If you’re reading this, you’ve made a wonderful decision to want to visit Stockholm. I greatly enjoyed my semester studying abroad there in the spring of 2019, so it didn’t take too much badgering for my friend Anna to convince me to write up a blog. Occasionally, I am that girl that likes to talk about her semester abroad. I also figured it wouldn’t hurt to help some of you with your travel plans as well, so keep reading for a general overview of the best things to see in Stockholm!
Stockholm is made up of many small islands/neighborhoods and broken into tourist districts as I’ve laid out below. The best way to visit the city is to see everything you’d like to in one spot before moving onto the next to best utilize your time. Also consider staying in the neighborhoods that have the most attractions that you’re looking to see.
Norrmalm
Norrmalm is part of the mainland of Stockholm and the modern-day city center. With its shopping districts and museums, it’s probably where most tourists spend their time. Believe it or not, you’ll want to be sure to explore T-Centralen, the central metro station where you’ll find many stores (including Swedish brands like H&M and stores that sell Fjäll Räven). If you’re not a shopper, you won’t need too much time here, but it’s still worth checking out. From there, walk down the fancy commercial street of Birger Jarlsgatan which will lead you to Humlegården, a park that houses the National Library. Be sure to also check out the sculpture and fountains of Kungsträdgården (King’s Garden) when you’re in the area. If you’re visiting in April, the Japanese cherry blossom trees may be in bloom and they’re gorgeous! Right near Norrmalm is City Hall. A guided tour is the only way to visit, and it’s worth it. As all the Nobel Prizes awards ceremonies take place in Stockholm (except the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony), you’ll get to learn plenty about them!
Vasastan
North of Norrmalm, Vasastan is another cool part of the mainland to explore, and where I spent plenty of time at Stockholm University. You can’t miss Stadsbiblioteket. Stadsbiblioteket is a free, public library with vaulted ceilings, rounded shelves, and multiple levels to peruse, making it feel a bit like something out of Beauty and the Beast. Just a short bus ride from there is Hagaparken, a huge park renowned for its beauty. If you have two or three hours, you can walk around the entire large lake in the park’s center, or simply check out the architecture of some of the pavilions if you’re pressed for time.
Djurgården
The island/neighborhood of Djurgården contains many museums and other tourist things that are sure to pop up on any Stockholm Google search. You have to check out the Vasa Museet, an almost fully preserved ship that capsized and sank in Stockholm in 1628. It’s quite large and interesting, so you could easily spend a few hours there. Nordiska Museet is another must-see. This cultural history museum shares information on Nordic life, past and present, and offers you a great opportunity to learn about the indigenous people in Sweden, the Sami. Sadly, in my opinion, ABBA The Museum is not really worth it. Even though I can sing every to word many of their songs, it’s really skippable unless you’re a superfan or visiting Sweden with plenty of time to spare. If you are traveling with kids and it is warm, I recommend visiting Skansen. It is the world’s oldest open-air museum, with a zoo. It will probably be more interesting to youngsters than Nordiska Museet. Rosendals Trädgård is a great lunch and fika place in the park on the island. Fika simply means to meet up for a coffee or a pastry, but it’s really included in culture to take this time to enjoy the day and catch up with others.
Gamla Stan (Old Town)
You have to visit Gamla Stan! With a palace, cobblestone streets, the parliament building, and lots of tourist shops, simply walking around this island/neighborhood is an adventure. In my opinion, the museums on this island aren’t worth it. I don’t recommend visiting the Nobel Museum, since you can learn much of the information from Google and if you tour City Hall, you’ll learn a lot about the Nobel prizes then anyway. While I’ll always personally think the concept of royalty is kind of gross, the Royal Palace is really pretty on both the inside and outside.
