.

Art, design, and handmade crafts are popular in Stockholm, and Sweden is known for its minimalist style—simple yet functional and attractive. Savvy shoppers can easily unearth made-to-order food offerings, custom-made soaps and chocolates, Swedish-designed home goods, and even surf-culture attire. Stockholm is also known for its secondhand shops, flea markets, antique design stores, and vintage flair, and the city sports a slew of boutiques.

From hidden gems to full-scale department stores, Sweden’s cities and small towns offer a range of shopping experiences. Whether you’re looking for that perfect piece of modern design by a Swedish designer for your home or want to do some vintage shopping in Stockholm, the country’s best goods are straight ahead.

In the last decade or so, Swedish cuisine has undergone a radical transformation, with young chefs at popular restaurants embracing seasonal ingredients that are local, organic, and sustainable at popular restaurants, alongside food halls and cafés serving traditional dishes and pastries.

The plains and fields of Southwest Sweden—known as Västergötland—are filled with farms and various industries, but the province also played an important part in early Swedish history. This part of the country was inhabited long before Christianity was introduced, and visitors will find rune stones, prehistoric graves, and remnants Viking life in the area.

Minimalist and simple yet functional and attractive, Swedish design is often heralded worldwide as always trendy under the “less is more” mantra. Established in 2007, HAPPYsthlm (sthlm = Stockholm) located in Gamla stan is a Swedish design company founded by designers Katarina Andersson, Kajsa Aronsson and Caroline Lindholm, and the store sells handmade fabrics, textiles, ceramics, and jewelry.

When you need to get out, but you are not sure where to go, that is the precise moment to remember that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the drive. Visions of rambling hills, populated with quaint, artful farmhouses like this one are an integral part of the southern landscape of Skåne, southern Sweden. I know this isn’t Heidi country, but somehow these farmhouses remind me of a peaceful, storybook lifestyle, where you eat good, dark bread, fresh goat cheese, breathe in the brisk, fresh air, and your cheeks immediately turn rosy.

Once a nondescript part of Stockholm’s center, Brunkebergstorg has been revitalized by the addition of two excellent new hotels (At Six and Hobo) and Tak, a rooftop bar with perhaps the best views you can see while enjoying an Aperol spritz or the house martini made with vodka, sake, and a touch of sherry. The panorama really is something special, taking in the whole of the city. One floor down is the restaurant where head chef Frida Ronge serves food that fuses Nordic ingredients and Japanese techniques, with dishes such as arctic char with daikon and grilled Swedish beef with yuzu kosho vinaigrette.