Avoid These TOURIST TRAPS in STOCKHOLM
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- Stockholm has a lot of amazing attractions, but it also has a fair amount of overpriced things to see and do. This video is all about tourist traps in the capital of Sweden.
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I've previously made a video about scams in Stockholm, but this time I'm focusing on things that just cost too much for the value they give you. None of these things are scams - they're all providing a good service of some kind, but you might still want to think twice about visiting them.
Aside from just listing things to avoid, I also give you alternatives to everything mentioned, so that you know what the cheaper alternatives are.
The things discussed in this video include:
- How to get to Stockholm City from Arlanda Airport. Taxi and Arlanda Express are just a bit too overpriced, since you can take Flygbussarna, Nettbus, Flixbus or public transport instead.
- Boat tours of the Stockholm canals are quite nice, but also quite pricey. Instead, you can for example rent a kayak or take a boat tour to the archipelago for a cheaper price.
- The SkyView attraction on top of Avicii Arena (formerly The Globe Arena) takes you up 85 meters into the air so that you can get a lovely view of Stockholm. But then again...you also get a fantastic view for free from Skinnarviksberget or Monteliusvägen.
- Tipping is very common in some countries. Sweden is not one of those countries.
- Stockholm Old Town, Gamla stan, might be seen as a tourist trap. I'm discussing pros and cons about why it is or isn't a tourist trap, and also go into details about restaurants, gift shops and other details in the area.
- Alcohol is expensive in Sweden, but it doesn't have to be. I list some areas to avoid, and some places where you can find cheaper bars (Södermalm and Sveavägen).
- Night clubs in Stockholm sound like a tempting thing to try when visiting Sweden, but are they really all that good? I recommend some alternatives such as Syntax Error, Nalen, Debaser, or just regular old pubs or places like Laika at Hornstull.
- Finally, let's circle back to taxis. Aside from public transport, you also have options like Bolt, Uber and electric scooter. Or why not walk?
#stockholm #touristtrap #scams
That bouncer makes it obvious to all of us why we hate them. 11:12
I am SO happy that he gave me the finger(s). I couldn't have illustrated it better if I tried :D
@@ThreeStarVagabond yes you are right a better illustration is impossible!
I have lived in Stockholm all my life. This review is totally accurate.
You nailed it! Great review!
Haha, thank you! :D
Informative as usual!
Happy to hear that! :D
If you had a long flight into Stockholm, 15+hours, then the Arlanda express is totally worth it to me. Flying there from Tennessee I was exhausted and was happy to just get the ticket and get to my hotel. And Cafe Restaurant Sten Sture in Gamla Stan was pretty expensive, at least for the Elk, but it was delicious and the staff there were the best I’ve experienced in my 3 trips to Stockholm. That was a true gem I found during my last trip.
That's fair enough! I think it's always a case by case basis, whether or not something is worth the extra cost. Regardless if it's food or transport, or anything regarding comforts and convenience on a trip :)
On point and honest information, right on man!
Cheers, thanks a lot :D
Good clips that I found quite interesting and has helped me a lot when coming again to Sweden thank you 🙏
Thank you! :D Really happy to hear that - cheers!
bra video med grymma tips 🎉
Tack! Jättekul att höra :D
Thanks for your nice video and trips❤
And thank you for checking them out :D
I really enjoy your videos. 👍🏻
So happy to hear that! Thanks a lot :D
Brilliant share, i was hoping to visit Sweden next year and your tips came just at the right time.This video will sure help me keep costs down because I travel on a budget.Thanks so much for a very informative share, I'm looking forward to future videos to follow your adventures thru your lenses.
So happy to hear that! Hope you'll have a great trip - and I'm glad if I have some useful tips to offer in preparation for it all :D
Skanstull and Hornstull have cheap places to eat and drink. Have you been hehre yet. ;)
If you're on a really tight budget and you want to go between Arlanda and Stockholm City, you can take an SL bus to Märsta and then take the commuter train to City. That way you avoid the bonus fee you're required to pay if you opt to take the commuter train directly from Arlanda to City.
That's a brilliant suggestion! To be honest, I've never bothered to take that route - that's why I didn't even consider it for this list....
@@ThreeStarVagabond I always take that route, once you get used to it's not complicated at all and you won't lose much time.
