In addition to classic city hiking and exploring the city's historical sights, get ready for the following activities in Stockholm.
The 10 best hotels in Stockholm
Sights and history
Stockholm's "must-see" is, of course, its historic centre, which is concentrated in a very small area around the Gamla Stan district.
Stockholm may not have a large number of world-famous sights, but it does have a pleasant Scandinavian atmosphere, which is accentuated by architecturally specific buildings just for the Nordic region.
You shouldn't miss these sights when wandering around central Stockholm. Click on the title for details:
You can walk through the Old Town in half a day. If you have time to spare and the weather is nice, don't miss a visit to the so-called "Versailles of the North" and head 10 km outside the city to Drottningholm Castle.
Museum tour
If Stockholm lags behind other metropolises in the number of famous sights, it catches up in the number of high-quality museums.
We describe the most famous museums in more detail on separate subpages:
But there are other museums in Stockholm that we don't describe in detail yet, so we just add a link to the official website.
- The National Museum (nationalmuseum.se) - the largest art collection in Sweden
- Viking Museum (thevikingmuseum.com) - a small museum of Viking ships
- Museum of Swedish History (historiska.se) - an archaeological discovery and museum of Sweden's earliest history
Experience the "Venice of the North"
You only have to look at a map to see that the nickname "Venice of the North" is definitely appropriate in the case of Stockholm.
Spread over 14 large islands and many smaller uninhabited ones, the city is literally criss-crossed with water. Part of it is made up of sea fjords that flow freely into the huge and very rugged Lake Mälaren, which extends up to 65 km inland.
The Stockholm islands are much larger than the real Venice and look a little different. On most of them you will find normal residential areas, residential areas, but also prefabricated housing estates. Everything is very nicely landscaped and interspersed with hundreds of small parks.
Take a walk along the water in the city and countryside
The environment in which Stockholm is situated invites you to take short, but also long walks along the water all day long.
While in the centre around Gamla Stan you'll stroll along the city's lively promenades, most of which have been transformed into pedestrian zones, on the outskirts of the city you'll enjoy being out in nature, walking in the washes and forest parks.
Stockholm is, in our opinion, the most beautiful city in Europe and possibly the world for walking along the water.
But it's not just on foot that you can enjoy a city laced with water...
Get on the ferry
Enjoy Stockholm from the perspective of the water and hop on one of the many ferries included in the public transport system, for which regular tickets pay.
These ferries run year-round around the centre and outskirts of Stockholm.
In addition, during the summer season from May to September, they are joined by many tourist commercial boat lines.
Detailed information, including a map of the ferries, can be found in the Transport chapter.
Discover the incredible metro stations
There aren't too many destinations in the world where a simple utilitarian thing like a metro station is a major tourist attraction.
Stockholm is definitely one of those cities.
Since 1957, artists have played an important role in the construction of the metro system. Almost 20 metro stations thus serve as unique works of art linked to Swedish culture or history.
Where can you find Stockholm's most beautiful underground art stations? This is described in a separate chapter on the Stockholm Metro.
Excursions to the surrounding islands
To the east of Stockholm, you'll find dozens of islands forming the Stockholm archipelago on the border between the mainland and the open sea.
Take a day trip and experience the pleasant atmosphere of the Swedish countryside, take a stroll along the coastline and take a leisurely dip in the Baltic when the weather is nice.
Vaxholm
The most populated island with a pleasant town and beautiful citadel, Vaxholmen is also the closest to the centre of Stockholm.
Vaxholm can also serve as a base for exploring other small islands in the area.
Vaxholm is connected to the mainland by a bridge, so it can be reached by regular buses as well as ferries.
- Bus - 670 from Tekniska Högskolan metro station
- Regular public transport tickets apply here
- Travel time - 60 minutes
- Frequency - 15 minutes (20 minutes on weekends)
- Ferry 83 and 83X - SL transport company boat sails from the centre (Strömkajen)
- Regular public transport tickets apply
- Sailing time - 75 minutes
- Frequency - 4-6 times a day
- Ferry Waxholm - ships of lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 26, 27 sail from the centre (Strömkajen)
- Price - 64 sek
- Sailing time - 75 minutes
- Frequency - 4-10 times a day
- Information: waxholmsbolaget.se
- Ferry Stromma - boats sail directly from the centre (Strandvägen)
- Price - 175 sek
- Sailing time - 90 minutes
- Frequency - 1-2 times a day
- Information: stromma.com
Sandhamn
A remote island almost in the open sea attracts with its beautiful wooded surroundings, a coastline with several beaches and a pretty village with typical Swedish houses.
Even the cruise itself is an experience, as the ship sails from the centre of Stockholm between other islands.
- Stromma ferry - boats sail directly from the centre (Strandvägen)
- Price - 224 sek
- Cruise time - 180 minutes
- Frequency - 1-2 times a day
- Information: stromma.com
- Ferries Waxholm - ships sail either directly from the centre of Stockholm or from the island of Vaxholm
- Price - 178 sek
- Sailing time - 180 minutes
- Frequency - 1-2 times a day
- Information: waxholmsbolaget.se
Enjoy a moment in the café
Swedes are lovers of café culture and Stokcholm, as the capital, is of course not left behind.
While you'll be looking for a regular local restaurant for quite a while, you'll find typical Swedish cafes with great pastries (we especially recommend the cardamom or cinnamon buns!) literally on every corner.
Skip the hotel breakfasts and head to one of the great cafes in the morning instead.
Stockholm's cafes and patisseries are usually open from 6:30am to around 7pm.
Nightlife
When you head out into the swirl of nightlife, don't forget your ID, as you may be asked for it when entering a bar or pub. Establishments set their own minimum age, some as low as 27. Long queues form outside popular clubs and you'll pay 50-200 sek to get in (more on special events).
At the better places, a beer costs 55-75 sek, a drink around 140 sek.
Expect many bars and pubs, including the bigger ones, to close completely on Sundays and Mondays.
Where to go for nightlife?
Stureplan is a neighbourhood around the square of the same name known for its upmarket dance clubs, where people wait for hours to get in and pay for it 300 sek and more.
To sit and dance with live alternative music, head to Södermalm, specifically the bars Debaser, Hornshuset, Trädgården. Götgatan (mainly cheaper pubs) and Bondegatan (more for the younger crowd) are also well known here.
In Vasastan it's lively on Rörstrandsgatan, and in Kungsholmen around the metro stops Rådhuset and Fridhemsplan, where you'll find mainly small, quiet and cheaper establishments.
Culture
Stockholm has a wide range of theatres to choose from.
The Royal Swedish Opera(operan.se) or the Royal Dramatic Theatre (dramaten.se), which is one of the most renowned in Europe.
Stand-up comedy is becoming increasingly popular here, even in English. For example, The Big Ben Pub performs it every Thursday at 20:00.
You can also spend an evening at the cinema watching an American film, for example, as the Swedes show films in the original version with subtitles (except for children's films). Ticket prices are around 290 sek.
