Looking for the top things to visit in Stockholm, the best places to go, eat, and how to get around Sweden’s capital city? Stockholm makes for a lovely city break, and is one of my favourite cities to visit. If you’re lucky enough to be blessed with good weather during your visit, Stockholm is beautiful in the sunshine. It’s big enough (for European city standards at least) to not get bored quickly, but still small enough to see it in a weekend. Visiting the Stockholm archipelago is also a fantastic way to find more things to do if you’re spending more days in the city, and is one of Stockholm’s best day trips.

In this guide, I’ve gathered some of my favourite experiences in Stockholm, as well as tips to help you get around easily.

How to Get to Stockholm

Officially, Stockholm has four airports, Arlanda (the biggest), Bromma, Skavsta, and Västerås— which can be confusing for visitors. Since the latter two are quite far out, the average visitor is unlikely to make use of these.

Arlanda will most likely be your port of call, with Bromma taking on many domestic flights (though I did fly to Brussels from Bromma on Brussels Airlines so there are some non-Swedish destinations served by this airport).

From these major airports, you can take the train, and train operators include Arlanda Express and SJ for Arlanda, and SL for Bromma.

However, the main way Swedes themselves get to and from airports would usually be by bus, and Flygbussarna Airport Coaches serve all three, with Flixbus also being an option for Arlanda Airport. I’d highly recommend using Flygbussarna where you can, as these are a lot more economical, easy to use (as they stop and pick up from multiple locations in Stockholm and not just Stockholm Central Station), and get you to and from Arlanda in 45 to 55 minutes, and Bromma in 20 minutes. You can also buy your tickets online or on the bus.

Coming from Gothenburg?

If you’re doing a bigger Swedish trip and combining your visit with Sweden’s other big city on the west coast of Gothenburg, flying or taking the high speed — or regional — train from SJ is a much better option than driving yourself if you’ve hired a car. They’re much faster and you don’t have to go to the effort to drive yourself, which will take all day once you’ve factored in stopping for meals and the possibility of traffic.

Even if you love road trips and driving as much as I do, fuel is expensive (especially in the summer months where they increase the prices), and you’ll be driving through a lot of nondescript highways, forests, and country roads with truly not that much to see.

Tl;dr it’s a lot of effort to do it yourself, I wouldn’t really bother if you don’t have to.

What to do in Stockholm

Get Lost in Gamla Stan— the Beautiful Old Town

Once you’ve settled in, it’s time to hit the ground running.

Bit of a touristy one this, but for good reason. Stockholm has stylish neighbourhoods with more brunch cafes and fitness studios than you can choose from in a weekend, as well as wide, sweeping boulevards and grand new buildings downtown, but Gamla Stan offers something a little different. It is a look into a slice of Stockholm history, where the city began in the middle of the 1200s.

Incredibly pedestrian-friendly, you’ll find plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes, souvenir shops, important monuments and squares all located along these cobblestone streets. The buildings in various orange hues positively gleam in the sunshine.

Dare I say some of these corners reminded me a little of Rome, especially on a sunny summer day.

Part of the charm here is simply getting lost in the streets and wandering off, but it’s worth noting that Västerlånggatan is the main street that’s the most touristy, and where a lot of the hubbub is. Gåstorget is also a popular town square, but right in the middle of Gamla Stan is Stortorget, the main square where you’ll find the iconic view of the colourful buildings of the old town. During the winter, the latter plays host to a Christmas market.

The biggest attraction here remains the Royal Palace, one of the largest palaces in Europe and the official residence of the Swedish monarchy.

Rub Shoulders with Stockholm’s Coolest at SoFo

Stockholm is confidently cool, and nowhere will you find that mentality embodied more than in SoFo, located on the other side of posh Södermalm. SoFo is full of new wave coffee roasters, local boutiques, vintage stores, upmarket clothing brands, as well loads of restaurants and bars.

Well worth checking out include bars such as Bar Ninja, Snotty Sound Bar, Mikkeller Södermalm or NOFO Wine Bar if you’re looking for something a bit more posh, as well as restaurants like Restaurant Pelikan, Falloumi, Deli Di Luca, 800 Grader Slice Shop, Checa, Restaurang Dionysos, or 58 Dim Sum. Not in the mood for a full meal yet? Grab a fika at one of the many coffeeshops like Koffein, Beck Kaffebar, Café & Bageri Pascal, and Leonardos Kafferosteri. You’ll also find vintage stores like POP Stockholm, modern Retro, and Second Sunrise.

Watch the Sunset at Mariaberget

When it comes to sunsets in the city, Mariaberget has to be the spot.

You can either enter from the park on the left of the spot marked on Google Maps or on the right where you’ll enter the boardwalk directly. Either way you enter, it’s worth walking over to the other end.

On the left (where the park is), you’ll be able to scale the rocks and get to the very top, where you’ll be greeted with a wide panoramic view and large groups of friends and families just enjoying the sun when the weather’s good— with a drink in hand. You should most definitely picnic or get a drink to savour here, as it’s not everyday a big city in Europe offers such surreal views for a picnic spot.

On the right is where you’ll find the boardwalk that will eventually lead you to the Slussen station where you’ll find lots of bars and restaurants around.

Shop on the Main Shopping Street Drottninggatan

Drottninggatan is the main thoroughfare in Stockholm’s downtown where pretty much all the shops are. This whole area is a great place to be if you want to experience busy life in Stockholm.

This whole area is pretty much the hub of downtown Stockholm, and there are plenty of streets to get lost around here as well.

Be sure to check out Swedish brands while you’re here of course, including smaller labels and boutiques which are dotted all around.

If you happen to be visiting in the summer, don’t forget to check out Kennys Gelato, a local favourite where you’ll find snaking long queues for gelato to beat the summer heat.

Get Your Fill of Culture at the Many Museums

If museums are more your thing, Stockholm has a whole island dedicated to them, known officially as Djurgården. Here’s where you’ll find the Vasa Museum, dedicated to a warship from the 17th century that speaks on the history of Stockholm, as well as the maritime trade.

Then of course, you’ll find ABBA The Museum and you’d do best by purchasing tickets beforehand. Aside from being one of Sweden’s biggest musical and cultural exports, the museum dedicated to the group is definitely a great activity for a family to enjoy.

More into the life and culture in general in the Nordics? There’s Nordiska Museum, which boasts over 1.5 million exhibits, that speaks on the Nordic lifestyle from the 16th century to present day.

If you’re looking more for thrills, Djurgården is also home to the iconic Gröna Lund theme park!

Visit the Beautiful City Library

Just like the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, Stockholm also boats a beautiful library in the city, in the form of the appropriately named Stockholm City Library.

Created by internationally renowned architect Gunnar Asplund, the rotunda is the library’s cylindrical, central book hall which is the main spot most people come to see, but be sure to look out for the little architectural details all around, such as the columns on the exterior of the building resembling Egyptian temples and more.

After stopping by the City Library, head to the Observatorielunden just behind, a beautiful hilltop park. The views here aren’t as sweeping as Mariaberget but it’s still worth seeing.

Explore Stockholm’s Beautiful Metro Stations

If you’ve ever seen pictures of some of the world’s most beautiful metro stations, it’s likely you might have seen some photos of Stockholm’s underground network. These so called cave stations are absolutely surreal, and some beautiful ones include T-Centralen, Stadion and Solna Centrum— more of which I’ll be writing about in a separate guide.

Think of it as a cool way to see art in the city, and it also makes for a perfect wet weather activity.