Attraction
Vasa Museum
Purpose-built museum on Djurgården housing the Vasa, a 64-gun warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised 333 years later.
There are plenty of things to do in Stockholm, a capital spread across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea. The medieval lanes of Gamla Stan, the old town, hold the Royal Palace, Stortorget and the Nobel Prize Museum, while the green island of Djurgården is home to the Vasa Museum, Skansen and ABBA The Museum. Norrmalm and Östermalm form the modern centre, with department stores, grand hotels and the Östermalm market hall, and Södermalm, to the south, is the place for independent shops, bars and some of the best views over the water.
Stockholm's food scene runs from traditional Swedish home cooking, meatballs and herring to some of the most acclaimed tasting menus in Scandinavia, and the daily coffee break known as fika is taken seriously, with cinnamon buns in every bakery. In summer, long light evenings bring people out to waterside bars and the archipelago, while winter brings Christmas markets and candlelit cafés. Three days covers the main museums and neighbourhoods, and four or five days leaves time for Drottningholm Palace and a boat trip into the archipelago.
Attraction
Purpose-built museum on Djurgården housing the Vasa, a 64-gun warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised 333 years later.
Attraction
The world's first open-air museum, opened in 1891 on Djurgården, with historic houses from across Sweden, Nordic animals and craftspeople at work.
Attraction
The King's official residence on the edge of Gamla Stan, a Baroque palace of more than 1,400 rooms with state apartments, the Treasury and two museums.
Attraction
Ragnar Östberg's red-brick city hall on Kungsholmen, inaugurated in 1923, home of the Nobel banquet and visited by guided tour only.
Attraction
The private home of the Swedish royal family on Lovön, a UNESCO-listed palace with Baroque gardens, an 18th-century theatre and the Chinese Pavilion.
Attraction
Interactive museum on Djurgården, opened in 2013, telling ABBA's story through costumes, studio recreations and the chance to sing on stage with the band.
Café
Classic Stockholm konditori founded in 1928 on Kungsgatan, serving princess cake, buns and pastries with freshly brewed coffee in a traditional setting.
Café
French-inspired café near Stureplan since 1989, known for large bowls of latte, cinnamon buns, all-day breakfast and weekend brunch.
Café
Speciality coffee café by Mariatorget run by an award-winning Stockholm roaster, rotating its light-roasted coffees daily on espresso and filter.
Café
Garden café in a biodynamic market garden on Djurgården, run by a foundation since 1982, with a wood-fired bakery, greenhouses and a plant and farm shop.
Café
Small café on Stortorget in Gamla Stan since 1997, serving hot drinks, pastries, large sandwiches and simple hot dishes, with a summer terrace on the square.
Café
Vasastan café a block from Odenplan, with its own coffee roastery and sandwiches that helped it win the Gulddraken award for Stockholm's best café in 2019.
Hotel
Stockholm's grand waterfront hotel since 1874, facing the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan, with five restaurants, the Cadier Bar and a spa with pools.
Hotel
Privately held luxury hotel in an Art Nouveau building on Strandvägen, overlooking the harbour since 1911 and part of the family-owned Diplomat Collection.
Hotel
Intimate luxury hotel in the quiet Lärkstaden district, designed to feel like a private home filled with art and objects with real stories.
Hotel
Privately owned boutique hotel with 99 rooms on Mariatorget, combining a 735-seat theatre, bars and a bistro and café in the heart of Södermalm.
Hotel
Design hotel in two buildings from 1699 on the green island of Skeppsholmen, transformed by Claesson Koivisto Rune, with Restaurant Långa Raden.
Hotel
Design hostel about 500 metres from Stockholm Central Station, with dorms, female-only dorms and private rooms, a bar, karaoke nights and bike hire.
Bar
Hornstull restaurant and bar listed among The World's 50 Best Bars, with a cocktail bar, wine bodega, beer café and Mediterranean-inspired dining room.
