Spend a Day in Malmo, Sweden

Hi Friends!

As I mentioned before, when we got off of our cruise we had 3 days in Copenhagen and Sweden and we spent one of those days exploring near our hotel in Malmo, Sweden! We didn’t have a whole lot on our list of what we wanted to see so we just let the day take us where it went. Even without a plan we had a lot of fun eating yummy food, exploring a castle and wandering the streets of Malmo!

 
Explore the vibrant city of Malmö, Sweden in a day with top sights and attractions.

Where to Stay!

Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo

I touched on where we stayed in the blog post called Spend Two Days in Copenhagen, Denmark but I will share about the hotel here as well! After the cruise, we stayed three days in Malmo, Sweden because it was a lot cheaper than staying in Copenhagen but it allowed us to explore parts of Sweden and parts of Denmark while costing a little bit less. It was really nice because we were a quick train ride from anywhere we wanted to go and we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything by staying in Malmo! We stayed at Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo and it was such a nice spot to stay and the location couldn’t have been better! It was nice and clean, the staff was super friendly, they had air conditioning in our rooms, comfortable beds, tea and coffee in the room and the rooms were huge!

 
 

Breakfast and Coffee

Nybergs - We stopped in here to get coffee actually a couple of times! We liked stopping in here to grab a coffee after getting off the train before going back to the hotel because it was on the walk from the train station to the hotel. We also got breakfast here once as well and it was pretty good! I got scrambled eggs and bacon. They also had surprisingly quite a few gluten free pastries to choose from as well. I had an almond type cookie and also like a moon pie thing as well and both were good! They also had wifi which was nice to have when we needed it. Even if you don’t stop for coffee, it is a great place to stop and to check on missed messages!

Modern and historic architecture in Malmö, Sweden
Pedestrian street in the heart of Malmö city for shopping and sightseeing

Information on Malmo Museum!

Malmohus Castle - The Malmohus Castle is the oldest surviving Renaissance castle. We spend about an hour wandering around the castle and then we spend about 30ish minutes in the science museum portion of the castle which was (in my opinion) really cool! The castle was built between 1526 and 1539 and is the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic region, inside there was a ton to look at from history to fashion to animals. There was so much inside! It cost Dustin and I about $18 to visit both sides of the museum. They also had the cutest gift shop, I seriously kick myself for not getting anything from there, I loved the things they had!

Beautiful city park in Malmö, Sweden perfect for a relaxing walk
A vibrant cityscape of Malmö with modern buildings and historical landmarks to explore in a day.
Beautiful city park in Malmö, Sweden perfect for a relaxing walk
A vibrant cityscape of Malmö with modern buildings and historical landmarks to explore in a day.
A vibrant cityscape of Malmö with modern buildings and historical landmarks to explore in a day.
A vibrant cityscape of Malmö with modern buildings and historical landmarks to explore in a day.

Lunch

MAX - We stopped here pretty much as soon as we checked into our hotel and I would say it is like their McDonalds. But here they had gluten free options and that was SO exciting! I had a bacon cheeseburger and a side of fries but I got the cheese fries that had onion and jalapeños on top. All of it was really good and we were thankful to have a quick meal to eat and we would definitely eat here again.

Savor delicious Swedish cuisine at top restaurants in Malmö.
Savor delicious Swedish cuisine at top restaurants in Malmö.
 
 

Stortorget Historic Market Square - After we went to the museum and had lunch it was raining pretty hard but we still wanted to explore the area. We found ourselves wandering around Stortorget Historic Market Square and there were a ton of people just hanging out, having lunch and lounging. It was really pretty and had some cool historic spots as well if you are wanting to check some that kind of thing out!

