UltimateCity Guide Stockholm
Our favourites
Gamla Stan, Riddarholmen and the City Hall across the water, seen from above on a bright day The Royal Palace and Storkyrkan above the quay, with white steamboats moored in front Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace from the air on a clear winter morning, with Norrmalm beyond

The city guide to Stockholm, Sweden

Best of Stockholm

Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace, the Vasa and Skansen on Djurgården, Frantzén’s three stars and the fika of Vete-Katten, the City Hall on Riddarfjärden and an archipelago of 30,000 islands: Stockholm, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
The red carriages of the Glacier Express crossing the stone arches of the Landwasser Viaduct below a snow-capped peakSister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book themA cruise ship in the Bay of Kotor, MontenegroSister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expeditionThe Matterhorn in winter above ZermattSister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resortThe Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its gardens, Saint-Jean-Cap-FerratSister guideULTIMATE PropertyPrime neighbourhoods, agents, new developments and how buying works

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Stockholm

Stockholm is a city on islands, where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic. Here are its grand hotels and the 2026 MICHELIN stars, the Royal Palace and the old town, the museums of Djurgården, the art, the music and the fika, the districts of Gamla Stan, Norrmalm, Östermalm, Södermalm, Djurgården, Kungsholmen, Vasastan and the new waterside city, and day trips to the archipelago, Drottningholm, Uppsala, Sigtuna and Gripsholm. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Stockholm, the city on the water: the back story

In depth

The city on the water

Stockholm·In depth

The Royal Palace and Gamla Stan, the Vasa and Skansen on Djurgården, the City Hall on Riddarfjärden and an archipelago of 30,000 islands: how to read Stockholm.

Read the story

Stockholm by area

From Gamla Stan to the new waterside city, each district has its own guide: the old town and the palace, the city and its waterfront, Östermalm’s boulevards, the cliffs of Södermalm, the museum island of Djurgården, Kungsholmen, Vasastan’s neighbourhood tables and the Royal Seaport.

The gabled red and ochre houses of Stortorget, Gamla Stan’s main squareArea guideGamla StanThe old townThe Grand Hôtel’s façade on the waterfront of Blasieholmen, with its flagsArea guideNorrmalm & CityThe city and the waterfrontThe grand façades of Strandvägen above the boats moored on NybrovikenArea guideÖstermalmStrandvägen and StureplanOld ochre wooden and brick houses on a street of Södermalm in summerArea guideSödermalmCliffs and viewsThe bow of the warship Vasa in the Vasa MuseumArea guideDjurgårdenThe museum island

On the water

Stockholm is built on islands: the Djurgården ferry and the boats from Strömkajen are part of everyday life, and SL tickets are valid on them.

  1. Area guideKungsholmenThe City Hall island
  2. Area guideVasastanNeighbourhood tables
  3. Area guideHammarby Sjöstad & Royal SeaportThe new waterside city

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: entry rules, SL tickets and contactless payment, Arlanda Express and the boats, and itineraries for a first visit.

The western façade of the Royal Palace, with a guard in his sentry box, on a snowy morningBefore you goStockholm essentialsEntry, tickets, the airport and 112The red painted rock vault of Solna centrum metro stationGetting aroundBy metro, train and boatSL, Arlanda Express and the boatsAn exhibition hall at the Nobel Prize Museum, a floating figure above a lit display case between columnsItineraryThree days in StockholmThe classic first visitA lounge at Lydmar Hotel, with sheepskins, velvet and photographs on dark wallsLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Royal Swedish Opera across Norrström in winter lightItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Grand Hôtel and the opera
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendEtt Hem, Frantzén and AIRA

Our advice

Tap in, no ticket needed

SL accepts contactless bank cards and phones on the metro, trains, trams and buses, and Arlanda Express reaches the city in 18 minutes. Stockholm by metro, train and boat

Beyond the city

The archipelago, Drottningholm, Uppsala, Sigtuna and Gripsholm, all within reach for the day: islands and a fortress, a palace on the lake, a cathedral city, an old main street and a royal castle.

The Stockholm archipelago around Sandhamn from the airBeyond the cityThe archipelago30,000 islandsDrottningholm Palace reflected in Lake Mälaren under a blue skyBeyond the cityDrottningholmThe royal palaceThe twin spires of Uppsala Cathedral above a street of UppsalaBeyond the cityUppsalaThe university cityThe painted wooden houses and shop signs of Stora gatan in SigtunaBeyond the citySigtuna & SkoklosterStora gatan and a baroque castleThe red brick towers of Gripsholm Castle at MariefredBeyond the cityGripsholm & MariefredA crown estate since 1404

Our advice

Give Djurgården a whole day

The Vasa Museum, Skansen, Nordiska museet and ABBA The Museum stand side by side on the island; come early to the Vasa, which opens every day at 10:00. The Djurgården guide

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In depth: Stockholm’s back stories

Swedish cuisine, the city on the water, design and music, eating, the grand hotels, film, getting around and where to buy: the stories behind Stockholm.

