Things to do · Stockholm · Sweden
20 best things to do in Stockholm
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Stockholm are Gamla Stan and Stortorget, Vasa Museum and Skansen. Of the 20 picks below, 6 are free, 11 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Gamla Stan and Stortorget
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Vasa Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gamla Stan and Stortorget | Gamla Stan | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Vasa Museum | Djurgården | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Skansen | Djurgården | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Royal Palace | Gamla Stan | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Stockholm City Hall | Kungsholmen | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| ABBA The Museum | Djurgården | 1.5–2 hours | Expensive |
| Fotografiska | Södermalm | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Moderna Museet | Skeppsholmen | 1.5–2 hours | Low cost |
| Nationalmuseum | Norrmalm | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård | Djurgården | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Gröna Lund | Djurgården | Half a day | Expensive |
| Junibacken | Djurgården | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget | Södermalm | 45 minutes | Free |
| Metro art | Norrmalm | 1–2 hours | Low cost |
| Stockholm Public Library | Vasastan | 30 minutes | Free |
| Skogskyrkogården | Enskede | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Östermalms Saluhall | Östermalm | 1 hour | Free |
| Millesgården | Lidingö | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Nobel Prize Museum | Gamla Stan | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Riddarholmen Church | Gamla Stan | 45 minutes | Low cost |
The 20 best things to do
Neighbourhood · Gamla Stan
1.Gamla Stan and Stortorget
Stockholm grew from this island in the 13th century. 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.
Explore early in the morning or in the evening, when the cruise and tour groups have gone.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Museum · Djurgården
2.Vasa Museum
The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, barely a kilometre into her journey, and was raised in 1961 almost intact. The 69-metre ship, about 98% original, fills a purpose-built hall surrounded by galleries on life aboard, the carved sculptures and the salvage.
Arrive at opening or in the last hours of the day in summer, and watch the short film first for context.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Summer queues can be long; buying a ticket online speeds up entry.
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Djurgården
3.Skansen
Founded in 1891, the world's first open-air museum brings together historic farmsteads, manor houses and a town quarter moved from all over Sweden, staffed by craftspeople in period costume. 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.
Take the funicular up from the Hazelius entrance and walk downhill through the park.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
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Palace · Gamla Stan
4.Royal Palace
The Swedish king's official residence, completed in the 18th century, is one of Europe's largest palaces, with more than 600 rooms. 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.
Time your visit for the changing of the guard in the outer courtyard, a ceremony with a military band in summer.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Architecture · Kungsholmen
5.Stockholm City Hall
Completed in 1923, the red-brick City Hall on the water's edge hosts the Nobel Prize banquet in its Blue Hall each December. The Golden Hall glitters with more than 18 million gold-leaf mosaic tiles, and its 106-metre tower gives one of the best views of Gamla Stan.
Climb the tower in the warmer months for a panorama over Riddarfjärden and Gamla Stan.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Interiors are seen on guided tours only, and tower tickets are limited; both sell out in summer, so book ahead.
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Views
- History
Museum · Djurgården
6.ABBA The Museum
An interactive museum about Sweden's most famous band, with original costumes, gold records and studio recreations. Visitors can sing on stage with holographic band members, record in a studio and dance in a mock-up of a 1970s disco.
Use the code on your ticket to collect your recordings and performances online afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially at weekends and in summer.
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Gallery · Södermalm
7.Fotografiska
Stockholm's photography museum, in a 1906 Art Nouveau customs building on the Södermalm waterfront, shows changing exhibitions by major international photographers. Its top-floor restaurant and café have wide views across the water to Djurgården and Gamla Stan.
Stay late; it is open into the evening, and the café view is best at sunset.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Views
- Rainy day
- After dark
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Gallery · Skeppsholmen
8.Moderna Museet
Sweden's museum of modern and contemporary art on the small island of Skeppsholmen holds major works by Picasso, Dalí, Matisse, Duchamp and Warhol, as well as Nordic artists. Outside, Niki de Saint Phalle's colourful sculptures stand in the garden.
Walk across the Skeppsholmen bridge from the Nationalmuseum and loop round the island's waterfront afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Museum · Norrmalm
1.Nationalmuseum
Sweden's national museum of art and design reopened in 2018 after a major renovation. Its collection runs from Rembrandt's Conspiracy of the Batavians under Claudius Civilis and Rubens to Swedish painters such as Carl Larsson and Anders Zorn, plus a strong design and applied-arts collection.
Look for Carl Larsson's monumental murals on the staircase before heading into the galleries.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Park · Djurgården
2.Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård
Away from its museums, most of Djurgården is royal parkland with oak meadows, waterside paths and the Rosendal Palace. Rosendals Trädgård is an organic garden with orchards, glasshouses and a café where you can eat lunch among the fruit trees.
