One day 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

      Explore early in the morning or in the evening, when the cruise and tour groups have gone. Allow 2–3 hours.

   2. Late morning

      Royal Palace

      Time your visit for the changing of the guard in the outer courtyard, a ceremony with a military band in summer. Allow 2–3 hours.

   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

      Ask in the bistro to see the signed chairs, and try the Nobel ice cream served at the banquet. Allow 1–1.5 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Riddarholmen Church

      Walk to the island's quay afterwards for a sunset view across the water to the City Hall. Allow 45 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Fotografiska

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

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Vasa Museum (Djurgården): Arrive at opening or in the last hours of the day in summer, and watch the short film first for context.
• Swap in ABBA The Museum (Djurgården): Use the code on your ticket to collect your recordings and performances online afterwards.
• Swap in Moderna Museet (Skeppsholmen): Walk across the Skeppsholmen bridge from the Nationalmuseum and loop round the island's waterfront afterwards.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–10 hours of visiting over one day, 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

• 2 days in Stockholm
• 3 days in Stockholm
• 5 days in Stockholm

Questions travellers ask