@@michaelkjellander9370 Awesome tip then! Thanks for that!
Does the SL app still don't work for foreign credit cards or did they fix it?
@@quaissag368 I really hope they fixed it, 'cause the SL app and using contactless credit cards directly in the machines are the only means of payment these days!
Thank you. i appreciate this. 😄
And I appreciate comments like this ^_^
Great tips and quite spot on. What you should may have pointed out , is that, alongside the boat tours there are many normal boat (bus) transportation operators that cover a myriad of different islands at a very reasonable cost and which tends to pass by most of the areas the boat tours cover as well as go even further afield. I believe even on some you are able to use the regular subway cards to various destinations.Also you missed that they have a regular Arlanda express bus service also that is a at reasonable price and runs 24/7.
On the subject of Stockholm nightlife, this is not about entertainment but rather the clubs are just simply selling beer and alcohol at exorbitant prices, (*** you can easily buy a glass of sparkling wine for $20 or a beer for the price of a bottle of whiskey in other EU countries ***) .
The music everywhere is particularly bad, Dj's it appears are paid a monthly salary and don't seem to understand the art of music or maintaining any type of 'music' scene. The bouncers simply enjoy the 'god' power that seems to bolster their muscles.
Sweden in general is not very service minded on most levels, be it shops or restaurants and maybe best explained, by the fact that most bar/restaurant staff, are paid a monthly salary (which is WAY above your countries minimum wage) and therefore do not rely on tips for a living and doesn't necessarily translate into giving you the best service possible.
Thanks for that - those are some great additions, and comments! I guess I don't really have much more to say other than nice work on finding stuff I missed to mention :D
Well worth the watch, it’s good to know the scams before you visit so you can avoid them. Our last visit in July was surprising to me, I always understood they didn’t tip but everywhere we went , not that they asked for it there was tip jars or it was on the credit card machines, crap I guess I fell for a scam 😮. I won’t be scammed by the night club scene at my age that’s for sure but maybe paying for a over priced beer 👍. Stay safe and thanks for sharing
It's impossible to miss every scam after all, or every tourist trap for that matter. So good on you for not falling for more of them :D Overpriced beer is the one everyone falls for in Stockholm, so that's just to be expected. But cheers, and thank you for checking out the video ^_^
Last September we took the Arlanda Express and for 2 people we got a deal that was buy one get one free or something like that. I believe it was round trip. For the convenience, times and speed after a long trans Atlantic flight, I feel it was worth it.
That's fair enough! Especially with such a deal, the convenience might definitely make it worth the while :)
I stayed right near that Skyview place a few months back and was thinking about going but glad I didn't bother! Old town was great though. A lot of tourist shops which were a bit meh! but loved the overall vibe.
Glad to hear that you enjoyed it despite the touristy shops! And yeah, it's not like SkyView is BAD... It's just... Not really all that exciting..
Very useful information.
Thanks! Happy if I can be of some help ^_^
Thanks for sharing. I'll be visiting Stockholm in August.
Stockholm will be waiting eagerly :D
I love videos like this...and thinking about how similar and different where I am is. What I'd consider tourist traps to avoid...and even those that are absolute traps, but still worth seeing. And I'm sure those card readers were made in the U.S. We now drive to pick up an order, and some machines or apps default to a 20% tip. And some non-food stores are now having a, "Want to include a tip?" screen pop up during the process of checking out.
I can almost see that if I were being fitted for a hand-made suit (in other words, that's unlikely for me 😆), but walking into a store, grabbing exactly what you need, and being asked to tip the grumpy person ringing the order up 20% seems a bit extreme.
I sometimes like tourist traps when I'm abroad - they're often famous for a reason after all. But I felt like I could at least give some alternatives in this video. But yeah, being asked for a 20% tip when I pick up some stuff would make me so annoyed.... It's completely insane!
But then again, I get extremely annoyed at stuff like not adding sales tax or whatnot on the price tag either. Everything that's not the final exact price just makes things complicated and weird :D
@@ThreeStarVagabond Yeah, we have a higher-than-most sales tax in Texas because we have no state income tax. It throws some people.
