Weekend in Stockholm 2017

Friday 7th July to Sunday 9th July

Stockholm is described as the “Venice of the north” with the City surrounded by waterways, a historical old town, Gamla Stan, with its fine Royal Palace and narrow streets full of history and the seat of the Swedish Academy for the Nobel prize for literature.

The IWFS Europe Africa event will let you sample all of this. For those of you already booked on the Baltic cruise, spend a few extra days to take in the sights and atmosphere as well as Stockholm’s culinary delights. For those of you not on the cruise, this is a great opportunity to visit one of the most attractive cities in Northern Europe.

We will be based in the Haymarket by Scandic, a hotel opened in May 2016 with a 1930s and Greta Garbo themes – rest assured its facilities are very modern! We have negotiated rates for 3 types of room, all including breakfast; initial booking will be through IWFS, but payment for the room will be direct with the hotel.

There will be a certain amount of walking to and between venues.

The cost for this weekend event, excluding the hotel and travel to and from Stockholm, will be £695 for each member (£735 for non-members), based on current post-Brexit exchange rates. If there is a significant change in the exchange rate between now and the date for final payment, the cost may be adjusted.

All IWFS Members are welcome to register for this event.  Please send an email to John Nicholas johnsnicholas@aol.com with a copy to Stephanie Shepherd  s.shepherd@ntlworld.com stating your branch and the type of hotel room (see below) that you require with any additional nights required (other than Friday, 7 July and Saturday, 8 July) either before or after the event.  Places are limited, and until 25th August priority will be given to members who have also booked for the Baltic Festival.

Your place at the event will be secured by the payment of a deposit of £200 per person. Final payment will be due before the 31 March 2017. 

Friday, 7 July – registration and lunch in the hotel, a visit to the City’s imposing Stadhus (City Hall) where the Nobel prize ceremony takes place followed by dinner in the Stadhuskälleren and the opportunity to share a menu and wines used for The Nobel literature prize dinner.

Saturday, 8 July – a visit to the Royal Palace with guided tours, followed by a two hour private “cruise” around the archipelago with lunch on board. In the early evening, we will visit the Nobel Museum followed by a guided walking tour through the narrow lanes of the Old City (Gamla Stan). The tour will end at Den Gyldene Freden, a restaurant originally founded in 1721, where we will dine. This restaurant continues the Nobel prize theme as the Swedish Academy meet there for lunch.

Sunday, 9 July – visit the famous Djurgarden Island, with a choice of Museum visits (the Vasa Museum, the Nordiska Museum, Skansen, which is a living museum, or for those with different tastes, the Abba museum), or simply wander through the gardens. We will then gather at the Ulla Winbladh restaurant in Djurgarden for a final lunch.

The programme may have to be changed if venues become unavailable for whatever reason

Rates at the hotel Haymarket by Scandic, including breakfast are as follows:
                                                                                Single    Double
                                                                                 SEK      SEK
           Classic                                                          1,650     1,800
           Spacious                                                       1,850     2,000
           Grande                                                          2,450    2,600
Average buy exchange rate on 23 July 2016 GBP 1 = SEK 11.00 

Payment methods

It is preferred that payments are made by bank transfer. The deposit in GBP sterling, all fees paid by you, should be made to HSBC Bank, Witney Branch, Sort Code: 40-47-07, Account: IWFS Europe Africa Ltd., account number: 41699075.  (For international transfers: IBAN: GB48MIDL40470741699075; BIC: MIDLGB22).  Please include the reference: Stockholm Deposit.  If paying from outside the UK, your bank may requirethe address of the bank: HSBC Bank, 24 Market Square, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 6BG, England and the registered address of IWFS Europe Africa Limited: The Pavilion, Botleigh Grange Business Park, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2AF, England.

If you prefer to pay by cheque, please write the reference on the back of the cheque, and send it to: J S Nicholas (for IWFS EAZ), c/o Mrs G S Moore, 2 Stevenson Close, East Hanney, Oxfordshire OX12 0FF.

There is a 3 percent surcharge for payments by credit card. Nevertheless, if you wish to pay by credit card, contact John Nicholas either by email at the address above or by mobile on +41 79 753 68 81 or +44 7760 301 156. If you send credit card details by email, it is suggested that you send two separate emails from separate email accounts. The Society and its members cannot be held responsible for any account details included in emails which become subject to fraudulent activity.

Cancellation policy

Cancellation within 14 days of making the deposit, it will be fully refunded.
Up to30 September 2016, a refund of your deposit will be made, less £25 administration fee;
After 1 October 2016, but before 31 March 2017, there will be no refund of your deposit;
After 31 March 2017, no refund will be made and the final balance, if not already paid, will still be payable unless your place is taken up by someone on a waitlist. 

You are advised to have personal travel and cancellation insurance.

 Photos courtesy of mediabank.visitstockholm.com.  Photographers: Yanan Li, Erik G Svensson, Alexander Yukin.