Points to do in Stockholm Sweden
Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is an effective wanting waterfront metropolis with rich historic previous, lovely construction and nice, welcoming people. On this submit, we share various of the best points to do in Stockholm for first time visitors.
We spent 4 nights in Stockholm inside the month of August. For readability, as soon as I say “we”, I indicate the 4 of us. Two adults and two youngsters, aged 10 and eight years earlier on the time. As a result of this reality, we could even share some family nice sights in Stockholm.
Because of we visited within the summertime, the principle goal of this Stockholm weblog submit is on summer season actions. Nonetheless, I’m optimistic a lot of these Stockholm sights may be visited via the colder winter months, too.
Stockholm Journey tip – take note of the Go Metropolis All Inclusive go. It affords entry to 45+ sights.
Uncover Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Earlier Metropolis
Gamla Stan, or “Earlier Metropolis,” is doubtless one of the vital picturesque areas of Stockholm. Its slim cobblestone streets and vibrant earlier buildings make it the right begin line to your Stockholm journey.
The above image is Stortorget, the oldest sq. in Stockholm. This iconic row of vibrant buildings is arguably primarily probably the most notable vacationer attraction in Stockholm.
It’s almost inconceivable to {{photograph}} this sq. via the day with no particular person inside the physique. I captured these photos at 5:00 AM on our first morning in Sweden because of I was nonetheless battling jet lag. If you find yourself in an identical jet lagged state of mind, I extraordinarily recommend you stand up early and go to Gamla Stan sooner than city wakes up.
We returned to Gamla Stan each single day all through our go to. I’ve be taught that it’s usually described as a result of the “coronary coronary heart of Stockholm”, and I can see why. It really has a vibe. It’s residence to many retailers, cafes, and consuming locations, along with various museums and historic web sites. And it’s very walkable, so it’s easy to find on foot.
Whereas wandering the earlier stone streets, take note of visiting Storkyrkan, city’s oldest church, and the Nobel Museum, which tells the story of the Nobel Prize.
Beneath are various photos of Gamla Stan in Stockholm
The empty cobblestone streets of Gamla Stan inside the early morning hour. The church with the inexperienced spire is St. Gertrude’s Church, additionally known as merely The German Church.
An uneven cobblestone avenue splits by rows of tall yellow buildings in Gamla Stan.
This vibrant sq. is arguably the popular of Stockholm sights.
I usually uncover myself taking photos of earlier doorways and beat-up bicycles as soon as I’m in Europe. The detailed stonework on this entrance is sort of grand, don’t you assume?
There’s no shortage of sweet treats in Stockholm’s touristy earlier metropolis. I dare you to walk earlier this waffle residence and by no means go inside. It’s not potential.
Who says you probably can’t have waffles with ice cream and strawberries for dinner?
We returned to Gamla Stan inside the afternoon, when the cafes and consuming locations are bustling with vacationers and day drinkers. It’s a pleasant place to grab a espresso or beer and different individuals watch.
There are a selection of pubs and consuming locations in Gamla Stan. It’s a pleasant place cling round for various hours.
Go to the Royal Palace
The Royal Palace, positioned in Gamla Stan, is doubtless one of many hottest Stockholm sights. Constructed inside the 18th century, it is the official residence of the Swedish Royal Family.
The palace is open to most of the people and affords guided excursions, allowing visitors to find its many grand halls and palatial rooms. Considered one of many highlights of the tour is the Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren), which properties a bunch of armor and weapons relationship once more to the sixteenth century.
Even do you have to don’t plan to go contained within the Royal Palace or its museums, you’ll be impressed by the construction and opulence of this spectacular developing. It’s acknowledged to be actually certainly one of Europe’s largest palaces.
Above is the side view of Stockholm Royal Palace from all through the river.
A lone guard watches over the doorway to the Royal Palace.
The Royal Guards Wing – Högvaktsflygeln
If potential, time your go to to the Royal Palace when the altering of the guard ceremony happens. It takes place in The Royal Guards Wing, which is at the back of the Royal Palace.
We actually stumbled upon this altering of the guard ceremony. We didn’t discover out about it until we heard the loud shouting and stomping. It caught our consideration so we wandered over to see what was taking place.
Above is one different entrance to the Stockholm Royal Palace. That’s the place it’s worthwhile to be when the day by day ceremony takes place. I’m an unlimited fan of this Baroque-style construction.
Slottskyrkan. The Royal Chapel
Whereas exploring the grounds and museums at Stockholm Palace, take a second to go to Slottskyrkan, the Royal Chapel. It dates once more to 1754.
Like many of the historic church buildings in Western Europe, the statues, work, design and ingredient contained within the Royal Chapel is excellent.
Stockholm Parliament residence Riksdag buildings
Subsequent to the Royal Palace is the Parliament buildings, pictured above and beneath.
