Last updated on May 27th, 2023

Old Town Gamla Stan, Visit Stockholm

Old Town Gamla Stan, © Can Stock / scanrail

Visit Stockholm – Old Town Gamla Stan

When you visit Stockholm, get used to using the name Gamla Stan for Old Town Stockholm. Old Town Gamla Stan is the center of tourism in Stockholm. Its streets are lined with handicrafts, antiques, art galleries and cafés. See the Stockholm Cathedral with its 500 year old statue of St George and the Dragon. The Nobel Museum faces the Stockholm Cathedral, but be aware that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway. On the opposite side of the Nobel Museum is Stortorget Square.  

Gamla Stan, Stockholm Cathedral

Gamla Stan, Stockholm Cathedral, © Can Stock / Estea

Other sights in Old Town Gamla Stan include the Royal Palace, the Royal Armory, the Royal Coin Cabinet with its world coin collection, Riddarholmen Church and St Gertrudes German Church with its gorgeous stained glass. If you cross one of the bridges into Gamla Stan, don’t miss the Parliament and the Brantingtorget (Open Rotunda).

Visit Stockholm – Djurgården Island

Another popular area when you visit Stockholm is Djurgården Island. Djurgården Island was originally the King’s hunting grounds, but today it’s home to museums and gardens. At the Vasa Museum, see a 17th century warship which sank in the harbor and was salvaged hundreds of years later.

Skansen Open Air Museum, Stockholm

Skansen Open Air Museum, © Can Stock / Stavrida

The Skansen Open Air Museum has traditional buildings from areas all over Sweden. You can also see artisans at work and folk dancing displays at the Skansen Open Air Museum. The Astrid Lindgren’s Junibacken is a children’s museum and tribute to this author’s stories. The Nordic Museum is a cultural history museum. On Djurgården Island you can also visit the ABBA Museum, the Grona Lund Amusement Park or the Rosendahl’s Garden on the grounds of King Oscar I’s 19th century palace.

Old Town Gamla Stan Canals, Visit Stockholm

Old Town Gamla Stan Canals, © Can Stock / scanrail

Visit Stockholm – Boat Tours

Stromma runs all the boat tours in Stockholm. Tours can start from three different locations. The most popular is the summer Hop On / Hop Off, Canal Tour which starts in the harbor at the Nybroplan dock and does a multi-stop round trip route to the Old Town and several other stops, including the Vasa Museum on Djurgarden Island. You can also take the Under the Bridges non-stop tour and the Royal Canal Tour non-stop tour from this location too.

The Under the Bridges tour and the Royal Canal Tour both continue into the off season. The Royal Canal tour heads east down a narrow channel as it completes a circle around Djurgarden Island, but its route might be restricted in low tides. You can also catch the Under the Bridges and Royal Canal tours closer to the Old Town at the Strömkajen dock, but the Hop On / Hop Off doesn’t stop there.

Another very popular Stromma boat tour is the one hour one way voyage west of town to Drottningholm Palace. Drottningholm Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 1600s for the Swedish monarchy. Tour the Palace and then take a one hour boat ride back to Stockholm. The Drottningholm Palace tour departs from the Klara Mälarstrand dock at the northwest edge of the Old Town, across the water from City Hall. This boat tour doesn’t operate in the off season.

Near these ferry landings, don’t miss the chance to visit the National Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art and Architecture with works of Picasso, Dali and Matisse. Also wander Kungstradgarden Park, which used to be the King’s gardens. See St Jacob’s Church. Enjoy the flowers in the summer or ice skating in the winter.

St Jacob’s, Kungstradgarden, © Can Stock / Estea

Visit Stockholm – Hotels

  • Radisson Blu Strand Hotel, Stockholm
  • Best Western Kom Hotel Stockholm
  • Nordic C Hotel
City Hall, Visit Stockholm

City Hall, © Can Stock / scanrail

Savor the Tastes of Stockholm

  • Enjoy a meal from the Nystekt Strömming herring wagon in Södermalmstorg.
  • Långholmen Restaurant
  • Try the Ice Bar, where both the guests and the drinks are served cold.
Strandvagen Canal, Visit Stockholm

Strandvagen Canal, © Can Stock / tupungato

Visit Stockholm City Hall

Stockholm City Hall is a 10 minute walk from the Stockholm Central Train Station. The interior is worth the price of admission, which includes a guided tour. The Nobel Banquet takes place here annually on the 10th of December. For an additional fee you can climb the tower for views of the city. You can also catch a nice view to Gamla Stan from the grounds at the back of City Hall.

