A Morning on Stockholm's Royal Canal Boat Tour

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Before I even arrived in Stockholm I already knew that going on a canal boat tour was the one thing I wouldn't miss for anything in the world. Therefore when I spotted the Royal Canal Tour on the list of 'free sightseeing' of the Stockholm Card, my wish fulfilled almost instantly. 

Tip: The Stockholm Card is one of the best city cards we've ever seen. Being in possession of one opens you the doors to 80 museums and attraction, you can enjoy free public transport and go on some pretty cool sightseeing tours with just showing your card. 

It was our second day in Stockholm, and before going to spend the rest of the day at Skansen Open Air Museum, my husband and I went to Stromkajen, the starting point of our explorations from water. Once we arrived we were told we had to wait half and hour or so till the next boat arrived, which was just perfect since it gave us time to explore the surrounding area. Stromkajen is probably one of the most gorgeous parts of Stockholm, with incredibly beautiful old buildings reflecting their silhouettes in the canals and fascinating boats docked by the shores.

Once the boat arrived, we tried to find ourselves a spot on the deck outside so we could take pictures. The boat came already loaded with tourists and it was pretty crowded. Apparently we weren't the only ones eager to see the city from the water that morning and the boat wasn't big enough to meet the demand. In the end we found a place on the deck, and though we couldn't sit next to each other, at least we had good visibility.

Pretty soon we left behind the gorgeous area of Stromkajen and adventured ourselves on narrower canals. Lustful vegetation bordered the shores and we could spot out of this world houses hidden behind tall trees. As we passed Swedish jogging, biking and enjoying the sunny day by the canals, it felt like we got a privileged spot at peeking into the local's daily life. 

Next we arrived to an opening and the boat started speeding. It was like we were racing against all other boats and we were always the winners. It was a pretty cool feeling.

Then it was time to pass the Tivoli Grona Lund amusement park on Djurgarden Island. In spite of being a relatively small amusement park, it has no less than 7 roller coasters. As the wide canal in front of it carried the screams at great distances, we could hear people having fun from different parts of the city during our stay. 

The boat tour lasted a bit less than an hour and it was a beautiful back to nature tour, though to be honest I was expecting to see more brick buildings and royal architecture along the way. The good part of the tour was however that it was guided and the stories that dragged our attention to one side or the other of the boat were quite interesting.

We returned to the starting point, not before spotting a little bit more of this beautiful city. In our opinion Stockhom is the best city of the Northern countries. No wonder it was advertised as the 'Capital of Scandinavia'. While not everybody might agree on this slogan, Stockholm is nevertheless a stunning place to visit, with an incredible touristic offer. 

For more Stockholm travel tips and ideas, check out VisitStockholm.com

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You can also see our month long Interrail itinerary and read our tips for traveling Europe with an Interrail pass. Have you used an Interrail pass before or are you planning an Interrail trip in the near future? Please leave us your feedback. It means the world to us.

We’d like to thank Interrail for providing us with two complimentary global passes for our 1 month Eastern Europe & Scandinavia tour. Though we used the Global Pass for our journey, it's worth noting that single country passes are also available.

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