Scandinavian Design in 3 days

Welcome the home of Scandinavian Design!

Here is your guide to a Scandinavian Design tour in three days.

Day 1 - Stockholm, the capital of Sweden

9.00 Breakfast time at at Vetekatten. A small cosy bakery decorated as an old Swedish home.

10.00 Design shopping!

• Svenskt Tenn This is the Josef Frank design shop. This is the place to go if you like traditional design with a lot of patterns. The shop is located on Strandvägen 5.
• ROOM on Hötorget is famous for its stylish interior design and furniture.
• Nordiska Galleriet on Nybrogatan 11 luxury interior design shop with international design classics
• Designtorget is the shop which has a mix of things designed by famous and unknown new designers. New things in the shop every week. They have several shops in Stockholm; Arland, Götgatan, Kulturhuset, Kungsgatan, Nybrogatan, Ringen and Västermalmsgallerian.
• Bruka design shop has colourful kitchenware in several shops in Stockholm
• Norrgavel furniture designed by Nirvan Richter. A lot of wood and materials form the nature. Located on Birger Jarlsgatan 27.
• PlanEtt Birger Jarlsgatan 32 modern and elegant home interior design shop
• SIA Home - Romantic style interior design shop on Birger Jarlsgatan 27
• Svensk Slöjd - Swedish handicraft made the traditional old way
• Spiti - Warm colours from Marrocco and oriental interior design on Sveavägen 64
• Systerlycklig on Tegnérgatan 12. Home interior design and kitchenware in bright colours. Sweet as a wedding cake!

13.00 Have lunch at Östermalmshallen. It is a food hall which opened in 1888. Today, it houses around twenty different stalls, restaurants, cafes and wine bars in the heart of Östermalm, Stockholm.

15.00 Visit Millesgården. I was totally stunned when I saw all the beautiful statues by Swedish artist Carl Milles in this open air museum. (visit only when the weather is nice). The house were Carl Milles used to live was designed by architect Carl M. Bengtsson and was built in 1908.

17.00 Time for some more shopping at the NK. The best department store, not to miss!

19.00 Have a cool and cold drink in The Absolut Ice Bar. Freezing but nice to have a drink in a glass made of ice (book in advance).

20.00 Check in at Lydmar, the restaurant at the design hotel Lydmar is great. Have a drink outside in the summer and enjoy the view of the royal castle before your dinner.

Day 2 - Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark

Take the early morning flight to Copenhagen

09.00 Start the day with a breakfast buffet to get ready for a hectic design weekend. You should stay at one of Copenhagen´s best Design hotels:

• Arne Jacobsen design hotel Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. Turned on the ipod and sat in the coolest chairs ever in the lobby. Drinks on the top of the house... at the 20th floor with a fantastic view of Copenhagen at the Radisson hotel.
• Hotel Fox. Each room is different. Choose among rooms with comical styles, graphic design, street art, fairytales and Japanese Manga to mention some.
• Hotel FRONT with stylish sophisticated design. It is on the Condé Nast Traveller's 2007 Hot List.
• Hotel Nimb with the aim to place the hotel in the absolute world-elite of small, luxury city hotels. Placed in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. The design of the exterior of the hotel reminds me of Taj Mahal.
• Hotel Skt. Petri is one of Copenhagen's leading design hotels.

10.00 Design viewing and shopping at the design department store Illum is a must.
It is located on Ströget, Copenhagens main shopping street.

12.00 Lunch is called Frukost in Danish. Have some fab sandwhiches (smörrebröd) at famous restaurant Ida Davidsen (only open on weekdays, make reservation).

13.00 Time for shopping on street Vandkunsten and the streets around. I just love the small design shops around here!

15.00 If you like art, like me, don´t miss the art museum Glypoteket. It is an art museum that houses more than 10 000 works.

17.00 Rest your feet, have a drink at the Danish designer Arne Jacobsen´s design hotel Radisson SAS Royal Hotel. Go to the bar at the 20th floor with a fantastic view of Copenhagen.

18.00 Time for dinner! The best restaurant in Copenhagen is Noma, it has been named the world´s best restaurant. Reserve in advance to experience extraordinary Nordic gourmet cuisine at its best.

Day 3 - Olso, the capital of Norway

Take the early morning flight to Oslo

9.00 Breakfast at Halvorsens Conditori. It was established in 1881 and is a old café. The French pastry shop next to the Parliament building is an institution in the Norwegian capital, with quality products built on experience and tradition.

10.30 Visit Grünerløkka, it is the place to look for young, Norwegian designers. 

12.00 Lunchtime, combine design and food by having lunch in the beautiful opera house. I love opera but even if you don´t visit the Opera house in Oslo and get astonished by the architecture. After lunch it is time to take a walk up on the roof to see the view and the beautiful building.

13.30 The marvellous Munch museum is worthwhile a visit when visiting Norways capital Oslo. When Munch died in January 1944, he donated all his remaining works to the City of Oslo. Edvard Munch's art is on of Norway´s most important and famous painters. The scream is the most famous painting but there are several more great paintings to view.

15.30 Visit the art galleries in Bygdøy allé. Here you also find a good selection of exclusive, modern interior design shops. A bit further down the road to Skøyen there are several popular furniture and interior design shops as well

19.00 Time for dinner after a busy day. View the ocean, have a coffee or check out the shops at Aker Brygge. The restaurant D/S Louise at Aker Brygge is really fabulous! Try their fresh fish and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord (river) with its harbour and Akershus Castle built in 1300.

One day in Oslo

10 top things to do in Oslo?

I found some top things to do during my weekend in Oslo.I will probably add some more after my next visit.
The marvellous Munch museum is worthwhile a visit when visiting Norways capital Oslo.
The scream is the most famous painting but there are several more great paintings to view.
A copy of one of them is hanging on our wall in our home. We could not resist to buy a copy as a memory of our Olso weeekend. But it is not looking as good as it did in the museum. Isnt that strange?

View the ocean, have a coffee or check out the shops at Aker Brygge. A place you must visit when in Olso. The restaurant D/S Louise at Aker Brygge is really fabulous! Try their fresh fish and enjoy the view of the Oslo Fjord (river) with its harbour and Akershus Castle built in 1300.

I love opera but even if you don´t. Visit the Opera house in Oslo and get astonished by the architecture. Enjoy an opera or have lunch inside the opera house in the restaurant or have a walk on the roof.

Smörrebröd is a typical Dansih sandwhich which is a nice lunch. You can also find in at the Grand Cafe,situated in the Grand hotel in Oslo. On ground floor with windows to the Karl Johan Street. Watch people, eat smörrebröd and enjoy life. The Grand hotel is also a great place to stay.

After lunch, take a stroll in the park outside the royal castle in Olso. This is were the royal family lives, so check it out...

If you need more exercise go on to the Karl Johan street for some serious shopping. But be aware. Oslo is extremely expensive...

After the shopping a dinner at the restaurant Eik is perfect. Great food, wine and interior. (closed Sundays and Mondays)

If you prefer a restaurant with a amazing view over Oslo you should choose the Ekeberg restaurant. See my picture of Oslo by night taken from the Ekeberg restaurant. The Ekeberg restaurant is situated on the mountain in Olso. The restaurant also has a bar/lounge, conference and meeting facilities, banqueting and wedding suites and a beautiful second floor veranda.

A cheaper alternative to the Grand Hotel is the Park Inn hotel. It is also situated in the centre of Oslo, cheaper but ok to stay at. If you ask for a room that has a view of a brickwall. The rooms with a view of the street is incredible noisy.