Stockholm Archipelago, Baltic Sea

Stockholm Archipelago, © Can Stock / Ursula1964

Visit Stockholm – More Sights

  • Långholmen Pontoon – the Green Island, for swimming or basking in the sun.
  • Hötorget – outdoor produce market, formerly the Hay Market.
  • See the sculptures at Millesgården or visit the Museum of Science and Technology
  • Ride the Globen Skyview up the Ericsson Globe Arena.

Savor the Tastes of Stockholm

Fabrique bakeries are famous for their cardamom pastry. You will find many locations in Stockholm and they even have a bakery in New York City.

Skeppsbro Bakery in Gamla Stan is renowned for its cinnamon buns.

Swedish meatballs have spread worldwide on the coattails of Ikea.

Riddarholmen Church, Stockholm, Sweden

Riddarholmen Church, © Can Stock / borodaev

Get to Stockholm

The Arlanda Express Train is the best way to get to Stockholm Central Station from Arlanda Airport (ARN) in about 20 minutes. You can buy your tickets with a credit card or use the Arlanda Express app. You can also get to Stockholm Central Station by rail from Oslo or Copenhagen. Enjoy the architecture at the Stockholm Central Station even if you don’t need to take a ride. The T-Centralen Metro Station adjoins the Stockholm Central Station.

Royal Palace, Visit Stockholm

Royal Palace, © Can Stock / cumulus

Get around Stockholm

If you visit Stockholm on your own, you will soon realize that you need to use local transit to get to the major attractions. The Stockholm SL transit system is one of the most extensive and heavily subsidized systems in the world. It includes the metro with over 100 stations, plus rail, light rail, trams, buses and even local ferries on the 80, 82, 83 and 89 lines.

Modern technology makes it easy for tourists to use the transit system. Use the SL app or Google maps to plan your route. Then tap any major credit card that uses chip technology. Each tap entitles you to 75 minutes of travel time on the entire transit system. Tap for transfers any time during your 75 minutes and there is no additional charge. You don’t ever have to tap off as their system tracks your time perfectly.

You can also buy day passes at ticket stations or with the SL app. The metro system has become a better option than Hop On / Hop Off buses, because you have so much more flexibility to easily continue to your next attraction whenever you are ready.

You can even tap on a bus from the Värtahamnens international ferry terminal or the nearby Frihamns Cruise Ship Port to the T-Centralen Metro Station. The buses at the terminals quickly connect with the #13 metro system and can get you downtown in around 20 minutes.

National Museum, Visit Stockholm

National Museum, © Can Stock / Estea

Local Ferry Cruises

You and your car can get to Tallin, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland on the Tallink / Silja Line or the Viking Line. Both offer an overnight trip where you also book a cabin. These ships are modern cruise ships, but with a car deck. Cruise on the Baltic Queen or several other ships where you can enjoy evening shows, late night discos and buffet meals.

The voyage to Tallinn takes just over 17 hours while the trip to Helsinki takes about 16 hours. These routes are popular with locals who book weekend round trip voyages in summer. Both these ferry lines also offer car ferry service between Tallinn and Helsinki, which takes about 2 hours.

Visit Stockholm – Background

Stockholm is the capital and largest city in Sweden. More than a million people live there. Stockholm is built on 14 islands connected by more than 50 bridges. The city is near Lake Malaren. Stockholm is in the middle of the 30,000 islands of the Stockholm Archipelago on the Baltic Sea.

Stockholm Weather

Due to its northerly location, June – August are the best months to enjoy a visit to Stockholm. Expect Stockholm weather in summer to have average highs of 70 F (21 C) and average lows of 52 F (11 C). If you enjoy Nordic winters, you will find Stockholm temperatures consistently below freezing from December – February. The summer tourist season is also the time when Stockholm weather has the most rainfall.