The first time I traveled to Oregon was weird because I paid what the price was on labels and menus. (However, at the time...people were not allowed to pump their own gas, so when I was at a gas station at 5:00 before returning my rental and a guy (not in any kind of uniform) came out of the dark from the side of the building and asked for my credit card--and said he needed to pump my gas--I thought it was a scam 🤣)
[Man, I'm almost proud of that run-on sentence!]
@@ChristopherGronlund I love when stuff like that happens! You always feel so proud for not falling for a scam...until the shameful realization hits...
Reminds me of my first time flying to Rome. "What, €70 for a taxi? This guy is DEFINITELY ripping me off!" So I found the train instead... Which also cost a fair bit... And it was a really long ride... Ah, the €70 made sense now.
the bouncer bit was great ahahaha 😂
I was so happy that he did that :D I laughed so hard when I reviewed the clips afterwards!
5:18 - I've noticed the same in Copenhagen. The terminal asks you if you'd like to tip. Yes, seems like an American import. Kinda awkward and uncomfortable, especially if a waiter is standing right beside you. 🥴 Some people even say that any tips people choose to give will go to the restaurant/bar itself, not to the person who served you.
Yeah, the tipping is really weird in all of the Nordics these days I'd say. You never know who gets the tip, and you never know if they might actually expect it after all (since some people are getting Americanized). All the tourists tipping only confuses things even more as well...
Tippen går till oss underbetalda resturang anställda. Delas lika mellan kockar, diskar och servispersonal👍
„Good service“ in a restaurant in Stockholm😂 you have a great sense of humour
I'd laugh if it wasn't so true :D
Usually, if there is a reason to come and visit Stockholm, the plans usually include the nearby museums and theme parks. In addition, traveling on a budget allows you to save money when you buy food at a supermarket instead of expensive restaurants, bistros and cafes.
Very good point, and I agree. There's really no reason to spend more than you need!
I would say Arlanda Express is worth it if you sre more than one person because then discounts and deals are so common like for 5 people it only costed around 600 crowns last time
Thank you Sir for the information. In America they expect a tip just to talk to you. Ridiculous
Yeah I really think things have been taken to the extreme over there!
What about the SL card? Can you buy it in advance? Do you have a good tip for a line from arlanda to stockholm central
Arlanda express is so worth it
Well, I'd lie if I said that I never use it. But if I'm not in a hurry I definitely take Flygbussarna instead!
Tack för dina tips! In june I'm comin' back to Stockholm after 10 years, went very regularly to Oslo the last years and that's even more expensive the Norwegians say😉😄. Lookin' forward to your beautiful city and I'm already singin' "money,money,money"😆 Greetz from the Netherlands
Graag! :D Hope you'll have a great time in the cold north - it's expensive here but not as expensive as Oslo. Nothing is as expensive as Norway! Cheers :D
Thank you! Planning on going to Stockholm in June.
Hope you'll have great weather then - and a great time too :D
Hey! Thanks for the great video. Can you name the clubs that you recommend at 11:41 and 11:47 ? I couldnt get how they are written in order to find them on maps
Thank you! Oh sure, I think the ones I mentioned were:
Syntax Error: www.syntax-error.se/
Slakthuset: slakthusen.se/
Debaser: debaser.se/
Nalen: www.nalen.com/
@@ThreeStarVagabond thanks buddy
Amazing video! Loved the part about tipping culture in Sweden since I was told once from a swede that u don’t really tipp there but then seeing one of these card payments machines with automatically tipps that kinda confused me 😅 Tack for sharing those amazing vids everytime
Yeah, those machines are an abomination! I always press no tip, and no one is bothered at all about it. But if someone really has offered great service I do try to give a tip anyway. Cheers!
5:45 Yes! Tipping culture in the US is crazy and ridiculous. Thanks for the info!
Agreed! Unfortunately I'll have to conform with that tipping monstrosity when I visit the US :(
@@ThreeStarVagabond I was just in Spain last week and definitely miss the dinning scene there where we weren’t pressured at all to put 20%+ tip. I would just recommend to limit your dinning when your here visiting unless you want pay you bar tender 20 or more percent tip just for them to pour a beer for you 😅. I definitely take advantage eating out when in Europe. Happy travels!
Thanks for the hint. Or maybe I should say thanks for those tips? ;D Haha, I hope I won't get too annoyed with all those extra percentages!
