the nomad lab

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Did you watch it yet?! You should. And then you should go visit this gorgeous, gorgeous little town. 

There’s definitely nothing that stokes my wanderlust more than watching a movie set in a beautiful, not-yet-explored (by me) place.

The movie was filmed in Stockholm, Sweden, mostly set in a province called Södermalm, which covers an island called Åsön.

On that note, if anyone I know speaks Swedish and wants to teach me how to pronounce those names when I decide to visit, I’d buy you a coffee and lavish you with praise.

Södermalm is a charming and trendy little area that has been compared both Brooklyn and SoHo by travelers. Despite the grimy underbelly that the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo embraces in this neighborhood, it’s surprisingly picturesque and cozy. I love it!

You’ll find diverse and unique boutiques with trendy designer clothing and accessories, as well as vintage and secondhand steals. Södermalm is also known for having an eclectic selection of great bars and restaurants. I’d have so much fun just wandering these streets all day long.

Plus, artsy cafés are readily available to do your people-watching. If you want to follow in the movie’s footsteps, you should check out Mellqvists Kaffebar (Hornsgatan 78), where Stieg Larsson is a regular. He wrote it into the movie as Mikail Blomkvist’s café.

If you want to see more of the sites that show up in the movie, check out the Stockholm City Museum’s Stieg Larsson Millenium Tour. You’ll get a full walking tour of all the sites along with some fascinating commentary about their real history.

Even more reason to visit: Lonely Planet recently ranked Sodermalm as one of the top 10 places to travel for 2012! (Read the article here.)

(Photos by Pikadilly, loloieg, Let Ideas Compete, janetyou, aspicio, Hasenohr76, mightyzaebro,