Relax in Malmö's lush city parks, perfect for a leisurely afternoon
Relax in Malmö's lush city parks, perfect for a leisurely afternoon
Relax in Malmö's lush city parks, perfect for a leisurely afternoon
Relax in Malmö's lush city parks, perfect for a leisurely afternoon

Dinner Ideas

Sabaidee Thai Trianglen - This was another place that we ordered dinner to the hotel when we were in Malmo and it was SO freakin good! Before this trip I have had curry but this Thai place had a red curry that in the most dramatic way possible, changed my life haha! It was so good and I wish I could find a place here in Florida that properly replicated the curry that we had. We also had pad Thai in our order which was really good but it had chilis on top of it that I didn’t see and I put about four of them in my mouth at one time and I’m not sure I have been the same since, lol it was SO spicy! I’m sure if I would have ordered it without the chilis it would have been just as good! We defiantly recommend to order from this spot, just be careful with the spice levels of things if that isn’t something you enjoy!

Explore local Swedish food in Malmö's restaurants, offering a variety of culinary delights.

Davidshall Pizzeria - We ordered this pizza one night after a long day of exploring and it didn’t disappoint! It was really yummy, the crust was shockingly good. You gluten free friends know that crust isn’t the thing we get excited about when it comes to pretty much anything haha but it was really good! I got the Margherita Pizza and it was so good, would absolutely get it again if I was given the chance! My parents got a non gluten free Hawaiian type of pizza and they liked it as well! We can’t remember what Dustin had but he said it whatever it was he liked it! It was nice to have many options to order in after long exploring days, we ordered in dinner all of the nights that we were in Malmo, actually!

 

A Few Things to Have on Hand!

  1. Rain Jacket

  2. Umbrella

  3. Backpack for purchases

  4. Camera or Phone for pictures

  5. LAYERS! I was so thankful that I had a rain jacket, a sweatshirt and a t-shirt on because I shed and added layers all day long!

Discover Malmö's historic buildings, including medieval structures and modern landmarks.
Discover Malmö's historic buildings, including medieval structures and modern landmarks.
 

After the cruise was over we were happy to have a day where we just sort of strolled around and didn’t have a strict plan. Malmo was cute and unexpected, plus it was really cool to see where Dustin travels for work a few times a year! He got to show us around which I loved! Have you been to Malmo or any other part of Sweden? I honestly never really had Sweden on my radar until recently but I’m glad to have spent some time there! If you have any questions at all, please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!

Much Love, 

Emma


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Daytrip to Helsingor, Denmark from Malmo, Sweden

Hi Friends!

As I mentioned before, when we got off of our cruise we had 3 days in Copenhagen and Sweden and we spent one of those days and took about an hour train ride to Helsingor, Denmark! We initially went so that we could explore Kronborg Castle which is the famous setting for Shakespear’s play, Hamlet. We were so happy that we added this to our list of things to do because we went for the castle and ended up seeing really cool views on the train, cute shopping in the town next to the castle and had a really yummy lunch as well! I will get into more detail about that though below!


Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.
Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.

A Few Things to Have on Hand!

  1. Rain Jacket

  2. Umbrella

  3. Backpack for purchases

  4. Camera or Phone for pictures

  5. LAYERS! I was so thankful that I had a rain jacket, a sweatshirt and a t-shirt on because I shed and added layers all day long!


Information on taking the Train

Using the train to get from Malmo to Helsingor was very simple and was actually a great experience. I recommend using the train to get around if you are visiting. I am going to link to the official Rail Europe website here for you to check out. But we stayed at the Raddison Blu in Malmo and got on the train at Malmo Central Station and got off at at Köbenhavn H and got on the train to Helsingor which was about an hour and 40 minute trip one way, but definitely worth it in my opinion! It was easy to use and if there ever was any confusion, we just asked for help from someone that was working in the station and they were very helpful!

 

Where to Stay!

Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo

I touched on where we stayed in the blog post called Spend Two Days in Copenhagen, Denmark but I will share about the hotel here as well! After the cruise, we stayed three days in Malmo, Sweden because it was a lot cheaper than staying in Copenhagen but it allowed us to explore parts of Sweden and parts of Denmark while costing a little bit less. It was really nice because we were a quick train ride from anywhere we wanted to go and we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything by staying in Malmo! We stayed at Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo and it was such a nice spot to stay and the location couldn’t have been better! It was nice and clean, the staff was super friendly, they had air conditioning in our rooms, comfortable beds, tea and coffee in the room and the rooms were huge!

