What to See & Do in Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm is the capitol of Sweden and is a beautiful city resting on the water on the southern tip of Sweden. e spent a long weekend here in the winter and I would highly recommend a trip here. Stockholm has very old architecture, lots of historic spots, plenty of museums, and great food. Here are the things you simply MUST see and do on your trip to Stockholm.

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We visited the middle of February and it was cold and snowing/raining. This was a really cheap time to visit as far as airline tickets and hotels go though. We only paid £48 round trip from London. Stockholm Arlanda is the closest airport to the city and you can take an 18 minute train from the airport to city center.

Gamla Stan – Old Town
This part of Stockholm is the oldest and has so many beautiful buildings! You can admire the 700+ year old architecture as you roam. Wander through these streets and you’ll find lots of souvenir shops, restaurants, and places to take a Fika break. Two really pretty streets to check out are Stortorget and Prastgatan.

These little horses are a symbol of Sweden with deep roots. Called “Dala Horses”, they were first made for children as toys to play with in small villages where wood was abundant. These horses are hand carved and painted by locals and make a great souvenir to take home.

Enjoy Fika
Fika is a Swedish tradition in which you take a break from your day and enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry. The pastry is often Salma (a donut type pastry with cream in the middle) or a cinnamon bun (like a flat cinnamon roll with sugar sprinkles). You can find fika at many places in the old town.

Nordic Walk Food Walk Stockholm
We love doing food tours everywhere we go. It is a great way to see the city, try some local delicacies, and often you will get some history about the area. There are a few food tours available in Stockholm, but the first option above is the one we did. We were the most adventurous in trying foods on this tour out of any other tours we’ve done. We tried bear, moose, and reindeer, as well as meatballs, pastries, candy, and a variety of cheeses, seafood, and more.

The Swedish meatball dish was my favorite, followed closely behind by this seafood soup below.

Royal Palace & Stockholm Cathedral
During your visit, make sure to at least walk by the Royal Palace and Stockholm Cathedral. It is not very often that I come across a church my favorite color. If you have time to go inside the Royal Palace I do recommend it! This is where the King of Sweden works and where the Crown Jewels of Sweden are kept. You can also see the changing of the guard at the gates throughout the day.
View more info on the Royal Palace HERE.

Drottningholm Palace
If you love palaces like we do, definitely make the trip out to Drottningholm. It is about 40 minutes outside Stockholm, but easy transportation as we took the metro and a bus. Drottningholm Palace is where the King and Queen of Sweden live. It has extensive gardens and you can visit the Royal Apartments inside the palace.
For more info about Drottningholm Palace, click HERE.

Visit Museums
Stockholm has a huge variety of museums to visit and there is something for everyone! Quite a few of the most popular museums are located on Djurgarden, also known as “Museum Island”. You can take a public transportation ferry to the island from Old Town for really cheap. We paid just 800 SEK ($8) for the three of us. The first museum I would recommend is Skansen. Skansen is a huge open air museum which contains lots of Swedish historical buildings, a zoo, interactive activities and an aquarium!
For more info about Skansen, click HERE.

There are a ton of food and drink options at Skansen. Since we visited in winter they had fire pits where you could roast marshmallows or cook your own hot dog.

ABBA Museum
If you are a fan of the band ABBA, then this museum is a must! It is pricier than the other museums but we enjoyed it, especially since we have seen the ABBA Voyage concert in London. The museum has costumes, records, sets, and more to explore.
View more info on the ABBA Museum HERE.

Nordiska Museum
We visited the Nordiska Museum specifically to see the “Nordic Life” exhibit. This exhibit explores the life of Swedish people from the 1500’s to now. The history was very interesting and the exhibits were interactive.
View more info on the Nordiska Museum HERE.

There were several other museums and even a theme park located on Djurgarden that we did not get a chance to visit during our trip:
Vasa Museum
Viking Museum
Grona Lund Theme Park

National Museum
Located in central Stockholm near Old Town you can find the National Museum. This museum houses many pieces of fine art including portraits, furniture, sculptures, and more. You can also find famous artists here including Renoir, Degas, and Monet. Admission is discounted if you visit in the last hour before the museum closes, which was plenty of time for us.
For more info on the National Museum, click HERE.