It was my intention for quite long to write about cinnamon buns – one of the best coffee accompaniments, gifted to us by the Scandinavian culture. I associate cinnamon buns more with winter as sweet spicy rolls with a sharp flavor, not bothering but bringing one to senses and perfect to warm up with coffee: Happiness Buns accompanying coffee… Hence, this was supposed to be a winter post, yet I don’t want to delay it any longer especially owing to my recent visit to Stockholm with my daughter. (Photo above from Food and Travel August/September 2025 issue No:271, taken with my mobile phone)
An article I have read says:
“Buns are to the Swedes what croissants are to the French: an everyday staple that epitomises the culture. They are consumed during the daily Swedish coffee break known as fika and can be found everywhere from supermarkets and cafes to artisanal bakeries.” (bbc.com) – a perfect description…
A Swedish family having fika (Photo by Jonas Ingmar, vastsverige.com (West Sweden Tourist website))
I had mentioned “fika”, the Swedish coffee break tradition, in my older post about Stockholm titled “A Stockholm Visit – Colored with Jazz, ‘Fika’ and A Royal Touch“. Fika is Swedes’ socializing over coffee and buns or cakes with friends, family or colleagues at any time mostly in cafes which you can witness as a tourist in Stockholm…
Princess cake (Prinsesstårta)- the most popular cake in Sweden and a fika classic: a sponge cake with layers of raspberry marmalade, whipped cream, and vanilla custard, covered with green marzipan / cinnamon buns (or cinnamon rolls) flavored with butter, sugar, and cinnamon (Photos: vastsverige.com)
Cinnemon buns (‘kanelbullar‘ in Swedish) are a classic at Swedish coffee parties. Soft, fluffy Swedish buns consumed for fika come in varieties like cinnamon, cardamom, saffron or vanilla bun and semla. Cardamom buns (‘kardemummabullar‘) are also quite popular in Stockholm. Cardamom is said to be the base ingredient and always in the dough of the buns. (sweden.se, bcc.com)
Appealing cardamom buns – spiced with cinnamon and ground cardamom, and decorated with pearl sugar… (Photo: Reda & Co/Alamy via bbc.com)
Cinnemon buns are also common favorite pastries of me and my daughter which we have come across in every cafe or ‘konditori‘ we stepped in during our visit to Stockholm two months ago at the end of May.
My daughter and I at “Thelins” at Kungsgatan, 51, dating back to early 1900s, which was our favorite konditori (bakery and cafe) in Stockholm / Cakes and cinnamon / cardamom buns at Thelins (We enjoyed Thelins’ ice cream, especially of the princess cake and pistachio flavors...) (Photos above taken with my mobile phone, May 23, 2026, our first day in Stockholm)
At “Vette-Katten“, another classic Stockholm konditori just nearby “Thelins” / My daughter enjoying her drink from “Espresso House” (in Drottninggatan), a popular coffee chain with many shops across Scandinavia
Both Kungsgatan (King’s Street) and Drottninggatan (Queen Street), two of Stockholm’s most beautiful main streets in the Norrmalm district were just nearby our hotel. This was very fortunate for my daughter, who adores shopping. She loved the shops at Drottninggatan – a popular pedestrian shopping street.
In front of our hotel “Haymarket By Scandic“- an iconic Swedish hotel which I had mentioned in detail in my older post titled “A Stockholm Visit – Colored with Jazz, ‘Fika’ and A Royal Touch / The hotel’s breakfast room with a view of Stockholm Concert Hall, where Nobel prizes are awarded.
(The hotel is amid the farmers’ markets in Hötorget Square in Norrmalm district closeby the Central Station. We had a nice spacious room facing the square.)