 

Information on Kronborg Castle!

Kronborg Castle - The Kronborg Castle has been around since 1420 and since then has burned to the ground and been rebuilt. This is the actual castle that Shakespeare set Hamlet in and has a lot of history with that in the castle. There were many ships passing into the Baltic Sea which used to pay tolls at Kronborg Castle and Helsingør but now is a tourist attraction. The Kronberg Castle is about a 10ish minute walk from the train station and we paid about $20 a person to get into it but there was a lot to see while we were in there! They had a tour you could pay for but we just did it on our own and really liked doing it that way. When you are doing the tour through the castle you have to put your backpack in a locker but they give you a key that you take with you and then give back once you’re done. We spent about 3 hours touring the castle but that includes the inside of the castle, the outside where the grounds are, spending some time in the cafe and then looking at the gift shop as well! We were absolutely happy with taking the day to make this trip.

Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.
Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.

Shopping around Helsingor - We wandered the streets of Helsingor after lunch for about two hours, there were lots of shops to go into and explore. I didn’t make a note of any specific stores but we went into a few clothings stores, a book shop, a couple of antique stores and even a little convenient shop that had a lot to look at. We all got a couple of things and then headed back to the train to beat the commuting rush back to Malmo, Sweden.

Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.
Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.
Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.

Where We Ate

Cafe Kaiser - After we spent the morning at Kronberg Castle we started to wander back to the train but decided we should stop and get a late lunch before the train ride back. We found this cute spot on the corner with outdoor seating but opted to eat inside because it looked like it was going to start raining. I had a glass of Pino noir and a really yummy sliced chicken sandwich with cucumber and sort of hummas spread. It was really good and so were the fries! There were so many options in this area to eat but if you are overwhelmed and just want to know where you’re going to have lunch this spot was great and had gluten free options that were tasty!

Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.
Explore the Hidden Gems of Helsingor: A Day Trip from Malmo Discover the charming city of Helsingor on a day trip from Malmo, Sweden. Uncover historical sites, local cuisine, and breathtaking views.

We were so happy to off on a little day trip outside of the city and we were so happy with the little town that we found. We loved touring the castle and then shopping around after! Have you been to Helsingor? What was your favorite part when you were there? As always, if you have any questions at all, please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!

Much Love, 

Emma


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Spend Two Days in Copenhagen, Denmark

Hi Friends!

Once we got off of our cruise we had 3 days in Copenhagen and Sweden and we spent one and a half of the three days in Copenhagen exploring! We had a lot of things on our list that we wanted to check out but as the day went on we sort of just let the day take us where it went and it was a lot of fun. A few things that were on our list was a canal tour, Tivoli Gardens, Amalieaborg castle and then just wandering around the iconic buildings that we have all seen in pictures! Trust me, those pictures of the colorful buildings lining the canal were spot on and it was such a pretty place to sightsee! Below I will share where we stayed, where we ate and what things we did in Copenhagen!


Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

A Few Things to Have on Hand!

  1. Rain Jacket

  2. Umbrella

  3. Backpack for purchases

  4. Camera or Phone for pictures

  5. LAYERS! I was so thankful that I had a rain jacket, a sweatshirt and a t-shirt on because I shed and added layers all day long!


Where to Stay!

Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo

When we got off of our cruise ship we stayed at the same hotel for the whole three days that we were there and it made the most sense for us to stay in Malmo, Sweden because it was a lot cheaper than staying in Copenhagen. It was really nice because we were a quick train ride from anywhere we wanted to go and we didn’t feel like we were missing out on anything by staying in Malmo! We stayed at Raddison Blu Hotel, Malmo and it was such a nice spot to stay and the location couldn’t have been better! It was nice and clean, the staff was super friendly, they had air conditioning in our rooms, comfortable beds, tea and coffee in the room and the rooms were huge!

