2 days in Stockholm

Day by day

1. Day 1: Gamla Stan and Stortorget and Royal Palace

   Gamla Stan and Stortorget, Royal Palace, Nobel Prize Museum and Riddarholmen Church, then Fotografiska in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Gamla Stan and Stortorget

      Its lanes radiate from Stortorget, the oldest square, lined with tall painted merchants' houses, and lead to Mårten Trotzigs gränd, the city's narrowest alley at about 90 centimetres wide. Västerlånggatan is the busy main street; the parallel lanes are quieter.

   2. Late morning

      Royal Palace

      Visitors can see the Royal Apartments, the Treasury with the crown regalia and Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, and the Royal Armoury in the cellars displays royal armour, coaches and costumes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Swedish meatballs

      Traditional restaurants (krogar) in Gamla Stan and Södermalm, and food halls such as Östermalms Saluhall.

   4. Afternoon

      Nobel Prize Museum

      Laureates traditionally sign the underside of the bistro's chairs.

   5. Late afternoon

      Riddarholmen Church

      Coats of arms of the knights of the Order of the Seraphim line the walls. It is now used only for burials and commemorations and opens to visitors mainly in the warmer months.

   6. Evening

      Fotografiska

      Stay late; it is open into the evening, and the café view is best at sunset.

2. Day 2: Vasa Museum and Skansen

   Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum and Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård, then Gröna Lund in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Vasa Museum

      The 69-metre ship, about 98% original, fills a purpose-built hall surrounded by galleries on life aboard, the carved sculptures and the salvage.

   2. Late morning

      Skansen

      Its hilltop setting includes Nordic animals such as moose, brown bears, wolves and reindeer, and it hosts the city's traditional Midsummer and Lucia celebrations.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Cinnamon bun

      Bakeries and cafés everywhere; independent bakeries in Södermalm and Vasastan are especially good.

   4. Afternoon

      ABBA The Museum

      Visitors can sing on stage with holographic band members, record in a studio and dance in a mock-up of a 1970s disco.

   5. Late afternoon

      Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård

      Rosendals Trädgård is an organic garden with orchards, glasshouses and a café where you can eat lunch among the fruit trees.

   6. Evening

      Gröna Lund

      Ride the drop tower for a few seconds of the best view in Stockholm before the fall.

Before you go

• Vasa Museum: Summer queues can be long; buying a ticket online speeds up entry.
• ABBA The Museum: Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially at weekends and in summer.

If it rains

• Swap in Moderna Museet (Skeppsholmen): Walk across the Skeppsholmen bridge from the Nationalmuseum and loop round the island's waterfront afterwards.
• Swap in Nationalmuseum (Norrmalm): Look for Carl Larsson's monumental murals on the staircase before heading into the galleries.
• Swap in Junibacken (Djurgården): Ride the story train first, then let children loose in Villa Villekulla.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 19–25 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 6.1 hours in December to 18.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Metro. The tunnelbana has three main lines (green, red and blue) meeting at T-Centralen, with trains every few minutes.

More or fewer days

• One day in Stockholm
• 3 days in Stockholm
• 5 days in Stockholm

Questions travellers ask