Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and most populous city of Sweden, as well as the largest urban area in the Nordic countries.
Approximately 1 million people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.5 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. The city serves as the county seat of Stockholm County.
Getting to Stockholm
Stockholm (STO IATA) is served by several international airports; Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN IATA; near Sigtuna) being the dominant one. Stockholm-Bromma (BMA IATA) is the only airport within the city. The airports in Skavsta (NYO IATA; near Nyköping) and Västerås (VST IATA) also receive some international flights. = =
Worth seeing
Untouched by wars for a long time, Stockholm has some great old architecture to see. The exception would be Norrmalm, where much was demolished in the 1950s and 1960s to give place to what was then more modern buildings. Looking at it the other way around, if interested in this kind of architecture this is the place to go.
Things to do
There is a wide selection of guided tours available, by boat, by bus and on foot. = = Hop On - Hop Off Boat. daily 10:00-16:00. Audio track in 11 languages. Two of the most frequented stops are at the Palace, and at the Gamla Stan, right across the canal from T Slussen. The recordings on this loop service are reasonably informative. 24-hr ticket from 180 kr. Under the bridges of Stockholm.
Where to eat
Stockholm features a large variety of restaurants, and the dining scene has markedly improved since the turn of the century, both in terms of quality and variety. However, dining in Stockholm can be expensive if you aim for something else than the fast food bars, the run-of-the-mill British-style pubs or the ethnic restaurants that dominate the budget bracket.
Getting around Stockholm the local way
- Get inStockholm is served by international luxury cruise ships (see cruising the Baltic Sea), and the local Baltic Sea ferries ("ferry" is quite a misnomer, most are giant ships).
- Get inThe Baltic Sea ferries link Stockholm to Helsinki, Mariehamn and Turku (these ships are locally known as finlandsbåtar, "Finland boat"), Riga and Tallinn every day.
- Get inMost importantly, it's used by Viking Line for ferries to Mariehamn, Helsinki and Turku and their 22-hour cruises to Mariehamn.
- Get inThere are multiple departures from the port 15–60 minutes after the ferry arrives and from the station 1–3 hours before the ferry departs.
- Get inThe ferry terminal is served by SL commuter train line 43.
- Get aroundSL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik) runs an extensive metro, commuter train and bus system, as well as some light rail and ferry services.
- Get aroundPasses are available for 24 hours, 72 hours, 7 days, and 30 days, and allow unrestricted rides on all buses, trams, metro, and commuter trains (outside of Arlanda Central and stations north of it), as well as the Djurgården ferry.
- Get aroundSeveral archipelago ferries call at Gåshaga brygga at the eastmost terminus.
From Wikivoyage: Stockholm, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Øyvind Holmstad (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
