The official whistle-stop Stockholm travel guide
Stockholm. Not the first destination that springs to mind when thinking of your next travel destination, but definitely one that should.
I have recently just come back from this wonderful city and couldn’t believe just how good it was considering how little we knew about it before going.
The Swedes call this city ‘beauty on water’ and with good reason, some of the views on offer were simply astounding and we were lucky enough to get some great pictures for you to feast your eyes on.
THE STOCKHOLM PRICE PROBLEM
When we told people we were off to Stockholm the default response was “That’s a bit strange! What is there to do there then?!!?!?” followed by “Ooo I’ve heard it’s expensive over there!!!”. While both of these responses were valid – it isn’t a popular tourist spot and some places can be expensive – we didn’t care.
After spending 3 full days in Sweden my pockets were £400 lighter. However, when you consider the fact that this included return flights, a 2 night stay in a great hotel, travel passes and everything in between, it starts to look relatively cheap – especially after everyone’s reservations beforehand. You’d probably end up paying that if you stayed a few days in Slough and I know where I’d rather go…
Let’s not forget that Stockholm is also a capital city, so any reservations you may have about having things to do are unfounded. We managed to pack a massive amount into our few days here and you could literally go back another 5 times and you’d still have things to do.
THE FOOD
Hands down the best meal I’ve ever had was cooked in a little German restaurant called Slingerbulten. It was an ox cheek and mash dish – simple and hearty which is exactly how it should be in my eyes. 2 mains, 2 desserts, 2 drinks and a side came to the equivalent of £50, not exactly the astronomical fees promised by every man and his dog.
One thing I noticed about the food scene in Stockholm was that there were lots of vegan restaurants available. Travelling whilst following a vegan diet can be notoriously hard so if you’re looking for a city break where you can enjoy amazing food along with everything else, Stockholm has got you covered.
There’s also a bevy of cafes all over Stockholm selling lots of fantastic food and drink but one thing that is synonymous with Sweden along with their meatballs is cinnamon buns. These are amazing but far too easy to wolf down, if you’re watching your waistline then be careful because one of these could easily turn into eight.
THE SIGHTS
The ABBA museum was definitely the highlight of the trip. It’s around £25 to get into but it’s worth the initial outlay. Believe it or not, I’m not actually an ABBA fan – but by the end of it I was hooked. Even if you’re not into Eurovision winners of yesteryear you need to buy yourself a ticket, because this was hands down the best thing we did all weekend.
Fotografiska is a museum solely dedicated to photography. There are hundreds and hundreds of pictures in here, with new collections going on display regularly. The main exhibition that was on display during our time of visiting was highlighting poverty and refugees which was hard hitting but a definite eye-opener and offered some major perspective.
The Old Town was our favourite area of Stockholm and was full of fantastic old buildings (believe it or not), amazing views and a whole host of backstreets where you could slink off to for a quiet meal or drink. The whole atmosphere around the old town is so relaxed and laid back that you’d think everyone was stoned 24/7 – turns out everyone in Sweden is just extremely chilled. Compare this to the thunder-faced commuters in basically every other capital city (except for Amsterdam, because everyone actually is stoned 24/7) and it’s a breath of fresh air.
One thing in Stockholm that is free is the changing of the guard. I’ve never witnessed anything like this before, being the uncultured swine that I am, so this huge display blew me away a bit. As Sweden have a royal family, this whole performance is very regal and would be ideal for those of you who love a good bit of royal prestige.
THE REST
The 72 hour travel pass is absolutely essential if you’re staying outside the centre like we were. It allows you to get on any train and is an easy way of getting trams to different parts of the city centre instead of walking everywhere clocking up too much exercise (because who wants to waste energy walking when you could save it for eating?).
Katarinahissen is a pedestrian bridge that offers amazing views of the whole of Stockholm and should not be missed, as it’s the best free option to get some amazing shots of the city. Unfortunately the lift up is broken, and with no plans to fix it in the pipeline you will have to take the stairs. If you’re not knock-kneed then definitely give this one a go on your way to Fotografiska.
The NK shopping centre was one of the most beautiful shopping centres I’ve ever seen in my life. It was like something out of Harry Potter except there were no wands and everyone was dressed better. There’s something for everyone here, with lots of high end designer wear, homeware, food & drink, you’re spoilt for choice. You do have to pay £1 for the toilet though so if you want to save money you can find yourself a dark corner outside and spend that pound on a sandwich instead.
