Stockholm has a number of spectacular tourist attractions, ranging from the interesting architecture of the City Hall to the stunning natural beauty of the archipelago. In the Royal Palace and the royal family residence Drottningholm Palace, visitors can get in close contact with traditions of the Swedish monarchy. Among the wide range of museums, the Vasa museum with its 17th century warship and the Skansen open air museum are unique experiences. Gamla stan, the picturesque old town, is a major attraction in itself, with narrow streets and houses dating back to medieval times.
Note: Directions in Stockholm are often accompanied by the name of the closest subway stop, using "T" as an abbreviation for "Tunnelbana", e.g. "T Gamla Stan". This practice is followed below when appropriate.
Stockholm's Old Town (Gamla Stan), is the beautifully preserved historical heart of Stockholm. T Gamla Stan station is on the west side of the compact quarter, which is best covered on foot. Riddarholmskyrkan is a beautifully preserved medieval church.
Stockholm's Old Town with the Tyska Kyrkan (German church)
The Stockholm archipelago (skärgården) is one of the world's most spectacular. Stretching 80 kilometres east of the city centre, the archipelago comprises 24,000 islands, islets and rocks. Regular ferries are operated by Waxholmsbolaget and from April through September also by Cinderellabåtarna.
From April through September numerous services operate directly from the city centre to various destiantions, with Waxholmsbolaget departing from Strömkajen right downhill T Kungsträdgården and Cinderellabåtarna departing from Nybrokajen, 400 m from T Östermalmstorg or T Kungsträdgården. Other (and basically the only ones during winter) routes operate from suburban mainland jetties connected to the city centre by suburban rail and bus. Vaxholm, reached by bus 670 from T Tekniska högskolan, and Stavsnäs, reached by bus 433 or 434 from T Slussen are examples of this. Also note that even during the summer, when countless services operate from the city centre it is still, generally, a lot faster to travel via a suburban jetty, not to mention a lot cheaper. This is because even though the archipelago is within the metropolitan area, local transport tickets are NOT valid and tickets are paid on a distance basis. However, if you're doing multiple trips, it is also possible to buy a 5 or 30 day card (420 SEK and 750 SEK respectively), which belong to Waxholmsbolaget but are also valid on Cinderellabåtarna.
Destinations in the archipelago include (but are far from limited to) Grinda, Svartsö, Finnhamn, Möja, Sandhamn, Ingmarsö, Runmarö, Nämdö and Utö. From April through september most of these can be reached either from the city centre or via suburban jetties. The islands offer a wide variety of nature, from the lush green of the inner archipelago to the bare cliffs of the more distant outposts. Some islands have restaurants, youth hostels and country stores, while others are entirely deserted islands.
A good destination for a day trip is Sandhamn, which is reached either by taking a direct ferry from the city centre (this takes 5 h) or by taking the 433 or 434 bus from the centrally located T Slussen to Stavsnäs and from there a connecting ferry bound for Sandhamn or Hagede (from T Slussen this takes 90-95 min during summer and 110-115 min during winter). Both Waxholmsbolaget and Cinderellabåtarna serve both routes, but again, Cinderellabåtarna service is shut down during winter.
Utö makes another good trip and is accessible from the city centre (takes 3.5 h) or by taking suburban train from Stockholm central station to Västerhaninge, then bus 846 to Årsta brygga and then a connecting ferry (from Stockholm C this takes 90 min during summer and 1 h 45 min during winter). Both routes are served solely by Waxholmsbolaget.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Stockholm
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Stockholm - updated Apr 2024
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Stockholm Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