Stortorget in Gamla Stan at night at Christmas, with a lit tree before the gabled housesChristmas & New YearChristmas in StockholmStortorget, Skansen, Lucia and the julbordSwedish meatballs with mashed potato and lingonberriesEatSwedish CuisineMeatballs, herring, fika and the julbordFeatureStockholm, the classic and the newGrandeur, palaces, the table and the water

Fika

Keep the afternoon free for fika: coffee and a cinnamon bun at a konditori is as Swedish as the smörgåsbord.

  1. FeatureStockholm on filmThe Square, Millennium and Let the Right One In
  2. The back storyDesign and musicThe museums and the stages

Across the Baltic with the ULTIMATE guides

Helsinki overnight by ferry, the great cruises of the Baltic and the great train journeys of the world.

Silja Line and Tallink ferries at their Stockholm terminalULTIMATE HelsinkiHelsinkiOvernight across the Baltic

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Stockholm, its restaurants, theatres, museums and neighbourhoods.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    The carved stern of the Vasa, with its crowned coat of arms and wooden figures

    This week's pick

    The Vasa Museum

    Djurgården·Museum

    The warship that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 stands almost whole in the Vasa Museum on Djurgården. Open every day; late on Wednesdays, when the hall is quieter.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    The Waxholmsbolaget boat Värmdö passing a wooded shoreItineraryA day in the archipelagoOne dayInside Östermalms Saluhall: the market stalls under the hall’s painted archesItineraryFika and design: a day in ÖstermalmOne dayApartment buildings and boats on the water at Hammarby SjöstadItineraryA property viewing day: Östermalm, Vasastan and the new districtsOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Eating in Stockholm: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2Swedish CuisineStockholm · In depth: food
    3. 3FrantzénNorrmalm · Restaurant
    See all 51

    Cafés

    1. 1Vete-KattenNorrmalm · Konditori
    2. 2TössebagerietÖstermalm · Bakery
    3. 3ValhallabagerietÖstermalm · Bakery
    See all 9

    Bars

    1. 1The Gold BarNorrmalm · Hotel bar
    2. 2The Cadier BarBlasieholmen · Hotel bar
    3. 3The Bar at LydmarBlasieholmen · Hotel bar
    See all 8

    Hotels

    1. 1The grand hotels of Stockholm: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2Grand HôtelBlasieholmen · Grand hotel
    3. 3Hotel DiplomatÖstermalm · Grand hotel
    See all 24

    Sights

    1. 1Stockholm, the city on the water: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2The Vasa MuseumDjurgården · Museum
    3. 3SkansenDjurgården · Open-air museum
    See all 13

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Stockholm, the city of design and music: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2NationalmuseumBlasieholmen · Museum
    3. 3Moderna MuseetSkeppsholmen · Museum
    See all 34

    Parks

    1. 1Royal DjurgårdenDjurgården · Royal park
    2. 2Rosendals TrädgårdDjurgården · Garden
    3. 3Haga ParkSolna · Royal park
    See all 6

    Walks

    1. 1Gamla Stan: Stortorget to RiddarholmenGamla Stan · Walk
    2. 2Djurgården: the Vasa to ThielskaDjurgården · Walk
    3. 3Strandvägen to SkeppsholmenÖstermalm · Walk
    See all 5

    Shopping

    1. 1NK (Nordiska Kompaniet)Norrmalm · Department store
    2. 2Åhléns CityNorrmalm · Department store
    3. 3BibliotekstanÖstermalm · Shopping quarter
    See all 10

    Health

    1. 1Emergencies: call 112Stockholm · Emergency
    2. 21177: healthcare adviceStockholm · Advice line
    3. 3Karolinska University HospitalSolna · Hospital
    See all 11

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Stockholm: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2Svensk FastighetsförmedlingStockholm · Estate agent
    3. 3FastighetsbyrånStockholm · Estate agent
    See all 10

    Developments

    1. 1Nya tunnelbanan: the new metroStockholm · Metro
    2. 2HagastadenVasastan · New district
    3. 3Norra DjurgårdsstadenHjorthagen · New district
    See all 5

    Cars & Taxis

    1. 1Taxi StockholmStockholm · Taxi
    2. 2SverigetaxiStockholm · Taxi
    3. 3TaxiKurirStockholm · Taxi
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1Stockholm by metro, train and boat: the back storyStockholm · In depth
    2. 2SL: metro, commuter trains, trams and busesStockholm · Public transport
    3. 3Arlanda ExpressArlanda · Airport train
    See all 12