Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the largest city in Scandinavia. It lies where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea and is spread across 14 islands connected by around 50 bridges. Water is almost always in sight: you can swim, fish or even commute by boat in the middle of the city. Stockholm is the seat of the government, the parliament (Riksdag) and the royal family, and it is also the country’s economic and cultural centre.

Last updated: October 2026

Stockholm at a glance

• Population: just under 1 million in the municipality of Stockholm (999,239 at the end of 2025, according to Statistics Sweden/SCB), around 2.5 million in the region
• Location: east coast, between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea, in the provinces of Uppland and Södermanland
• Founded: around the middle of the 13th century, first mentioned in records in 1252
• Airport: Stockholm Arlanda, around 40 km north of the city centre

The districts

Gamla stan – the Old Town

Stockholm began on the small island of Stadsholmen. Narrow cobbled lanes, ochre and rust-red merchants’ houses and Stortorget, the city’s oldest square, set the scene. Here you will find the Royal Palace, with more than 600 rooms and a daily changing of the guard, Storkyrkan, the Old Town’s oldest church, and the Nobel Prize Museum. The narrowest lane, Mårten Trotzigs gränd, is only about 90 centimetres wide at its tightest point.

Norrmalm and Östermalm – shopping and elegance

North of the Old Town lies the modern centre with the Drottninggatan pedestrian street, the NK department store and Sergels torg. Östermalm is the elegant district, with boulevards such as Strandvägen and the historic food hall Östermalms saluhall.

Djurgården – the museum island

The green island of Djurgården was once a royal hunting ground and is now a park with some of the country’s most important museums. Many visitors spend a whole day here.

Södermalm – bohemian vibe and views

Södermalm, or “Söder” for short, is the liveliest district, full of cafés, second-hand shops and bars. Around Götgatan and the area south of Folkungagatan (“SoFo”), the nightlife is especially colourful. The waterside path Monteliusvägen and the street Fjällgatan offer the best views over the city.

Top sights

• Vasa Museum: home to the almost completely preserved warship Vasa, which sank in the harbour on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised in 1961. One of the most visited museums in Scandinavia.
• Skansen: the world’s oldest open-air museum, founded in 1891, with historic buildings from all over Sweden and Nordic animals such as moose, bears and wolves.
• ABBA The Museum: an interactive museum dedicated to the country’s most famous band, also on Djurgården.
• Stadshuset: the City Hall with its distinctive tower, whose Blue Hall hosts the Nobel Banquet every year on 10 December. Visits by guided tour only.
• Fotografiska: a museum of photography on the south shore, with a restaurant and views of the Old Town.
• Moderna Museet: 20th- and 21st-century art on the island of Skeppsholmen.
• Drottningholm Palace: residence of the royal family on an island in Lake Mälaren and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In summer, excursion boats leave from the City Hall.
• Skogskyrkogården: the Woodland Cemetery in the south of the city, a masterpiece of landscape architecture and also a World Heritage Site.

Our tips for your visit

• See the city from the water: the ferry between Slussen or Nybroplan and Djurgården is part of the regular public transport network and is the cheapest harbour cruise in town.
• Make time for fika: a coffee break with a cinnamon bun is part of everyday life in Stockholm.
• Eat out at lunchtime: the dish of the day (“dagens lunch”), served between roughly 11 am and 2 pm, is much cheaper than dinner.
• Head into the archipelago: tens of thousands of islands lie right on the city’s doorstep. Vaxholm or Fjäderholmarna can be reached in under an hour. You will find all the destinations on our Stockholm Archipelago page.
• Art underground: many metro (tunnelbana) stations have been designed by artists, for example T-Centralen, Kungsträdgården and Solna centrum. With a regular ticket, it is the longest art exhibition in the world.

Getting around Stockholm

Public transport run by SL includes the metro (tunnelbana), commuter trains, buses, trams and some ferries. Buy tickets in the app or pay contactlessly with a bank card at the barriers. Cash is not accepted on buses. The city centre is compact and easy to explore on foot or by rental bike. If you drive into the centre, you automatically pay the congestion tax (trängselskatt), which is billed via your number plate, including for foreign vehicles.

Getting there

• By plane: from Arlanda Airport, the Arlanda Express takes about 20 minutes to Central Station. Commuter trains and airport coaches are cheaper.
• By train: from Malmö, the high-speed train takes a little over four hours; from Gothenburg, about three hours. Night trains connect Stockholm with Germany and northern Sweden.
• By car: from Malmö it is around 610 km via the E4/E6.

All the ways to reach Sweden are covered on our Getting to Sweden page.

Best time to visit

From June to August the days are very long, it is warm and life moves outdoors: onto terraces, swimming spots and the water. Many Stockholmers are on holiday themselves in July, though, and some smaller restaurants close. May and September are quieter and often sunny. In December, Christmas markets in Gamla stan and at Skansen and the Lucia celebrations on 13 December are a draw. More on our Best Time to Visit Sweden page.

Day trips

• Uppsala: a university city with a cathedral and Viking burial mounds, around 40 minutes by train. More on our Uppsala page.
• Sigtuna: one of Sweden’s oldest towns, with wooden houses and church ruins on Lake Mälaren.
• Gripsholm Castle in Mariefred: a Renaissance castle with a portrait collection, reachable by steamboat in summer.

Sources and further information

• SCB: Population statistics 2025
• Visit Stockholm – official tourism website
• SL – Stockholm public transport
• Vasa Museum