There are so many fascinating buildings in Stockholm’s earlier metropolis. I found myself snapping photos every time we turned a nook.
Above is Norrbro, an arch bridge over Norrström in central Stockholm. It extends north from the northern entrance of the Royal Palace, passing over Helgeandsholmen in entrance of the Riksdag developing.
Go to the Vasa Museum
The Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet) is doubtless one of many hottest museums in Stockholm, and for good trigger. It properties the Vasa, a Seventeenth-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. It was salvaged inside the Nineteen Sixties, which is over 300 years after it sunk! Research regarding the historic previous of this ship proper right here.
That’s an fascinating museum. It’s not a extremely massive facility (see the image beneath of the developing’s exterior). Realistically, you solely need about an hour to find the museum. The museum has quite a lot of interactive reveals that may maintain youngsters engaged and entertained. Discover out about excursions proper right here. You’ll pre-book tickets proper right here.
If the ship inside the 80’s movie “The Goonies” was actually precise, it would look very similar to this excellent ship.
Watch this transient video from our go to to the Vasa Museum.
Uncover Djurgården Island
Djurgården is an island in central Stockholm that is residence to various museums and vacationer sights. For many who’re touring to Stockholm with youngsters, you will need to go to Djurgården. You’ll merely spend two full days proper right here. Proper right here’s an inventory of Djurgården sights and museums.
The Vasa Museum, talked about above, is positioned on Djurgården island, along with Skansen (see subsequent merchandise beneath), the ABBA Museum (which celebrates the music of the enduring Swedish band), and the Gröna Lund amusement park.
Even do you have to don’t plan to go to any of the sights or museums, Djurgården has loads of inexperienced home, waterfront paths and good views of city. It’s an superior place to spend the day alongside together with your youngsters.
You’ll go to the island whereas on a Stockholm Bridges Sightseeing Cruise.
Waterfront views of Stockholm’s construction from Djurgården island.
For many who enter Djurgården by bus or vehicle, you will cross Djurgårdsbron bridge, picture above. On the doorway is a small retailer the place you probably can rent kayaks and paddleboats by the hour.
This easy, however elegant, open-face sandwich is delicious. I might need eaten two!
Nonetheless, this generally is a vacationer restaurant in Stockholm. So it is important to tempo your self. In every other case you’ll blow the funds sooner than dinner (certain – Stockholm is an expensive metropolis).
The Nordiska museet (Nordic Museum) is doubtless one of many hottest points to do in Stockholm. The museum has over 1.5 million objects in its collections.
Proper right here’s an inventory of museums in Stockholm.
The once more side of the Nordic Museum on Djurgården. It appears additional like a gothic cathedral than a museum.
Sjöhistoriska Nationwide Maritime Museum
To not be confused with the distinctive Nationwide Maritime Museum, the Sjöhistoriska Nationwide Maritime Museum on Djurgården is a small assortment of ships which could be docked in entrance of the Vasa Museum.
It’s free admission, so why not uncover these earlier ships in between sights. It’s an easy S
The ABBA Museum
The ABBA Museum is a must-visit for followers of the legendary Swedish pop group. The museum is filled with interactive reveals, music, and memorabilia from the band’s heyday. We’re not massive ABBA followers, so this museum did not curiosity us. Nonetheless, we’ve been educated by many who it’s a pleasant museum.
The Viking Museum
Located immediately beside the VRAK Museum of Wrecks, and close to the Vasa Museum, the Viking Museum on Djurgården affords guided excursions that transport firm once more to the age of the Viking.
The museum’s journey, Ragnfrid’s Saga, takes your family members on an journey the place you adjust to the Viking Harald on a journey by tenth century Europe.
Arms down the tastiest meatballs I’ve ever eaten. I don’t perceive how they make such a straightforward dish type so good. We acquired these from the restaurant pictured above.
Observe – this plate is not going to be often separated by small dishes. Our son has a dairy allergy, so we might like to make sure the sauce and potatoes don’t mix with the other meals. Merely an FYI in case you’re questioning why this looks like a Swedish bento area.
Skansen – Stockholm Open-air Museum and Zoo
Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum and is an effective place for households to seek out out about Swedish historic previous and custom. The zoo is residence to various Scandinavian animals, along with elk, lynx, brown bears, moose, wolverines, seals and otters.
Households can merely spend a full day exploring Skansen – it’s huge! View the map of Skansen.
The open-air museum has over 150 buildings, along with farmhouses, faculties, homes and constructions which have been moved from all through Sweden to create a dwelling historic previous exhibit.
Discover out about Skansen sights, hours of operation and ticket prices proper right here. You’ll pre-purchase tickets proper right here.