Walk or cycle the waterfront path round the island, then stop for fika at Rosendals Trädgård.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
- Food
Theme park · Djurgården
3.Gröna Lund
A compact amusement park on the Djurgården waterfront since 1883, with roller coasters, a drop tower with views over the city and gentler rides for small children. It also hosts outdoor summer concerts. The park opens seasonally, from spring to early autumn.
Ride the drop tower for a few seconds of the best view in Stockholm before the fall.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- After dark
- Active
Museum · Djurgården
4.Junibacken
A children's museum built around the stories of Astrid Lindgren, with a story train that rides through scenes from her books, Pippi Longstocking's Villa Villekulla to climb around in, and play areas based on other Swedish children's characters.
Ride the story train first, then let children loose in Villa Villekulla.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Viewpoint · Södermalm
5.Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget
A cliff-top footpath of about 500 metres on northern Södermalm looks over Riddarfjärden to the City Hall and Gamla Stan. A few minutes west, the bare rocks of Skinnarviksberget, the highest natural point in the inner city, are where locals gather for sunset.
Bring a drink to Skinnarviksberget on a summer evening and watch the late sunset over Lake Mälaren.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
Experience · Norrmalm
6.Metro art
Most of Stockholm's metro stations are decorated with art, earning the network its reputation as a long underground gallery. Highlights include the blue vines painted on the bare rock at T-Centralen, the red sky and forest of Solna Centrum, the rainbow of Stadion and the archaeological displays at Kungsträdgården.
With a 24-hour ticket, ride the blue line from T-Centralen to Kungsträdgården, then the red line to Stadion.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Architecture · Vasastan
7.Stockholm Public Library
Gunnar Asplund's 1928 library is a cylinder rising from a block, and inside a circular hall lined floor to ceiling with books wraps around the visitor. It is free to enter and one of the most photographed interiors in the city.
Stand in the middle of the rotunda and look up; then explore the surrounding Observatorielunden park.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Enskede
8.Skogskyrkogården
The Woodland Cemetery, designed by Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz from 1917, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where graves lie among pine forest and a meandering path leads to a granite cross and chapels. Greta Garbo is buried here.
Take the green metro line to Skogskyrkogården station and visit the free visitor centre for a map.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
- Nature
Market · Östermalm
9.Östermalms Saluhall
The red-brick market hall, opened in 1888 and restored in recent years, has fishmongers, butchers, cheese counters and small restaurants serving herring, shrimp sandwiches and Swedish classics.
Have lunch at one of the counters; it is the most convenient place to try several Swedish seafood dishes.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Free
- Rainy day
Garden · Lidingö
10.Millesgården
The sculptor Carl Milles's former home on the island of Lidingö has terraced gardens of fountains and bronze figures that seem to fly against the sky, with views back across the water to Stockholm.
Visit on a sunny day; the sculptures are set against the sky and water and are best seen in good light.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Outdoors
- Views
- Couples
Museum · Gamla Stan
11.Nobel Prize Museum
In the Old Stock Exchange on Stortorget, the museum tells the stories of Nobel laureates and their discoveries through objects they donated, films and changing exhibitions. Laureates traditionally sign the underside of the bistro's chairs.
Ask in the bistro to see the signed chairs, and try the Nobel ice cream served at the banquet.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Religious site · Gamla Stan
12.Riddarholmen Church
The cast-iron spire of this medieval church on the small Riddarholmen island marks the burial place of Swedish monarchs from the 17th century onwards, including Gustavus Adolphus. 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.
Walk to the island's quay afterwards for a sunset view across the water to the City Hall.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum and Fotografiska |
| History | Gamla Stan and Stortorget, Vasa Museum, Skansen and Royal Palace |
| Views | Stockholm City Hall, Fotografiska, Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget and Millesgården |
| Outdoors and nature | Skansen, Moderna Museet, Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård and Skogskyrkogården |
| Food and markets | Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård and Östermalms Saluhall |
| After dark | Fotografiska and Gröna Lund |
| With children | Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum and Gröna Lund |
| On a rainy day | Vasa Museum, Royal Palace, ABBA The Museum and Fotografiska |
What to book ahead
- Vasa Museum: Summer queues can be long; buying a ticket online speeds up entry.
- Stockholm City Hall: Interiors are seen on guided tours only, and tower tickets are limited; both sell out in summer, so book ahead.
- ABBA The Museum: Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially at weekends and in summer.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Stockholm?
Gamla Stan and Stortorget. Stockholm grew from this island in the 13th century.
+What can you do for free in Stockholm?
Gamla Stan and Stortorget, Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård, Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget, Stockholm Public Library and Skogskyrkogården. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Stockholm when it rains?
Head indoors to Vasa Museum, Royal Palace, ABBA The Museum and Fotografiska.
+What is there to do in Stockholm at night?
Fotografiska and Gröna Lund are best after dark.