In some countries there is only an option to go to the airport and it is a taxi and they are much much more expensive and slower than this train, so Arlanda Express is not so expensive specially if your plane leaves pretty early in the morning or you are hurry, if you have time the Bus is an excelent option.
That's a fair point! It's all relative after all - and I admit that I do take Arlanda Express myself sometimes. But I really feel like those hundreds of SEK are a bit too much, each time...
You can take an airport shuttle to any hotels and then take SL Buses. You can also take SL boats to see the sights. 1 week SL pass is more than enough and u can get it on your phone!
Nice tip about taking a hotel shuttle to get away from the airport! Then you don't have to pay an extra airport fee. Good one!
I am visiting Stockholm via Helsinki by overnight cruise in November
What would you say are the 5 must See/do of Stockholm?
Also, have you been to Helsinki and made a video?
Thanks
That sounds awsome! I have indeed made a video about Helsinki: th-cam.com/video/W0EucfFkIcs/w-d-xo.html
But then the difficult question... Okay top five things:
1) Old Town (including seeing Mårten Trotzigs gränd, the Medieval museum, and all the alleys)
2) Visiting the archipelago (e.g, Fjäderholmarna - I think it should be nice even in November)
3) Skansen open-air museum and zoo is a place I love personally
4) Then I'll cheat and just say "museums", 'cause there's the Vasa Museum, ABBA Museum, Museum of Technology, and Fotografiska (a photography museum / gallery)
5) And finally, I really enjoy the amusement park Gröna Lund. Depending on when in November you're visiting, they might still be open for Halloween
@@ThreeStarVagabond great itinerary
Thank you
I'm going to Stockholm for only 29 hours next month so I'll take the Arlanda Express train since every minute will count.
That actually makes perfect sense! With that short amount of time I would absolutely do the same :)
👍
What about the SL card?
100% Agreed
Glad to hear it :D
4:23 how do you write it? I wanna google it thanks :)
It's "Monteliusvägen" and "Skinnarviksberget" - both are close to each other on the north side of the "Södermalm" island :)
Nobel museum def is a tourist trap 😂😂jk
Well.. I WAS pretty disappointed when I went there to be honest...
I'm a frequent visitor to Sweden* and 320 SEK is basically no money and 100% worth it for the speed compared to bus.
Of course I'm from Reykjavík, Iceland which makes Stockholm seem very very very cheap (also very warm). 320 SEK is maybe a meal for two in the average Icelandic restaurant.
*I've been everywhere from Falun to Öland to Göteborg to Karlskrona to Huaröd to Gävle to Åmal to Kalmar to Malmö to Örebro and of course Stockholm several times as it is the cultural capital of the Nordics and the only proper city (Köben comes close but suffers from being full of Danes)
You have a lovely country.
Now I'm suddenly reminded why I haven't been to Iceland yet! :D But yeah, if you have money then it's definitely worth it. Or if you're very short on time. No rule without exception!
But damn, you've been around quite a bit! Happy to hear that you enjoy Sweden - and the people who've been to Iceland always have good things to say. It's an unusual ol' place, but very rewarding to visit, I hear! ^_^
Good video. But uber drivers don’t have a taxi license and don’t get paid enough. I would never recommend exploiting people even if it’s cheap for you.
That's a very good point! Hard to argue with that actually - so, very fair to bring that up
But skyv view got stucked early in this summer so now you dont want up
Oh wow, I had no idea about that actually! I should have added a note about that as well...
If you want experience the full beauty of Stockholm, a boat tour is the best option. Yes, the tours are expensive, but not seeing the waterfront of Stockholm is like going all the way to [insert famous viewing point of your choice] and not going up because it's a bit too pricy. You can get on a 2 h 15 min guided boat tour fo 320 SEK. Cheap? No, but worth it!
Fair enough! To me it does feel a bit overpriced - but we all have different degrees of what feels worth the cost, right?
@@ThreeStarVagabond You're correct, it's overpriced - but probably for the reason that it's something that you definitely should do.
European European European !!!!! Fantastic talk about tipping.
Thank you! :D
Bouncer proving your point. :P
Couldn't have wished for a better present from him!
There aren't really any canals in Stockholm. It's more of a lake with islands.