Södermalm
Södermalm is a fun island/neighborhood! It is viewed as the hipster island and you’ll feel a little of that just walking around. For a taste of Swedish meatballs, go to Meatballs for the People. Herman’s Vegan Buffet is also a good place to chow down. Though it’s self-explanatory from the name, this place is loved by more than just plant-based folks and has an amazing view of the water. As with most of the islands, there is a great park to check out. Tantolunden is a really nice greenspace and the allotment area — with a bunch of gardens and quaint, mini cottages — it looks like it could be straight out of a calendar. Many people that live in the city own something like this on the outskirts of the city. Stay in the park and head to Tantoberget for a view of the surrounding islands. Fotografiska is a popular photography museum in Södermalm that has also recently expanded to New York City.
Outside of Stockholm
While you could certainly spend all your time in the city, there is plenty of Sweden to explore and some easy day trips waiting right outside of Stockholm. One such option worth your time is Vaxholm. This pretty archipelago is accessible by public bus and once there you can take boat rides along the outskirts. For IKEA fanatics, the second largest in the world is in Kungens Kurva and there’s a free bus there from near T-Centralen. It really just feels as big as the ones you see in the U.S., but it is still a fun visit and an iconic Swedish staple. IKEA is actually named after the initials of founder Ingvar Kamprad, Elmtaryd (the farm he grew up on), and Agunnaryd (the nearby village). Uppsala is another popular day trip from Stockholm. There are an array of museums and gardens to visit.
Other Destinations
If you’re looking for a place to spend one to two nights outside of the city, you’ve got options. Sweden has great public transport and the city of Gothenburg is only about a three hour train ride west of Stockholm. Gothenburg wasn’t very large, but it had so many nice parks to walk around and read in, including The Garden Society of Gothenburg (Trädgårdsföreningen). There are also plenty of cute boutiques and second-hand shops where I bought clothes I’ve been wearing since this trip! Check out Universeum, an aquarium and science center complete with an indoor rainforest and some realistic dinosaurs on a deck outside. To top it all off, explore the coast to watch the sunset. I recommend simply sitting there for a few hours.
Malmö is about a four hour train ride south of Stockholm. It’s one of the biggest cities in the country and is an easy stop on your way to or from Copenhagen. The Malmö Museum is great and worth your time! It had an aquarium, taxidermy, environmental facts (the average Swede wastes half the amount of food as the average American), old castle stuff, and information about this city’s involvement with WWII. Malmö is on the southern end of Sweden and provided an escape for some Jews (mainly Swedish) during the Holocaust. When the Jews first arrived there, they were surprised to see people being nice to them and were overjoyed.
I took a short flight to Kiruna in the northernmost part of Sweden. Go in the winter if you want to try to see the Northern Lights and do classic Nordic winter activities like dog sledding.
Also, consider making the time to see Gotland. I never explored this pretty, historic island, but I’ve heard only great things!
Things to Note
While I loved visiting during the spring, the best time to visit Stockholm is in the summer, when there are plenty of events and long, sunny days. That being said, I don’t think you can really go wrong with visiting this city any time of year, so do whatever is best for your budget and consider shoulder or off-seasons. If you are traveling from cooler climates, such as the Northeast of the U.S., then the winters are not so different. Visiting in the winter, you’d still get to bask in the city’s beauty, but you’d be trading the crowds for shorter days.
If you are visiting January through March, enjoy a semla, a Fat Tuesday treat. Also, don’t miss out on a slice of a princess cake (their typical birthday cake) and a cinnamon bun (a Swedish classic).
The public transportation is great! This includes the metro, buses, trams, and ferries. It is very easy to use and many of the metro stations are works of public art.
Let’s end on a boozy note! Just so you know, you have to be 20 years old to buy alcohol in Sweden, but you can be 18 to get a drink at a bar or restaurant. If you’re looking to purchase hard liquor you have to head to Systembolaget. This is a government-run liquor store in order to regulate alcohol consumption. Make sure you check their hours as they close in the afternoons on Saturdays and are not open on Sundays.
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