Impromptu performances are extremely common as you traverse the cobbled streets of the old town especially, with everything from Alien worshipping flash mobs playing ABBA songs to people playing classical music by rubbing glasses. It’s a bit of free entertainment and can brighten your mood if they aren’t too terrible.
Stockholm. My favourite holiday destination so far and definitely somewhere you need to consider for your next weekend city break.
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The official whistle-stop Liverpool travel guide
Liverpool – the best city in the world.
No bias here whatsoever, that’s just a fact.
Liverpool is a city of fantastic history with signs of its rich heritage scattered throughout the city. But that’s what Liverpool does best – it merges these wonderful old, historical buildings with new and exciting buildings, creative spaces and greenery in a completely seamless and wonderful way.
I could wax lyrical about this fantastic city forever but for your sake I’m going to give you a brief history and then a short list of what exactly our city can offer you.
LIVERPOOL: A BRIEF HISTORY
Liverpool was and still is famous as a port city – a hub where traders came to trade their goods from all corners of the world. Most famously fruit and (unfortunately) slaves.
The city used this income as a means of becoming one of the largest traders and industrial cities in the world. However, time passed, industry was required less and eventually unemployment levels rose spectacularly.
Fast forward to 2008 and Liverpool won their bid for European capital of culture, meaning huge investment in the city from the European powers that be. From then until the present day, Liverpool hasn’t looked back.
Liverpool has risen again to become a tourist hotspot, rivalling the other big cities of the UK such as London, Birmingham and Manchester when it comes to where those coming to our shores choose to spend their time and money. This upturn in fortunes can be powerfully summed up by this side by side comparison of Liverpool’s famous Albert Dock before and after the 2008 investment…
So, with that little bit of history done and dusted it’s time to show you exactly why I love my city and why you simply need to come and pay it a visit.
THE FOOD
Into fine dining? Come to Liverpool.
Massive meat loving carnivore? Come to Liverpool.
Animal loving vegan? Come to Liverpool.
Call a lolly-ice an ice-lolly? Come to Wigan.
Liverpool has one of the most vast and varied selections of eateries in the world. There’s big chains and independents all vying for your custom by bringing unique and fantastic culinary delights to the table (pun fully intended).
Even though there are literally hundreds of places to eat here I’ll give you a few that are guaranteed to sort you out more than most;
Mowgli
Indian tapas? A weird concept but one I fully advocate, some of the tastiest grub in Liverpool for criminally low prices. You’ll pay your tip on the toilet the next day though, don’t worry about that.
Credit: Peter Goodbody
The Italian Club
I don’t know if you guessed it but these serve Italian food. Looks tiny from outside but this restaurant goes back forever and has a huge high rise ceiling that makes you feel like you’re dining in the Vatican.
Fazenda
I go here religiously every year for my birthday (except for last year’s vegan phase) and with good reason. The food here is on another level to the usual chains of South American meat restaurants – brought round on loop until your stomach has capitulated, nothing compares in my opinion.
The Egg
If you’ve made the choice to ditch the meat then first of all – good for you. Second of all – you have options. The Egg cafe just off Bold Street serves up vegan and vegetarian food all day every day and is a regular meeting place of the Liverpool Vegan society in case you’re looking to meet like-minded people.
The Clubhouse
This is one of the newer additions to Liverpool’s food scene but has made a huge impact. Located in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre, it serves all sorts of food, from hanging kebabs to hummus boards. They also have an outside seating area which gets absolutely choc-full during the summer which creates an atmosphere like no other restaurant in the city I can think of.
THE DRINK
You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to where you want to sink some beverages in Liverpool. Not only alcohol though…the rise of the coffee connoisseur has seen an influx in coffee and tea shops popping up around the city so if your poison is ethanol or caffeine you’re in for a treat.
Unfortunately, I can’t mention them all but here’s a few of my favourites;
Someplace
This bar is hidden away from plain site, with only a green light hanging outside the door to indicate that there is something lurking behind. Go up the stairs and you’ll be greeted by a darkened room lit mostly by green light.
This green light is trying to tell you something – these fellas specialise in absinthe.
I know.
But the cocktails the bar staff make with the absinthe here are unbelievable. Just don’t go for the hardest options on your first go – like I did on my first date with my now-girlfriend. It doesn’t make you look big or clever. I’m surprised I even got a second date after the faces I pulled trying to drink straight absinthe and whiskey.
Jenny’s bar
One of Liverpool’s best hidden and most intimate venues. Jenny’s used to be a seafood restaraunt but now houses a dimly lit 70’s themed bar where you get table service and a cosy booth to try and woo your travel partner. Or just have a nice drink if you’ve come with your mum.