Stockholm Concert Hall hosting Nobel Prize ceremony, with the farmers markets – in Hötorget Square just opposite Haymarket By Scandic (Photo: visitstockholm.com)
Haymarket by Scandic entrance – an Art Deco Swedish hotel with a Great Gatsby spirit, originally PUB department store where Greta Garbo was discovered while working as a shop assistant / The hotel’s chic cocktail bar “Americain” (Photos: Haymarket by Scandic LinkedIn)
(My daughter also adored this jolly hotel, as we did with my spouse a few years ago, either for its upholding spirit, its rich pleasant breakfast buffet, polite helpful staff, and its chic bar “American” where she enjoyed nice alcohol free cocktails…)
When we arrived at Haymarket by Scandic from the airport, we left our baggages and strolled through the lively streets around our hotel. We browsed the shops, had some fika time, made some shopping and bought fresh berries from the stands in the square right in front of the hotel.
Then we made a walking tour in the city center including Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town home to the Royal Palace, the official residence of the Swedish Royal Family.
Stortorget – the main square in Gamla Stan and the oldest square in Stockholm (as early as 1420) home to the “Nobel Prize Museum”(Photo by my daughter with her mobile phone)
The sweet small shops and cafes in Gamla Stan with cobbled narrow streets and colorful houses / Stockholm Cathedral, the oldest church in the city located between Stortorget and the Royal Palace (This shot by my daughter was her target.)
The Royal Palace in Gamla Stan (We toured the inside of the palace on our third day and catched the end of the daily changing of the guard.) (The private residence of the Swedish Royal Family is “Drottningholm Palace” located near Stockholm at about twenty minutes driving distance from the city center.)
Drottningholm Palace – located just outside central Stockholm on Lovön Island in Lake Mälaren, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List (Photo:kungligaslotten.se) (We had really enjoyed here with my spouse before (mentioned in my older post). We haven’t be to Drottningholm with my daughter as she wanted to stay more in the city center.)
As we walked around the city centre until dawn, under the soft breezes blowing from the waterways around us and among the ancient majestic buildings, we were charmed by the beauty of Stockholm, and were filled with a fresh vibe…
Stockholm is built on 14 islands connected by many bridges. Gamla Stan consists of several islands.
(Photos (above and below) we took during our walking tour in city center, May 23, 2026)
My daughter in King’s Garden, a lovely place we discovered on our first day in Stockholm / Restaurant Prinsen, a historic Swedish restaurant where we had Swedish meatballs in our first dinner in the city (Photo taken by my daughter)
On our second day in Stockholm after breakfast, I took my daughter to the beautiful City Hall of Stockholm, on the shore of Lake Mälaren.
At the City Hall, Stockholm, May 24, 2026
Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset) – (Photo: Stadshuset website – stadshuset.stockholm)
(The City Hall is where the Nobel banquet is held annually following the award ceremony and is open to public through guided tours only. We missed the tours when we got there but could take a guided tour on the following day.)
At The Blue Hall that hosts the annual Nobel banquet as well as many other events, May 25, 2026 / 2015 Nobel Prize Banquet hosted by the Swedish Royal Family (Photo: Getty Images via mirror.co.uk)
At the Golden Hall hosting several events and where the guests dance during the Nobel festivities / Nobel dance held in the Golden Hall following the Nobel Prize dinner (Photo: visitsweden.com)
On our second day in Stockholm, we headed to “Gröna Lund“, a popular amusement park on the seaward side of the Djurgården Island. The island is home to many known museums like ‘The Vasa Museum’ and ‘ABBA The Museum’. We didn’t visit ABBA museum, yet I have later heard that the scene atractions at the museum would appeal to her – a next time target.
To go to Gröna Lund, we walked to King’s Garden from the City Hall took the tram number 7 going directly to Djurgården – till the end stop Gröna Lund passing from other museums.
Gröna Lund Amusement Park, Stockholm, May 24, 2026 (Photos by my daughter with her mobile phone)
(No wander that making Gröna Lund was a top target for my daughter – a challenge for me as I am not a roller coaster type. Yet I reassured myself to try the attractions not to leave her alone. We did enjoy this jolly park along a bay of the Baltic Sea. The fast rotating circular swing by the sea, with a wide overview of Gröna Lund from above, was quite fun.)