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

Where to Stop!

Tivoli Gardens - This place was like the most chaotic amusement park I had ever seen haha it was really cool to walk around and look through the shops and see the different things that they had to offer but we were there on a Sunday and it seemed like everyone else was also there. I believe we each paid about $25 just to walk around the park and then if you wanted to go on rides they were a little bit more than that. It was definitely a cool thing to see in the middle of the city but I’m not sure I would pay to go in again if I were to go back!

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

Amalienborg Palace - We originally wanted to see the changing of the guard at the palace but we ended up doing our canal tour at the same time so we skipped it but if you can you should watch this iconic event! We could see the castle from where the canal tour started so it was perfect to see it at the same time! They also had the option to go inside and do a museum tour but we didn’t do that while we were there.


Lime Scooters - We took these Lime Scooters on a little tour around by ourselves and it was so much fun! We took the train a little bit further out from the center of the city to look for the Trash Trolls that we had heard about. When we got off the train, we saw the Lime Scooters so we downloaded the app and took them on a ride! Unfortunately we couldn’t for the lives of us find the Trash Trolls we were looking for but the scooters were so much fun it didn’t matter in the end! We probably would have had better luck with the Trash Trolls if we planned a little bit more ahead, so if you go, find them before you are without internet! If you feel comfortable on a scooter, I really recommend doing this for a little self guided tour around the city!


Original Canal Tour of Copenhagen - When we were visiting, we knew we wanted to do an iconic canal tour and we decided to go with the Original Canal Tour of Copenhagen. We liked the open boat seating and the tour guide was great! We paid like $15 a person and it was totally worth it. While we were on the boat we got to see The Copenhagen Opera House, Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Palace, the Black Diamond Library which was SO cool, The Little Mermaid statue and so many side alley canals with tons of house boats and tons to look at! The tour took maybe about 45 minutes if I am remembering correctly and different boats were picking people up about every half hour. I can’t recommend doing this tour enough!

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

Thrifting Along the Canal - We were so happy to stumble on this thrift market that was set up along the canal, there were so many things to look at and we actually have two small pieces of art in our house now from the market! A note, we could only pay with cash but there was an ATM at the 7 Eleven that was about a three minute walk away from the thrift market! I don’t know the days it is open but if they’re there when you are visiting, definitely stop!

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

Where to Eat

Espresso House - We stopped in here for a cup of coffee after wandering through the Tivoli Gardens and it was pretty tasty! Not much to say, it was a cute coffee shop and there were bathrooms to use which was nice! Espresso House was like a Starbucks in the states, they were everywhere and we actually stopped into a different location on another day! Like I said, good coffee and a good place to stop in and relax for a bit.

Wagamama - We ate here when we were in Tivoli Gardens for lunch and it wasn’t our first option but we were all starving and I knew I could eat here so we just settled and had lunch! They were very knowledgeable about allergies and the manager was the person who came to take my order. I got the Pad Thai with chicken and it was pretty good! Not a 10/10 but if it had a little bit more sauce it would have been much better! Dustin got some kind of ramen and liked it a lot! I would eat here again, especially because of how well they took care of allergies.

Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!
Explore Copenhagen in about 48 Hours - Your Ultimate Guide  Discover the best things to do in Copenhagen in just two days. From iconic landmarks to hidden gems, make the most of your short trip with our expert tips. Start planning now!

With only spending about a day and a half in Copenhagen, as you can tell we were able to fit so many things in and see so much! If we had a little bit more time we probably would have ventured out and did some things outside of the city. But that just means we need to visit again for a longer amount of time! Have you been to Copenhagen? What was your favorite part when you were there? As always, if you have any questions at all, please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!

Much Love, 

Emma


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Packing for a 14 Day Trip to Iceland, Scotland, Denmark and Sweden

Hi Friends!

