#50 Katarina Hissen (or a great view of Stockholm for free)

This was once upon a time a working elevator, but obviously Stockholm city council or whoever is in charge are lazy and it's been broken for a few years. HOWEVER, once you get up there, there's a fantastic view of Gamla Stan and the surrounding area that no visitor to Stockholm should miss.

Woop there it is!

I've been here a few times, just because it's nice and it's free. It's located beside the Slussen Metro station (close to Gamla Stan) and there are two ways up, one is to enter the building it's attached to and take the elevator to the 11th floor, labelled Gondolen (this is a really fancy restaurant, you should probably eat here if you're rich) and then you have to walk up some stairs and you're at the top! Or else, you can walk up lots of stairs built into the wall across the street. It's a tiresome journey but it's worth it!

Not the cleanest, but it's free!

Taken back in snowy January!

 City Hall on left, Gamla Stan on right

 Taken on a bright March evening

And I haven't even mentioned the best part, the entrance/exit at the top is about 5 minutes away from Lisbeth Salanders luxurious apartment at Fiskargatan 9. You exit almost directly beside Sodra Theatre, and then from there simply walk up the steps past the little red brick tower and you'll find it, it's the yellow apartment block with the partial green roof. Exciting for those Stieg Larsson fans out there!

Oh there it is!

So to conclude, Katarina Hissen is quite a popular place for tourists, but I think there are still many people who visit Stockholm and don't know about it, and opt to visit somewhere like the Kaknastornet TV tower instead, which costs 50kr.

Update: There are also other free viewing places, such as Skinnarviksberget, which is near Mariatorget.

#12 Leopalace 21

Leopalace. A place of grandiose! Well. . . .it has a nice name! Who doesn't want to live in a Palace?! For those familiar, you will know that it is affordable and small, but nice accommodation in Japan. And it is where I find myself now.

Table, wardrobe, bed up top with front door in background and bathroom/kitchen on the left

Yeah. . . this is your kitchen now! Hope you like boiling and microwaving

This is the outside of my building. . .I've seen nicer ones around

The loft! It had pretty big built in storage on the left

The microwave and fridge (living room on left, toilet + shower room on right)

the toilet and shower room are different rooms

The doors kinda look like cabins on a boat or something

It comes with a tv, internet, air con, fridge and freezer, microwave, two hobs, and a washing machine. The 'kitchen' is tiny, although the floor space in the living room is substantial as you sleep in the loft and the table can be folded away. I have a wooden floor all through my apartment, although everyone else I know has a carpet in their living area and I know of others who have tatami. 

View from the sliding doors

There's also a toilet and wet room with sink/shower. You can hang your clothes up in here and put on a heat setting which will dry them, or you can leave them outside (not advised if you live on the ground floor, although I imagine this is largely based on rumours and they are highly unlikely to get stolen). The shower/bath is very good quality, and the toilet has a little sink on top that runs every time you flush (oh Japan!). 

While on the outside it looks a bit grubby, it is a nice, clean apartment (some of my friends apartments looks nicer on the outside, but the inside is the same). I found it was perfect for the 4 months I spent in Japan, and could have lived in it for longer. 

The air con is great - it keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It also has a handy remote so you can turn it on from the loft when you're sleeping. 

There is plenty of storage space, 2 large wardrobes as well as space on top of them, as well as the loft (you can put your mattress on the living room floor if you want and use the loft for extra storage). The loft is pretty big too, the standardised Leopalace mattress only takes up 2/3 or less of the space, and I am quite tall and I could sit with my head just barely touching the ceiling. There's also a light and a small window at the other end so it's not claustrophobic or anything. There's a built in space in the wall beside it (big enough for a television even) so you can put your things in there while you sleep.

You have your own door to your apartment so it is quite separate to everyone else. There is also a mini camera outside your door with a little tv monitor in the living room, so you can see (and hear) who is at the door before you open it (there's also a peephole on the door itself). So it's pretty safe! 

There are also sliding doors in the living room with frosted glass and an insect net on the outside for during the summer. This for me opened out into a little carpark and then the side of the road (so I never really opened it), but my friend on the third floor of his building had the "world's tiniest balcony" that he could just about stand on.

View from the living room door

Of course this is just my particular Leopalace, I have seen other ones that have a built in bed and no loft, and I'm sure there are other little differences too, but this type is very common. As for pricing I don't know (luckily the company arranged and paid for it on my behalf), I assume it varies on how new it is and the location. From what I understand, it's cheaper to go on the ground floor than on the second or third floor though. So there you have it!