Contained within the Skansen Aquarium is a lemur exhibit with dozens of cute and curious lemurs. There could also be an extra value to enter the aquarium, which is an annoying further value (we thought the aquarium is included with fundamental admission to the park).
The park has rides for youthful kids, along with a traditional carousel (pictured above).
Company may even tour Skansen aboard this vibrant follow. It’s a good idea for households with youthful kids. It’s a extremely massive park, so that you just’re little ones’ legs will get drained (heck, my legs acquired drained).
Contained within the Baltic Sea Science Center. It has interactive reveals which could be pleasant and tutorial.
Earlier standard farm properties and animals contained within the Skansen village.
The purple picket developing inside the backdrop of the above image is Seglora Church (Seglora kyrka). It comes from a parish in Västergötland. The earlier church dates once more to 1730.
Gröna Lund amusement park
Moreover positioned on Djurgården island, the enduring Gröna Lund is Sweden’s oldest amusement park. It was based mostly in 1883 (it’s celebrating 140 years this yr!) and now has over 30 rides and sights, along with 8 roller coasters.
We consider to spend actually certainly one of our days in Stockholm at Gröna Lund. Nonetheless, we made a rookie mistake and assumed we’d stroll as a lot because the amusement park and purchase tickets. After we arrived, the park was purchased out. We tried getting tickets for the following days nonetheless the park was purchased out for weeks.
Our boys had been very upset. We had been all upset. We overvalued this amusement park for weeks (probably months) sooner than visiting Stockholm. So, don’t make the similar mistake – purchase your tickets properly upfront of your go to.
Journey tip – You might pre-book your go to on-line sooner than you arrive on the park!
Go to the Grona Lund website to purchase tickets.
A upset youthful boy watches the rides at Gröna Lund whereas on the ferry once more to Gamla Stan.
Take a Boat Tour spherical Stockholm
Stockholm is called the Venice of the North because of its many canals and waterways. The city is constructed on 14 islands. Taking a ship tour is an effective strategy to uncover city and purchase a singular perspective of its lovely construction and pleasant waterfront.
There are numerous boat excursions obtainable, ranging from guided excursions to hop-on, hop-off excursions.
You’ll e-book boat excursions proper right here with Get Your Data, or proper right here with Viator.
Our boys liked sightseeing from the boats. The hop-on, hop-off boats are good for getting throughout the metropolis and visiting Stockholm’s many vacationer sights.
Views of Stockholm’s historic buildings and ships from the hop-on, hop-off boat.
View of the Stockholm Royal Palace from the water. It’s a robust developing.
The inexperienced Hop-on, Hop-off boats are a fast, useful and low-cost answer to find city.
Quite a few the Stockholm sightseeing boats provide half day boat excursions throughout the metropolis. You might also tour the encircling islands inside the Stockholm archipelago. The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometres (37 miles) to the east.
You might also uncover Stockholm on the Ocean Bus, an amphibious bus that goes on land and water.
Stunning Stockholm construction on the waterfront. View from a Stockholm boat metropolis tour.
Go to the Stockholm Metropolis Hall
Stockholm Metropolis Hall is doubtless one of many metropolis’s most iconic buildings, recognized for its spectacular tower and pleasant inside. Company can take a guided tour of the developing, which includes a go to to the Golden Hall, well-known for its gorgeous mosaics, and the Blue Hall, the place the Nobel Prize banquet is held.
Above is the waterfront view from beside Stockholm Metropolis Hall.
Fotografiska Museum
The Fotografiska Museum is a must-visit for photos lovers. The museum showcases quite a lot of exhibitions, from fashionable art work photos to traditional prints. There could also be moreover a restaurant and restaurant with lovely views over Stockholm’s harbour.
Stockholm’s subway stations
Amongst its many sights, actually certainly one of Stockholm’s most notable is the spectacular art work assortment inside the metropolis’s subway stations. With over 90 of the 100 subway stations showcasing distinctive artworks, the Stockholm subway system is sort of really an underground art work gallery.
Some declare it to be among the distinctive public art work installations on the earth.
The Stockholm subway art work enterprise, typically often called the Tunnelbana, began inside the Nineteen Fifties. The city decided to incorporate art work into the design of the subway system. The objective is to make the day by day commute additional nice for passengers, and to create an creative legacy for future generations.
Solna Centrum station, pictured above, is arguably primarily probably the most well-known and most photographed. Completely different in type subway stations are Kungsträdgården, Stadion, and T-Centralen (see photos beneath).
Each station has its private distinctive design, with many that features murals, sculptures and completely different artworks that showcase the creativity of the Swedish people.
The colourful rainbows inside Stadion station. That’s actually certainly one of our favourite stations.
Murals contained within the T-Centralen, positioned inside the coronary coronary heart of Stockholm metropolis.
Above and beneath photos are taken contained within the Kungsträdgården subway station.