There are a few though, like Djurgårdsbrunn and at Långholmen. But yeah not as many as one would think...
Arlanda Express is more for business people.
Agreed! Or, like one commenter mentioned, if they have a really short time in Stockholm and want to maximize the time. I can see that it's worth it then.
Why would you sell a kidney to afford the alcohol? Wouldnt it be betyer to sell your liver since you wont need it anymore? It should fetch more money since its bigger too.
I haven't really checked the black market prices for livers, but maybe I could sell just half of it? So I can still get half-drunk?
Hej, du vet om att man inte ”översätter” namnet på svensk valuta? Den korrekta termen är Krona (som man kan uttala engelsk om man vill det), även plural heter det Kronor och inget annat. Fick lära mig detta av en engelsk business lärare som kräktes lite i sin egen mun varje gång någon talade om ”Crowns” 😂
Haha, den läraren skulle kräkas extremt mycket på mig i så fall! Jag tror aldrig kronor kommit upp när jag pluggat engelska faktiskt :D Man lever och man lär - jag får göra bättre nästa gång då
It is not Sweeden anymore ...😂😂😂
I don’t know if you can call it a tipping culture but at a coffee shop they will pressure you into giving a tip.
Really annoying! I completely ignore it, myself, regardless of how much they try to imply it. I just don't see it as a thing to do...
To that.. so cald "tourist traps" isnt always bad, some of them is "tourist oriented" in a good way. They supose to know what tourists want!? How ever everything gets more expensive in "Gamla stan", and at "Östermalm" and "Stureplan"!
In anyway, Sweden is expensive, Stockholm is even more expensive, eating out and drinking is very expensive even for swedes.. becuse sales tax and tip is included in the price! Swedish tiping is more like.. "I dont want those coins in my pocket" leave it on the table! Paying whit a card reader, round it up to nearest 10 Sek, or dont do that and leave a small note.. 20 Sek, its about 2 dollar/Euro! Those tip buttons.. those are scam, its not even sure that vaiters get that money!
Good points all of this! Thanks for elaborating on these topics :)
@ThreeStarVagabond 👉YOU are definitely a descendant of 💪🏾THOR ODINSON 🇸🇪
👉I PERSONALLY PREFER SCANDINAVIANS BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE CLASSY THAN AMERICANS ARE TOO OPEN💞🇸🇪🍑⚡
That's the first time anyone has called me classy, but thanks a lot either way! 😂
@@ThreeStarVagabond ☺Dear, i hope that you have not taken my sincere comment for some jokes ; because i was not making fun , as there people nowadays they just laugh LoL 🤣 at anything,
but i tend to write all comments from my heart and soul that is my natural instinct !
@@surajmeet6951 A heartfelt comment is always appreciated! I might see things slightly differently, but I appreciate the sincerity and the openness of the comment :D
such side effects of Stockholm. hahaha
Every place has some tourist traps after all ^_^
Hilarious- Avoid boat tours go kayaking instead!
Maybe avoid it when the whole place is frozen over
excelleny, mt bromther twn wen stockholm, ti rhingm maybe in 2012, 2022, and he saiid tha eh went ona dountyle decker bus toue theea costed a ricidulous amount of mopey
You're right! I really should have added those buses as well - I completely forgot about them!
Here is a tip for anyone visiting Stockholm, tourist or not, never use taxi in Stockholm. Especially not from/to Arlanda airport. You will most likely get frauded.
Well there are some proper companies but many scams as well. So yeah I agree that it's better to take other options.
What about the SL card? Can you buy it in advance? Do you have a good tip for a line from arlanda to stockholm central
What about the SL card? Can you buy it in advance? Do you have a good tip for a line from arlanda to stockholm central
You can use the SL app to buy tickets - no need to buy the physical card. And I personally think Flygbussarna (a bus) is a decent compromise between cost and speed. But the cheapest option is probably to take a bus from the airport to Märsta, and then the commuter train to Stockholm from there. I think you get away with a normal ticket that way, without airport fees.
Thanks, still have the 2-4-7 days tickets? Looks way cheaper than single tickets
@@user-cb5hd2qs7j Almost. They have 1-3-7 days tickets, and they're absolutely cheaper as long as you take a few trips per day!