Boston pool loft
Now I’m not going to pretend Boston Pool loft is a high class la-dee-da establishment. It’s not. But it’s fun and that’s all that counts. You can play FIFA for free on their big screen, there’s pool tables, snooker tables, table tennis tables, shuffleboard tables and even table tables where you can put your drink!!!
They also have arcade games and pinball machines along with a free virtual reality night every Monday. If you want to learn more about that then head here.
Where can I go with my hangover?
Well, apart from the plethora of wonderful Wetherspoons in Liverpool, you can grab yourself a strong coffee and a hearty bit of grub at these fine establishments…
Ziferblat
I hate using the term but this is a hidden gem and a half. I’m not going to tell you where abouts to find it so you have to go through the heartache I did trying to find it as well.
BUT, once you do it’ll all be worth it. This is a cafe where everything is FREE. Everything except for your time. You can go here and scoff as much of anything you want and all you’re paying for is how long it takes you to digest said scoff. Beware though, it’s easy to spend 6 hours in here without even realising. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once…
Rococo
I love this place. Far better than your standard Starbucks or Costa, Rococo is located above Church Street and resides inside a renovated Victorian building. Long corridors, high ceilings and barmy decor is what I’m all about and Rococo has it in abundance. Go here if even just to gawp at the design of the place.
THE BUILDINGS
You just don’t get this sort of architecture outside of the UK but Liverpool especially is full of amazing feats of design. The amount of grade II listed buildings we have is testament to this.
Three graces
The most iconic buildings in Liverpool. The three graces is made up of the Royal Liver building, the Cunard building and the Port of Liverpool building. They’re full of offices now but they’re still a sight to behold, they’re also situated on the waterfront so you can go and explore the docks whilst you’re taking your pictures stood outside.
Handsome bugger…
Central library
Where I currently am writing this – the Central Library has had a huge makeover and is now one of the most impressive buildings in the city – both inside and out. Since the renovations it has been consistently voted amongst the best libraries in the world – and it’s free to go in.
Museums
The World museum, The Liverpool Museum, The Walker Art Gallery, The Tate Modern and The Maritime Museum.
What do all of these have in common?
They’re all great, they’re all in Liverpool and they’re all free to go in. I’ve never known a city to have so many amazing museums, galleries and activities you can do for free. Having just come back from Stockholm, where a trip to a museum costs £25, it highlights just how good we’ve got it here.
Cathedrals
How many cities do you know with two cathedrals on one street? How many? Oh, none? Well Liverpool does. Little old Liverpool is packing two cathedrals on one street and we’re not afraid to shout about it.
These are two absolutely beautiful structures and they’re not just pretty to look at. They often hold events such as vintage clothing fares and even whiskey tasting events in the crypt! If you’re heavily into the man upstairs there’s regular services you can attend as well. Basically, you’re spoiled for choice with us.
Universities
Liverpool is home to 3 universities – four if you count Edge Hill University which is situated on the outskirts. John Moores University has just won University of the year and Edge Hill won this gong in 2014 – not bad eh. So if you’re looking to expand your mind and drink loads of booze, come and pick one our unis.
THE EVENTS
Primarily, we are a city of fun and this is evident in all of the fantastic events we hold throughout the year.
Bongos bingo
Started by Johnny Bongo only a few years ago, Bongo’s bingo is nothing like you’ve ever seen, merging bingo (believe it or not) with music, prizes and alcohol. It’s obviously a winning formula as they’ve expanded not only to other cities in the UK, but overseas to places like Amsterdam and Sydney!
Shiverpool
One of my favourites this one. The guys at Shiverpool are all acticing students who are not only extremely fun to be around but give you a great history of the city, giving you chills as they recount Liverpool’s dark and scary past. Jumps aplenty ensue and you get some great photo opps at the end, just saying.
Food & Drink Festival
Do you like food? Do you like drink? If you answered yes to either of those I’m sure you’d enjoy a festival dedicated to food AND drink – who would have thought it?
Located in Sefton Park, this festival is full of all sorts of wonderful cuisine and acts as a melting pot for so many different people and cultures all coming together – a great experience for anyone visiting the city.
LIMF
The Liverpool International Music Festival is Europe’s largest free music festival (we give a lot away for free don’t we) and manages to draw in over 350 performers every year including the likes of Gorgon City, Sigma and Basement Jaxx. Can’t really ask for much more can you?
THE FOOTBALL
Oh the football…it runs through every scousers blood, football is what brings us together and tears us apart. Literally every single taxi journey ever in Liverpool goes like this:
“Alright mate.”
