Student blogs

Hej hej!
I hope everyone is well and embracing the transition to winter (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, that is)!
Today I wanted to let you know about some of my favourite autumn activities in and around Stockholm!

*Disclaimer*
Some of these activities may not be available currently due to COVID-19, if you plan to do this, please check the current guidelines from the Public Health Agency!

1. Fika

What could be better than sitting inside with your friends, enjoying a coffee and a cake on a chilly autumn day? There are so many cafes and bakeries in Stockholm, and you can normally find a cosy spot for fika. Fika isn’t just about the food and drink, it’s about spending time with friends, and I think that’s a perfect thing to do as the days start to get shorter!

One of the best fikas I have had so far!

2. Mushroom picking

In the UK, I have never heard of anyone going out to pick mushrooms, but in Sweden, it is a completely different story! Throughout the autumn it is a perfect activity to undertake. It gets you outside, immersed in nature, and you normally go with your friends!
Make sure you are with someone who knows about mushrooms, as some can be very poisonous!

Don’t pick this one – it’s poisonous!

3. Walks in nature

There are so many places to walk in nature both in and around Stockholm. There are lots of parks in Stockholm, but also near Jägargatan (where I’m living), we have an area called Årsta which has a lovely forest area by the water which is perfect to walk in. Outside of the city centre, Hellasgården is a lovely place to explore nature, as is Tyresta National Park.
As the autumn this year was a bit milder, blueberries were in the forests up until the end of October. Blueberries (blåbär) taste even better straight from the plant!

Some of the many blueberries I managed to forage!

4. Sauna

The idea of going to the sauna and then jumping in a cold lake doesn’t appeal to some people. I was one of these people, until I tried it! Going to a sauna with the option to jump in the lake means that you need to go a little outside of the city centre. We went to Hellasgården, which is less than 10km away from central Stockholm – I would really recommend trying this, at least once!

5. Visit some of Stockholm’s many museums

There are so many museums in Stockholm, so you can always find somewhere to visit that interests you! For a rainy day, check out Tina’s blog for some wonderful ideas of where to visit. Otherwise, if you’re looking for something outdoors, I would recommend Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum. It has old houses to show how Swedes used to live, many small shops that show artisan crafts, and a zoo where you can see native Swedish animals, including bears!

One of the many ‘streets’ in Skansen

I hope that this gives you some ideas of things you can get up to in Stockholm! A lot of these are outdoor activities, and even though there are no longer mushrooms around, you can still wrap up warm and enjoy some of these in the winter! // Katie