To start out this post I just want to say that this is a very specific packing list for the trip that we took! We did three days in Iceland, then we did an eight day cruise and once the cruise was done, we spent three days exploring Copenhagen and Sweden. This packing list isn’t going to be for everybody, but if you are taking a trip similar to what we did, this will be very helpful for you! I’m going to start off by sharing my general packing list and then when I was packing for myself, I broke it down specifically to each day because I had limited space in what I could bring so I wanted to make sure that everything would fit. I will also share the broken down version of the things that I packed for myself each day based on the activities that we were doing. Lastly, I am also going to share a few things that I didn’t pack that I wish I would have brought! This might be extensive so I hope this helps even just one person!


These things that are in the graphic below are the clothing specifics that I packed for the colder weather in Iceland. Also I should add that not only was it cold, but it was very wet which is very normal! I also used these things here and there in different locations but these were to keep me warm and dry during our Iceland portion.

| Black Joggers | 2 Pack Base Layer Long Sleeves | Black Leggings | Grey Jumper |

| Black Waterproof Gloves | Waterproof Duck Boots | Wool Socks | Rain Jacket |

| Waterproof Hiking Rain Pants |


General Packing List

Days and Destinations

Day One - Plane/Iceland

I kept it comfortable and casual on the travel days because let’s be honest, those are exhausting and the last thing I want to be wearing is something restricting like jeans! I got this jumpsuit from Amazon and I ended up wearing it a lot while on the trip.







Day Nine - Inverness, Scotland

Day Outfit

Dinner Outfit

    • For dinner this night I ended up just staying in what I wore earlier in the day out in Inverness. We got back to the boat later than usual and decided to play cards and have a low-key dinner in the casual dining area.





Emergency Kit Supplies

This kit is for more than just sea sickness so if you're setting sail on the open seas or embarking on a river cruise, it's important to be prepared for any emergency that may arise. After being on a handful of different cruise lines I have come to a few conclusions, one being the medicines that they do sell are pricey in the gift shops. This is probably obvious but I am not a doctor and anything you plan to take should be run by a professional prior to taking it! These are the things that I came up with that are my/our must-have essentials for a cruise emergency first aid kit. Hopefully you can be fully prepared for any situation that may arise during your own vacations!

| Emergen-C | DayQuil | NyQuil | Allergy Medicine | Tampons/Pads | Midol | Bandaids |

| Antibiotic Ointment | Hand Sanitizer | Ibuprofen | Tylenol | Liquid IV | Sunscreen | Aloe |

| Tide To Go Pen | Dramamine | Safety Pins | Tweezers | Tums |



Again, I know that was a lot of information and this post isn’t going to be for everybody, but when we were prepping for this trip, it was almost impossible to find a packing list for exactly what we were doing, and I wanted to make sure that anybody doing a trip like this in the future would have a little bit more help than we did! Keep in mind we were there in June and it was still chilly in most of the locations that we visited! If you have any questions at all, I am more than happy to answer those for you! You can drop a comment below or you can email me at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Much Love, 

Emma


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Spend A Day In Kirkwall, Scotland

Hi Friends!

Kirkwall was our first port stop in Scotland and I loved this day so much! As I was writing this blog post I realized that pretty much everything we did when we were in Kirkwall was something that we stumbled upon while walking around. There was a mixup with getting off the ship so we had literally like two hours to kill while waiting for my parents to get off and by the time we met up with them we wandered some more! We had the best day though, we wandered into coffee shops, thrift stores, castles, libraries, museums, restaurants, gift shops, churches and so much more and it was just the best most relaxing day considering nothing in the morning went to plan. But we had about 6 hours to spend wandering the city and it feels like we walked and explored SO much in that small amount of time!


A Few Things to Have on Hand!

  1. Rain Jacket

  2. Umbrella

  3. Backpack for purchases

  4. Camera or Phone for pictures

  5. LAYERS! I was so thankful that I had a rain jacket, a sweatshirt and a t-shirt on because I shed and added layers all day long!

Where to Stop!