“Hiya mate, you on all night tonight?”
“Yeah, are you a red or a blue?”
The journey hinges on which answer you give to that question. So, are you going to be Everton or Liverpool for the duration of the trip? My suggestion is the latter but if you enjoy trophy-less heartache then I’d go with the blues.
Anfield, the better of the two…
Something unique to Liverpool is the fact that both teams’ stadiums are literally on either side of a single park. This may not be the case for long, as Everton have plans to move their stadium up towards the city centre – so get down while you can.
THE SHOPPING
There is no shortage of places to burn through your cash when it comes to shopping in Liverpool. There’s a mix of independents, cheap and cheerful, designer wear, flagship stores and just about everything in between.
Liverpool ONE
I used to work for these but there’s no bias – this place is responsible for the massive influx of visitors coming to Liverpool and has transformed the city centre massively. They brought flagship stores, events, green space and late night shopping to Liverpool where there was once marshland between the rest of the city and the docks.
It was designed to blend seamlessly into the city landscape and is all outdoors. There’s not many shopping centre’s that can say that. BUT, they do charge you 30p to go the toilet – so if you don’t like having to spend 30 pennies before you spend one then maybe go to some free ones before you head in…
Church Street
Probably Liverpool’s busiest street. This was the city centre’s main shopping area before the introduction of Liverpool ONE in 2008. Church street still houses all the shops you could think of ranging from high-end jewellers like Goldsmiths to everyone’s favourite, Primark.
Keep an eye out for the myriad of buskers and street performers on Church street as well – another bit of free entertainment for you lucky swines.
Autism awareness display just off Church Street
Bold street
This is geared towards the more independent shops and has a huge selection of vintage clothing stores, unique sneaker shops and organic marketplaces. One of Bold street’s endearing qualities is that it is seemingly a meeting place for Liverpool’s more extravagant characters. You won’t believe your eyes with all the different and unique people you’ll see flying through on rollerblades or equally strange modes of transport.
THE BEATLES
Yes they get their own category now shut up. Without doubt the biggest and best band ever, the Beatles are absolutely everywhere in Liverpool. They’ve got their own hotel, statues, museum, stores, pubs – you name it they’ve got it here in Liverpool.
You can go and stand next to John Lennon on Matthew Street, The Four of ’em on Canada Boulevard and even Eleanor Rigby on Sir Thomas Street. There’s also four statues on their famous hotel – The hard days night.
John Lennon in all his statue-y glory
The most famous place involving The Beatles of course is the Cavern club – where they played hundreds of gigs before hitting the big time. Go to Matthew Street and head in to listen to live music all day and night and take a look at their Beatles memorabilia.
There is also the relatively new Beatles Story where you can go and learn everything you could possibly want to about the Fab Four. They also have their own gift shop in case you’re looking to bring back some merch to show the grandkids.
THE PEOPLE
If there’s one thing you’ll probably notice more than most when you come to Liverpool, it’s the people. The people are what makes this city the greatest in the world. It’s not uncommon to get chatting to a complete stranger out of nowhere. But it’s these little things that can make your day more than buying an expensive trinket from a gift shop.
Not only are we friendly, we’re bloody funny. The famous Scouse humour is most definitely alive and well throughout the city. If you find it hard cracking jokes with us or can’t get through our language barrier then head down to a comedy club and get someone – who’s actually paid to be funny, to show you exactly how funny we can be.
If you really want to get the most out of your trip to Liverpool then get talking – interact with as many people as you can and you’ll come away with much more than pictures for your Facebook.
So there you have it, a comprehensive breakdown of what Liverpool can offer you. I’ve had to miss lots off because it’d take you an hour to read through if I’d waffled on any more. If you think there’s something that needs to be in the guide then comment below.
If you want more current news about the ins and outs of this fantastic city go here & here.
Be sure to follow me on socials to keep up with the daily goings on of The Man Blueprint. You can also sign up for my inner circle using the newsletter form above. Just drop your email in there and it’s job done. Completely free and completely brilliant. Whilst you’re here, have a little browse of some other article you might like below too. You won’t regret it.
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Why you should try to create a minimalist wardrobe right now
Contrary to popular belief, it is not just women who are the primary offenders when it comes to having mounds of clothing bursting out of their wardrobe. I know so many men who are guilty of this. This is why us fellas (and ladies, if you’re reading), need to strive towards a minimalist wardrobe.
Their wardrobes, drawers and rooms are full to the brim with clothing, shoes and accessories of all kinds. I am here today to explain how this way of living will never come to a head and will leave you out of pocket time after time.