After Gröna Lund, we took a boat to Slussen from the pier just nearby, and walked to Gamla Stan where we had some fika time. By chance, we came across “Sundbergs Konditori” – Stockholm’s oldest konditori (bakery and cafe) opened in 1785 on Drottninggatan, but moved to its current location (Järntorget 83) in 1793, as it was closer to baker Gustav Adolf Sundbergs home (visitstockholm.com).
Outside “Sundbergs Konditori” on Järntorget, a small public square in Gamla Stan (We had a pleasant fika time with a nice tea and a budapest cake, and a cinnamon bun afterwards.)
Established during the reign of King Gustav III in 1785, Sundbergs Konditori had soon become a meeting place for wealthy shipowners, bankers, and the ‘Skeppsbro-nobility‘ of Gamla Stan. Its founder, Johan Ludvig Sundberg had been one of the city’s most respected confectioners serving parties, chocolate, cakes with coffee, tea and liqueurs. (from the pamphlet I took from Sundbergs)
(Skepps-bro nobility refers to wealthy merchant families who lived along Skeppsbron in the 17th and 18th centuries – a historic waterfront quay and promenade in Gamla Stan streching from Slussen to the Stockholm Royal Palace.)
It is said that “the building of the konditori has a secret passage from the Royal Palace, which King Gustav III often used when his sweet tooth got the better of him”. (the pamphlet from Sundbergs) (Photos by my mobile phone)
Inside “Sundbergs Konditori” – cosy with a beautiful artistic decoration… As we shared a cinnamon bun inside this historic cafe, “Dancing Queen“, the song of the Swedish legendary band ABBA, was playing in the background. It was a magical fika moment… (Photos by my mobile phone)
A street in Gamla Stan (Photo by my mobile phone, May 24, 2026) / At “Agaton” in Gamla Stan – a nice Italian restaurant lit by candles, where we had our dinner (Photo by my daughter)
On the way to our hotel, we dropped by “Fasching“, a cosy jazz club in Stockholm with a bar and a concert venue that I had mentioned in my older post. The performance was over and there weren’t much events during our stay in the city. We finished the day at the bar of our hotel nearby.
Inside Fasching Jazz Club at Kungsgatan 63, Stockholm (Photo by my daughter) / My daughter enjoying her drink (a nice grapefruit soda) at the bar of our hotel (Haymarket by Scandic) closeby Fasching.
On our third day in Stockholm, we took the guided tour in Stockholm City Hall and visited the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan. Then we wandered the streets in Gamla Stan and in the city center, made some shopping, and had more fika time – a must for Stockholm.
Inside The Royal Palace in Gamla Stan / Lunch at a cafe in Gamla Stan facing the Nobel Prize Museum, May 25, 2026
Artistic corners at the Stockholm Royal Palace in Gamla Stan (Photos by my mobile phone)
Fika time at “Café Krans“, a cosy cafe located on Västerlånggatan in Gamla Stan / Cinnamon buns (display models) in the window of Café Krans
After some shopping in Drottninggatan, the nice pedestrian street in the city center nearby our hotel, we walked to “King’s Garden”, one of our favorite places in Stockholm, to have dinner at the Italian restaurant my daughter had noticed on our first day.
King’s Garden (Kungsträdgården), Stockholm – where you can see the cherry blossoms in spring (Photo: Getty Images via edition.cnn.com)
(King’s Garden is a lovely meeting place in Stockholm offering events such as festivals, ice skating, sports and cultural activities. We witnessed an open-air concert here on our first day.)
At King’s Garden, Stockholm, May 25, 2026
The Italian restaurant my daughter wanted to go (near the pond) was closed by the time we got there but we managed to find a place at a pleasant one just across King’s Garden.
