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Riddarholmen
Islet in Stockholm, Sweden

Riddarholmen

Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden.

Plan a trip to Riddarholmen→From Stockholm / Västerås

The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarholmskyrkan, used as Sweden's royal burial church from the 17th century to 1950, and where a number of earlier Swedish monarchs also lie buried.

Get in

Getting to Riddarholmen

Gamla stan is connected to Norrmalm by four walkable bridges, all of which provide picturesque views and nice photo opportunities. From east to west those are Strömbron, Norrbro, Riksbron and Vasabron. Södermalm is only connected to the Gamla stan via the Slussen, a transit node built over the water lock between the Baltic Sea and the Lake Mälaren. It is under renovation until 2025, with detours and blocked views.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Stockholm Cathedral
  2. 02
    Riddarholmen Church

    Riddarholm is the ancient core of Stockholm and this is the city's oldest building - though no longer the oldest church, as it's nowadays simply a museum.

  3. 03
    German Church
  4. 04
    Royal Palace

    At times referred to by Swedes at the "Royal Castle".

  5. 05
    Christina Gyllenstierna

    Kristina Nilsdotter (Gyllenstierna) led Sweden's uprising against Denmark in the 1510s, after the death of her husband Sten Sture (Sweden's acting head of state).

  6. 06
    Slottsbacken

    Slottsbacken provides an astounding view of Stockholm's inner harbour.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    Rooftop Tour

    1 hour 30 min tour, April–September only.

  2. 02
    Storkyrkobadet

    A small secret hidden in what once was a wine cellar in the old town, where you can take a bath beneath 18th century vaults.

  3. 03
    Musikvalvet Baggen

    A cellar for intimate cross-genre concerts.

  4. 04
    Musikvalvet Brinken

    A second stage with the same concept as Musikvalvet Baggen.

  5. 05
    Old Town Walking Tour
Eat

Where to eat

Many of Gamla stan's restaurants are high-end, and those around Stortorget can be a bit overpriced. The least costly eating options are the fast food places.

  1. 01
    Coop Järntorget

    A supermarket, with both groceries and ready-made food.

  2. 02
    Munkbrohallen

    Munkbrogatan 8.

  3. 03
    Tasty America

    American food and soft drinks for homesick travellers.

  4. 04
    Chokladkoppen & Kaffekoppen

    Kaffekoppen and Chokladkoppen (literally, the Coffee Cup and the Chocolate Cup) are two LGBT-friendly sister cafes situated on the Stortorget in Gamla stan, just off the touristy Västerlånggatan.

  5. 05
    Café Sten Sture

    The building used to be a monastery, until it was dismantled following the Protestant Reformation.

How locals move

Getting around Riddarholmen the local way

  • Go nextHop on the overnight ferry to Helsinki and walk along Mannerheimintie.

From Wikivoyage: Stockholm Main Street, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.