Bar
Award-winning cocktail bar on Stortorget in Gamla Stan, inspired by Sweden's first public pharmacy and its medicinal herbs, serving cocktails with matching dishes.
Bar
Restaurant and bars on the 11th and 12th floors of Katarinahuset by Slussen, with live jazz, Dry Martinis and some of the widest views over Stockholm.
Bar
Stockholm's best-known jazz club on Kungsgatan, run by Swedish jazz musicians since 1977, with concerts most nights and soul and funk club nights.
Bar
Gamla Stan music pub in a former pawnshop since 1968, with live American roots music every day, from traditional jazz to blues and soul.
Bar
Bar and restaurant in an 18th-century former remand prison on Hornsgatan, with an award-winning cocktail bar and late opening on Fridays and Saturdays.
Restaurant
Björn Frantzén's three-Michelin-star restaurant in Norrmalm, where an evening starts in a top-floor lounge and continues at counters facing the chefs.
Restaurant
Two-Michelin-star restaurant in a boathouse-inspired building of steel, wood and glass on Djurgården, serving modern Swedish cooking with views over the water.
Restaurant
Niklas Ekstedt's one-Michelin-star restaurant in Östermalm, where every dish is cooked over birchwood fire, smoke and embers rather than gas or electricity.
Restaurant
Brasserie on Stureplan since 1887, serving Swedish and French seafood dishes, with fish from its own fishing boat and a busy bar open until late.
Restaurant
Vasastan bistro with a fully open kitchen and bar seating, serving seasonal Swedish cooking without frills and a wine list of more than 800 bottles.
Restaurant
Södermalm beer hall serving Swedish home cooking since 1904, with hand-rolled meatballs, herring and veal liver under a painted art nouveau ceiling.
Thing to do
Stockholm's medieval old town on its own island, a tangle of narrow lanes around Stortorget with the Royal Palace, the cathedral and colourful merchant houses.
Thing to do
Stockholm's grand food hall on Östermalmstorg, opened in 1888 and restored in 2020, with fishmongers, delis, bakeries and sit-down restaurants under one roof.
Thing to do
A 500-metre clifftop footpath on Södermalm with wide views over Lake Mälaren, Stockholm City Hall and Riddarholmen, best at sunrise and sunset.
Thing to do
More than 90 of the Stockholm metro's 100 stations are decorated with art by over 150 artists, earning the network the nickname of the world's longest…
Thing to do
Sweden's oldest amusement park, on the Djurgården waterfront since 1883, with 27 rides, summer concerts and views across the water to the city.
Tour operator
Major Stockholm sightseeing operator running canal and harbour boat tours, guided archipelago trips, bus sightseeing and summer boats to Drottningholm.
Tour operator
Family-run Stockholm tour company founded in 2011, offering private guided tours on foot, by bike, by boat or by vehicle, including Gamla Stan and the Vasa…
Tour operator
One-hour amphibious bus tour from Strömgatan by the Royal Opera that drives through central Stockholm and splashes into the water, with live English and Swedish guiding.
Tour operator
Hop-on hop-off bus and boat sightseeing in Stockholm, with tickets valid for 24 to 72 hours and audio commentary in several languages.
Tour operator
Archipelago shipping company of more than a century, running summer trips to islands such as Sandhamn, Utö and Vaxholm and cruises on the steamship Blidösund.
Three days covers Gamla Stan, Djurgården's museums and Södermalm, while four or five days allows time for Drottningholm Palace and a boat trip into the archipelago
Norrmalm and Östermalm are central and well connected, Gamla Stan puts you in the old town, and Södermalm suits those who want independent shops, bars and restaurants
The Arlanda Express train runs from Arlanda to Stockholm Central Station in about 20 minutes, commuter trains and airport buses are cheaper alternatives, and taxis are widely available
Stockholm is one of the pricier cities in Europe for hotels, alcohol and dining out, but many museums offer free entry for children, and lunch menus and fika keep food costs down
Stockholm is generally safe for visitors; take the usual care with bags and phones in crowded places such as T-Centralen, on public transport and in busy nightlife areas