Having pizza and pasta for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant with a view of King’s Garden
Walking at dusk in Stockholm center after dinner
Having a drink outside the jolly bar of our hotel Haymarket by Scandic – also frequented by the Stockholmers
My daughter was searching for candy shops especially in Drottninggatan since our first day as she had heard that candies are popular in Sweden and Swedes eat a lot of candies. As we were walking to Kings Garden for dinner on our third day, we came across a Swedish candy shop just a few buildings to the right of our hotel entrance.
My daughter at “Caramella” a few blocks from ‘Haymarket by Scandic’ hotel – a candy shop with a wide selection of Swedish candies, chocolates, and gift items including candies and gifts of Pippi Longstocking, a character in children’s books by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, quite popular in Sweden. (Photos by my mobile phone, May 25, 2026)
While we were chatting with the nice lady running the candy shop, the conversation turned to Pippi and she urged us to go to Junibacken fun park on Djurgården to see the home of Pippi Longstocking the following day. I was not sure to do it on our last day but she reassured that it could be done fast with the tram closeby. Thanks to her!
Breakfast at ‘Joe & the Juice’ close to our hotel on our last day – a favorite cafe chain of my daughter / At “Junibacken“, on the island of Djurgården in central Stockholm, May 26, 2026 (We easily got there early in the morning taking tram 7 from King’s Garden.)
We first took “The Story Train” which rides through the tales and stories. Imagine yourself transported inside a children’s book and wandering through the scenes among the story characters. You see a mini-bed, a fire, or a village like real and find yourself within fairytales. I should say that Junibacken is not only for children but for adults also, taking you to a magical world… I definitely suggest it for everyone to visit.
The only shot I could take from “The Story Train” my daughter and I were charmed by. As the train passed by the tale scenes and rooms, an audio tells about the stories. / The home of Pippi Longstocking (“Villa Villekulla“) where we got off the train
At the terrace and inside the home of Pippi Longstocking, May 26, 2026
I fell into the sweet home of Pippi, probably more than my daughter, – as jolly as Pippi Longstocking that I remember from childhood with a smile… Weird, chaotic and independent as the Pippi character from Astrid Lindgren’s books… (Photos by my mobile phone)
Note that Swedish author Astrid Lindgren’s home is at Dalagatan 46 in Stockholm, where she lived from 1941 to her death in 2002 and wrote her timeless classics such as Pippi Longstocking (astridlindgren.com).
Inger Nilsson as Pippi Longstocking, with her mismatched socks and two braids, in the 1969 film version / The writing table of Astrid Lindgren at her home in Stockholm – a museum today (Photos: theguardian.com / astridlindgren.com)
It was a surprise for me to see the Moomin playground in Junibacken for I love the Moomins – a family of white fairy-tale characters created by Swedish-Finnish author and illustrator Tove Jansson.
The Moominvalley at Junibacken (junibacken.se) / With the sweet Moomins
After Junibacken, we went back to our hotel to check out. Luckily, we managed to have some fika time before getting to the airport.
Having ice cream at Thelins Konditori on Kungsgatan / At “Greta’s cafe at our hotel Haymarket by Scandic, named as a tribute to Swedish actress Greta Garbo, just before getting on the taxi which took us to the airport, May 26, 2026
Our whole time in Stockholm, a charming city, was full of joy and colored by our fika moments in historical konditoris all with, besides many different cakes, the cinnamon buns – the happiness buns…
Cinnemon buns at Café Krans in Gamla Stan (Photo: visitstockholm.com) / A farewell to Stockholm: My daughter and I at the entrance of our hotel ‘Haymarket By Scandic’, May 26, 2026
Swedish cinnamon buns (Photo: visitstockholm.com) – a timeless classic perfect with coffee, which has a special day. Cinnamon Bun Day (Kanelbullens dag) is celebrated on October 4 every year in Sweden (also in Finland). Click the link “Cinnamons buns recipe” for a recipe of these happiness buns.
Note: This post was going to be about cinnamon buns only but luckily it coincided with our visit to the beautiful city of Stockholm with my dauhgter.