Welcome center - Usually I wouldn’t suggest a welcome center as a place that you probably want to check out when you are visiting somewhere new but the welcome center in Kirkwall was so helpful. The staff were so knowledgeable and happy to help us with questions about maps, locations of attractions, spots to eat, shopping, bus schedules, wifi locations and so much more. Another perk of the welcome center was that it was also a very cute gift shop with actually cute items to purchase! We stopped there at the beginning of the day and also on the way out just to look at last minute souvenirs!

Archive Coffee Shop - We stopped in here to get coffee and use their wifi for a few minutes to check on where my parents were and I am so glad we stopped because it was the cutest little coffee shop. We both got lattes and they were good! They also had a food menu but we weren’t eating. A great place to stop for a pick me up and to check on missed messages if you didn’t have service there like us! Haha

Kirkwall Library and Archive - Another place that I wouldn’t usually add to a list of places to visit when you are in a new city is a library but it was such a cool place to check out. It was raining right when we got into Kirkwall and we decided to go in the library just to see what it was like. But it was so fun! There was free wifi, bathrooms and they actually had books for sale. I needed up getting a few to use as decor and coffee table books for home. I would definitely suggest going into the library, even for just a few minutes!

Bishop’s and Earl’s Palace - Another place we stumbled upon was this old-timey castle palace thing which was SO cool to see inside of. It was like a medieval looking building and it was right next to the St Magnus Cathedral. It was dated all the way back to 1263 and it was just so interesting to see and imagine how life was lived inside the building. We spent maybe like 25 minutes here but if you are taking a guided tour I could see you spending more time and getting a ton more information. I would absolutely recommend checking out this spot!


The Orkney Museum - We didn’t plan to stop in here but we walked by it while we were exploring and the door said free so we figured we had nothing to loose! The museum was fairly small but it had information on the history of Orkney all the way back to the Stone Age. There were things to look at from the Vikings all the way until present day. I’m glad we stumbled upon it and went in. They also had restrooms that were available to use and another cute gift shop at the end of exploring.

St Magnus Cathedral - We went in here once we met up with my parents and it was so pretty inside. It was raining pretty hard at this point so we were happy to be inside but it was so neat to just learn a little more about this cathedral. Some of the dates that we were reading were just so interesting, some dated back to the 11th century. Also the stained glass was just incredible! It didn’t take us too long to walk through but it was absolutely worth the stop for us.


Harbour Fry Fish & Chips - I was SO happy to stumble upon this restaurant. It was on the main strip of shops and as you can see below, it literally said “ask about our gluten free options” and WOW was it yummy! The inside was small but like a fast paced diner almost. We ended up sharing a table with a couple and their Australian shepherd (some of you probably know we have two Aussies at home!!) and had the best time. It was great conversation with locals and was honestly the highlight of our day. The fish was crispy and delicious and 10/10 recommend eating here if you are visiting! Plus the staff was SO friendly! I can’t say enough good things about this spot!

There were also lots of other shops along the main walkway including the cutest book shop that had so much to choose from. There was also a fun record store that we spent way too much time in! The record store also had things like legos, games, puzzles, it reminded me sort of like a game stop with fewer video games. There were also so many thrift stores that we wandered into. We went to like three or four different ones and I got a couple of cute paintings that now live in my house. I liked being able to get things for the house that weren’t from a gift shop but there is like a history to those items! Other than that there were lots of stores that had souvenirs and gifts that we loved. OH and there was an art fair that was cute to walk through. My best advice would be to just go into places even if you think it might be something you wouldn’t usually stop at.


With only spending about half of a day here, as you can tell we were able to fit so many things in and had a great day! If we had a little bit more time we probably would have ventured out and did some things outside of the city. But that just means we need to visit again for a longer amount of time! I could absolutely see us visiting Scotland again in the near future! Have you been to Scotland? What was your favorite part when you were there? As always, if you have any questions at all, please comment below or send me an email at tarynintotravel@gmail.com and I will get back to you asap!

Much Love, 

Emma


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