Travel guide
Things to do in Stockholm: 15 experiences from Gamla Stan to the archipelago
There is more to Stockholm than the Vasa Museum and Gamla Stan. These are the 15 things we would do on a long weekend, sorted by neighbourhood, with the hotel that puts you closest.
In short
In three days you can cover Gamla Stan and the City Hall, a full day on Djurgården and an evening in Södermalm. With a fourth day, take the boat to Vaxholm or Drottningholm.
Our first choice: At Six on Brunkebergstorg. You can walk to Gamla Stan, Östermalm and Kungsträdgården, and the metro to the rest of the city is just around the corner.
Book your stay: See available rooms at At Six
The links to the hotels are partner links. If you book through them, Picolo may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Gamla Stan and the centre
1. Gamla Stan before ten
Get to Stortorget before the cruise passengers and tour groups. You will have the narrow lanes almost to yourself and can walk from Storkyrkan to Mårten Trotzigs gränd without queueing. Coffee and a cinnamon bun are waiting in the cafés around the square.
2. The changing of the guard at the Royal Palace
The Royal Guard stands watch at the palace every day, and the changing of the guard in the outer courtyard is one of the most popular free things to do in the city. In summer the guard marches through the centre with a band. Check the time on the day, as it changes with the season.
3. The City Hall tower
Stockholm City Hall on Riddarfjärden is where the Nobel banquet is held each December. Take a guided tour through the Blue Hall and the Golden Hall, then climb the tower for the best view over Gamla Stan and Riddarholmen. The tower is only open in the summer half of the year.
4. The metro as an art gallery
Buy a travel ticket and spend an hour on the blue line. Kungsträdgården station has fragments of an old palace in its walls, and at Solna Centrum the sky is painted red above a green forest. Stockholmers call the tunnelbana the longest art gallery in the world, and it costs no more than an ordinary fare.
5. Lunch at Östermalms Saluhall
Östermalms Saluhall, the food hall from 1888, reopened in 2020 after years of restoration. Eat herring, skagenröra or fish soup at the counter, and take home cheese and crispbread. Arrive before noon if you want a seat.
Stay here: Hobo on Brunkebergstorg is younger and more relaxed than its neighbour At Six, with the TAK rooftop at the top. Hotel C Stockholm on Vasaplan is the one to choose if you arrive on the Arlanda Express and want to walk straight in.
Art underground
More than 90 of Stockholm's metro stations are decorated, and Odenplan is one of the newest.
Djurgården
6. The Vasa Museum before lunch
The Vasa Museum is busiest in the middle of the day. Come at opening time, see the ship from several levels, right down to the keel, and carry on to the Nordic Museum next door if you want to know how Swedes lived over the next 400 years.
7. Skansen and its animals
Skansen is the whole of Sweden in miniature, with farmsteads, workshops and a 19th-century town quarter. The elk, bears and wolves are most active early and late in the day, and from the top of the site you look out over the city.
8. ABBA The Museum and Gröna Lund
ABBA The Museum and Gröna Lund are next door to each other. Sing in the museum studio in the afternoon, then ride the free fall over the water at Gröna Lund as the lights come on. The amusement park is closed in winter.
9. Junibacken for the children
Junibacken is Astrid Lindgren's world for children, with the Story Train running through her books and Villa Villekulla, where Pippi Longstocking lives. Children under ten tend to call it the best thing in Stockholm, and parents who grew up with the books often agree.
Stay here: Hotel Diplomat is on Strandvägen, a ten-minute walk from the Djurgården museums, with views over the boats in Nybroviken.
Gröna Lund at night
When the lights come on at Gröna Lund, you can see the park from all over Djurgården.
Södermalm
10. The view from Monteliusvägen
Monteliusvägen is a narrow path along the cliff edge on the north side of Södermalm, with Riddarfjärden, the City Hall and Gamla Stan right below you. Come at sunset, bring something to drink and find a bench.
11. Fotografiska
Fotografiska occupies a customs house from the early 1900s on the Stadsgården waterfront and shows changing exhibitions by major photographers. It stays open late, so it works well after dinner.
12. Cafés and vintage in SoFo
The area south of Folkungagatan, known as SoFo, is full of second-hand shops, Swedish design labels and cafés you will not want to leave. We have gathered the shops in our guide to shopping in Stockholm.
Stay here: Clarion Hotel Stockholm is at Skanstull, with the metro outside the door and the cafés of Söder a few minutes away.
Beyond the centre
13. The boat to Vaxholm
Waxholmsbolaget boats leave from Strömkajen, and after an hour among islets and summer houses you tie up in Vaxholm, with the fortress at the harbour entrance and wooden houses along the quay. Have lunch by the water and catch a later boat back.
14. Drottningholm Palace
Drottningholm is where the royal family lives, and the palace, park and court theatre are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In summer boats leave from Stadshusbron, and the crossing over Lake Mälaren is half the pleasure.
15. A concert or a match at Strawberry Arena
The largest arena in the Nordics is in Solna, less than ten minutes by commuter train from the centre. AIK and the Swedish national team play here, and it is where the biggest concerts in Stockholm are held. Read about the atmosphere among AIK supporters.
Stay here: Quality Hotel Strawberry Arena is right next to the stadium, so you skip the queue home after the match or the show.
Evening in the archipelago
Summer evenings are long enough to catch a late boat back from the islands.
In winter
From late November there are Christmas markets in Stockholm on Stortorget and at Skansen, and an ice rink opens in Kungsträdgården in the middle of the city. Lucia is celebrated on 13 December with choirs in the churches. Book your hotel early for December, as Nobel Week falls then too.
Things to do in Stockholm: frequently asked questions
What should you not miss in Stockholm?
Gamla Stan, the Vasa Museum and Skansen are the three most visitors put first. Add the City Hall and the view from Monteliusvägen, and you have seen most of what the city is known for.
What can you do for free in Stockholm?
Gamla Stan, the changing of the guard at the palace, the view from Monteliusvägen and a walk along Strandvägen cost nothing. You can see the metro art for the price of an ordinary ticket.
What can you do in Stockholm when it rains?
The Vasa Museum, Fotografiska, the Nordic Museum and a long lunch at Östermalms Saluhall. Stockholm has plenty of indoor museums, and most of them are close together on Djurgården.
What is there to do in Stockholm with kids?
Junibacken, Skansen and Gröna Lund are all on Djurgården and can be combined in a day. The Vasa Museum holds children's attention too, and the boat there is part of the fun.
Where should you stay to walk to most things?
Norrmalm and Brunkebergstorg sit between Gamla Stan, Östermalm and Central Station. See the hotels we recommend in Stockholm for more options.