THE PROBLEM
The first problem you encounter when you have mounds and mounds of clothes is that when it comes to picking an outfit, you have too much choice and so you don’t know what to pick.
This is a phenomenon called ‘paralysis by analysis’, whereby a person has so many choices, they fail to make even one. This then leads to my girlfriend’s favourite phrase – “I have nothing to wear”, which is where I got the bright idea of the minimalist wardrobe.
When I tell her she has enough clothes. Except I wouldn’t wear a pork pie hat – promise.
We all know that the reality is quite the opposite but in the head of the person, they equate too much choice with no choice at all, which then leads to spending on new items they can pair up together straight away, which may alleviate the problem for one particular event but the next time something comes up, in reality you just have the same problem again, but exacerbated by the fact you now have another outfit in the mix.
Multiply this by the amount of times you do this over a year and you can quickly see how people end up needing walk in wardrobes where they find things that they haven’t worn for 4 years nestled at the back.
We’re not on an episode of cribs – you really don’t need this amount of clothes in your life. Keep it simple and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and frustration. Now, it’s all well and good me preaching and preaching but if I didn’t offer you a solution then what sort of hypocrite would I be?
THOUGHTS ON A MINIMALIST WARDROBE
I’m going to give you a quick extreme example to highlight how important streamlining your clothes can be before giving you a few steps to get you on your way to becoming a minimalist wardrobe specialist. Just think of all the great Instagram opportunities this will open up too…
You don’t have to be *this* minimal
So, here’s your example. You remember Einstein? Y’know, the fella who had lots of theories and a bad haircut? Well it’s said that Einstein literally had the same 7 suits in his wardrobe for each day of the week so he didn’t even have to think about what he was going to wear each day. He did this so he could put all of his efforts into his studies which, from what I’ve heard, went quite well for him.
Now obviously I don’t want you to wear the same thing every day – you’re not Spongebob. However, I think that this anecdote highlights the need for you to streamline your choices so you don’t have to waste needless energy on selecting an outfit.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Get all your clothes out and sift through which ones you really want to keep, things you sort of like and things you don’t like. If you can sell the ones you don’t like then great – make yourself a bit of money. If not, then give them to charity or throw ‘em in the bin.
Then go to the ones you sort of like and see if there are any you haven’t worn for over 6 months. If there’s ones there you haven’t worn for 6 months or longer then do the same with them as you did with those you don’t like – you don’t need them and you’ll thank yourself in the long run. This is a great method to trim your wardrobe down a great deal.
Focus on the quality of what you’re buying. Don’t go to the low budget stores and buy a £5 t shirt that’ll lose shape and get ruined within a month. Go and buy the £30 t-shirt and save yourself buying the same low-quality clothes over and over again.
Not only will you look much better, but you’re going to save yourself money – let’s say your t shirts keep getting ruined and start going ugly like the always do. You buy a few each month so you have a selection to choose from.
I’ll be conservative and say you only do this for half a year. That adds up to £90. You could have bought 3 quality t-shirts that’ll last years for that price and you wouldn’t have all these extra garments cluttering up your space.
The same rule applies for every other item of clothing – especially shoes and coats. What I’m really trying to say is everyone’s favourite phrase – “quality over quantity”. Make sure most of your purchases are based around the classics to keep your style evergreen
Just trying to find someone with more classically classy classic clothing than me
One final piece of advice I’d give you is to make sure 70% of your wardrobe contents go together. That means you can wear the majority of your shoes with jeans, shorts, trousers, whatever. Make sure the same applies to your Shirts, tees and polos. This will make sure you never run out of combinations. My rule is that if it only has one use then it’s probably not worth it.
Think of it in terms of kitchenware; if you buy something that has one use – like a mandolin or burger maker then it’s usually a fad and belongs in the bin or at the back of your Nan’s kitchen cupboard. Basically – don’t fall prey to gimmicks, keep it simple and you can’t go wrong.
RECAP
So, let’s recap; trim down towards a minimalist wardrobe as much as you can, go for quality investments that will last, look for timeless classics that are evergreen and never go out of fashion and finally, make sure 70% of your clothing works together.
This way you’ll never run out of combinations and your wardrobe will feel fuller than ever.
Be sure to follow me on socials to keep up with the daily goings on of The Man Blueprint. You can also sign up for my inner circle using the newsletter form above. Just drop your email in there and it’s job done. Completely free and completely brilliant. Whilst you’re here, have a little browse of some other article you might like below too. You won’t regret it.