At this stage, our boys had been getting tired of listening to the phrases “go stand over there and smile”.
Stockholm Go Metropolis All-Inclusive Go
For many who plan to go to a number of Stockholm’s sights, the Stockholm Go is an effective suggestion. The go provides entry to over 45+ sights and museums, along with the Vasa Museum and a cruise spherical Stockholm’s Archipelago.
You’ll take limitless excursions on the green-colored hop-on hop-off buses and the red-colored Metropolis Sightseeing Stockholm buses.
The Stockholm Go is an effective strategy to save money and time, as you acquired’t need to attend in prolonged strains to purchase tickets at each attraction. It could possibly prevent as a lot as 50% off compared with looking for specific individual attraction tickets (some circumstances apply).
You can purchase the Stockholm go on-line proper right here and proper right here.
Stockholm Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing tour
A easy answer to go to the best sights in Stockholm is to take the Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour (included when you purchase the Stockholm Go, additional knowledge proper right here). There are designated stops positioned close to Stockholm’s in type vacationer sights, so you’re going to get off and uncover at your tempo.
We like these buses when sightseeing with youngsters. Our boys don’t like strolling prolonged distances – their little legs get drained. These sightseeing buses allow us to cowl additional ground and see additional sights, whereas limiting the amount of prolonged distance strolling.
Observe – there are TWO fully completely different Hop-on, Hop-off bus firms in Stockholm. And they also every have purple double-decker buses, which is not difficult the least bit!
See prices and e-book on-line proper right here and proper right here.
Unusual family selfie, taken on the upper deck of the Stockholm sightseeing bus.
Uncover these two purple buses are actually fully completely different firms.
Journey throughout the metropolis on {an electrical} scooter
Stockholm has an entire lot – probably 1000’s – {of electrical} scooters scattered all via city. They supply a fast and useful option to exploring city.
The perfect half about these electrical scooters is that you just solely pay for the time you use. Be certain the battery is charged (inexperienced gentle). Everytime you’re accomplished, merely depart the scooter at your last stop. That acknowledged, be respectful and depart the scooter seen for a further particular person (and by no means in a spot the place it could be damaged).
The place to stay in Stockholm
Stockholm is a gigantic metropolis with various neighbourhoods. This suggests you’ve got gotten a great deal of decisions for lodging, regardless of your funds.
We decided to stay in central Stockholm, near the Stockholm Central Station and T-Centralen station.
We stayed on the Hôtel Élite Adlon, pictured above.
It’s solely a 5 minute stroll from the follow station, which might be very useful do you have to plan to achieve in Stockholm by the use of follow. It’s centrally positioned inside strolling distance to Gamla Stan Earlier Metropolis (15-20 minutes). And, it has a 7-11 consolation retailer on the street stage, which is true when touring with youngsters.
We liked our 4-night preserve at this lodge. It’s an earlier character developing with trendy decor and quirky choices (similar to the tiny elevator). The included breakfast buffet at this lodge is principally good. Additional knowledge regarding the lodge proper right here.
Arlanda Particular
The most effective methods to get to Stockholm metropolis centre from the Stockholm Arlanda Airport is by the use of the Arlanda Particular. The journey takes 18 minutes and runs 4 to six events per hour.
You can purchase tickets from a merchandising machine using a financial institution card. See ticket prices proper right here.
Related submit – Do it’s a must to take the DFDS Ferry from Oslo To Copenhagen?
The seats on the Arlanda Particular follow are pretty cozy.
Final concepts
Stockholm is a implausible metropolis to go to with youngsters. There are so many points to do in Stockholm that we advise a minimal of two full days. From its picturesque earlier metropolis, Gamla Stan, to its world-class museums and amusement parks, there’s one thing for everyone in Stockholm.
It’s a extremely walkable metropolis and you will merely get by with English.
That acknowledged, the rumors are true. Stockholm is an expensive metropolis. The costliest part of the journey was consuming at consuming locations. There are strategies to avoid wasting money, like getting meals at 7-11 consolation retailers. Surprisingly, the baked gadgets at consolation retailers are pretty good.
We found lodging to be priced very similar to most important cities. For many who’re lodge has breakfast included you’ll keep away from losing money. The arduous half is discovering rooms that match our family of 4.
Will we return to Stockholm?
Perhaps. We had fun in Stockholm and we advise you go to. That acknowledged, we actually really feel like we did Stockholm. We visited lots of the Stockholm sights we wished to go to. As a result of this reality, I’m not sure we’d return, besides there was a specific trigger.
Nevertheless we think about it’s an superior metropolis to go to with youngsters. Put it in your guidelines, if it’s not in your guidelines already.
Study subsequent – 12 days in Norway: A Good Norway Avenue Journey Itinerary
Leave a Reply