Visiting Stockholm was never at the top of my priorities until an opportunity came up 🥰. And I’m glad I’ve decided to visit Stockholm! The Swedish capital couldn’t have surprised me more…. From its imposing buildings to its colourful little houses that look like they’re straight out of a fairytale.

Although Stockholm is quite cold in winter, I chose to visit in December and I think it was even more magical because of that. The city was dressed for Christmas, full of lights and decorations alluding to the season.

Throughout this post, you will find a 3-day itinerary to visit Stockholm, as well as other tips on accommodation, restaurants, how to visit, when to visit, how to get to Stockholm and much more.

So, if you don’t like cold weather, the best time to visit Stockholm is probably from May to September, when temperatures are milder. However, this is also the peak season as far as tourism is concerned, so you can expect higher prices. And in a city as expensive as Stockholm, anything that can be saved will probably help 😉.

However, the city is also quite magical at Christmas time, as there is a Christmas market in the city and the streets fill with colour with Christmas lights. In my case, I chose to visit Stockholm in the first week of December and I loved the experience 😍.

Of course, visiting the city in the colder months raises the question “will I be able to stand such cold”? Since my visit to Lapland, I have realized that with the right clothing, it is much easier to visit cold destinations. So if you’re not sure if you have everything you need to visit Stockholm in the cold season, take a look at this post with tips on what to wear in cold destinations.

Finally, it is also worth mentioning that the days in the winter months are very short, with the sun setting as early as 2.45 pm. However, this does not prevent you from enjoying the city. On the other hand, in summer (especially in June), the days are much longer. For example, on the longest day of the year, the sun rises at 3.30 am and sets at 10.08 pm.

In my case, as I visited the city in December, the sunlight was quite reduced and so my days exploring the city started around 9 am and ended around 2:30 pm. Still, I spent 3 full days in the city and managed to cover the main points of interest, including two museums.

The public transport network is excellent as it has wide coverage, good quality and a fairly wide frequency. Public transport is operated by SL, and I highly recommend buying the transport pass for the number of days of your stay 😉. A single trip costs 39 SEK (~ 4€) so this option is well worth it!

You can choose to buy the physical pass (the card costs 20 SEK, 1.8€) or the digital version, available through the App. In my case, I opted for the App, and it worked perfectly. Reading the QR code on the machines is very fast and agile.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The pass is valid from the first time it is validated. You can consult the most up-to-date price list, here.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you don’t know the Revolut card yet, you can read more about its advantages (such as no extra fees for withdrawing and paying in another currency) in this blog post.

I chose to stay slightly outside the city centre, which was not necessarily a disadvantage, as I bought the metro pass and quickly reached (less than 30 minutes) the centre of Stockholm. The nearest metro station to the hotel was less than a 5-minute walk away.

I stayed at First Hotel Brommaplan, located about 7 km from the city centre. The hotel, although old, has been renovated and has excellent conditions. The rooms are modern, the breakfast had lots of variety and the best part was the price!

We paid 37,5€/pax per night, already with breakfast. Considering the prices in the country, I thought it was a very reasonable price 😊.

This pass includes free access to some of the city’s best-known places, such as the Vasa Museum, Skansen, the Nobel Prize Museum, Fotografiska, the Cathedral, a boat trip, the Nordic Museum, the Viking Museum and others.

So it really depends on how many paid places you want to visit. In my case, it wouldn’t have paid for this pass, as I only paid to visit two of the included places (Skansen and Vasa Museum).

I suggest you start your visit by visiting the church where several Swedish monarchs are buried – Riddarholmskyrkan.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The church was closed when I visited Stockholm, so I did not visit the inside. Anyway, you can check here its opening hours.

In the square in front of the church, you can find the statue of Birger Jarl, considered to be the founder of Stockholm. You can also take the opportunity to get lost in the streets of this small islet and visit the outside of Birger Jarl’s tower. This is a defensive tower of the city and is estimated to be one of the oldest buildings in the city.

Also, be sure to take advantage of the visit to this tower to enjoy the beautiful views this islet has of Stockholm’s City Hall. It’s really something not to be missed!!! 🥰

Near this street, you can also take a short diversion to the German Church of Stockholm – Tyska kyrkan. You have to pay to visit inside.

The tour through Gamla Stan continues towards the city’s main square – Stortorget. Here you can find some iconic buildings such as the Stockholm Stock Exchange, Swedish Academy and the Nobel Prize Museum. At Christmas time, you will also find a small Christmas market, where you can buy some handicrafts, local products and food and drinks.

Stockholm Cathedral is located right nearby, however, its exterior was being restored when I visited Stockholm.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: Entrance to the church is paid (75 SEK, ~7€) and is open from 9.30 am to 5 pm. You can consult the most up-to-date information here.

Another must-see in Gamla Stan is the city’s narrowest street – Mårten Trotzigs Gränd.

But Gamla Stan has more to show us 😉 Stockholm’s magnificent Royal Palace is also located in the old town, and you can watch the changing of the guard daily. I only chose to watch for a few minutes, as I didn’t find the ceremony very interesting. However, if you enjoy these types of events, I recommend arriving early as it is quite crowded.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: In addition to the Changing of the Guard Ceremony, you can also visit the inside of the Palace. All the information to better plan your visit can be found here.

And to round off your visit to Gamla Stan, I suggest you also stop off at the House of Nobility – Riddarhuset.

Apart from the fact that the departure point of the boat is very close to the historical centre of the city, the boat has an interior and exterior part and an audio guide available in several languages.

Although the ship was submerged for over 300 years, it was finally recovered at the end of the 20th century and is now on display in this museum. It is one of the best-preserved warships in the world.

I would never say I would like a museum of this kind, but I ended up visiting given all the reviews I read about it. And let me tell you that I really enjoyed the visit. Even not knowing much about it, the ship is really impressive. Both for its size and its details.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The price to visit the Vasa Museum is 170 SEK (~16€) from October to April and 190 SEK (~17€) in the other months. From September to May the museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm (and until 8 pm on Wednesdays) and in the other months from 8.30 am to 6 pm. You can check the most up-to-date information here.

I suggest starting your visit to the Norrmalm district with a walk through Biblioteksgatan and Drottninggatan streets. I particularly liked Drottninggatan street, where you can find several shops, cafés, restaurants and bars.

From here you can continue your way towards Sergels torg. It is one of the main squares in the city, so expect a lot of traffic there.

On this square, you will also find one of Stockholm’s main cultural centres – Kulturhuset. Kulturhuset translates to “House of Culture” and besides being a centre for conferences and concerts, you can also have meals, visit some shops, see exhibitions or even go to the cinema.

We head towards Kungsträdgården – one of the most visited parks in Stockholm. While in winter its ice rink steals all the attention, in spring and summer, the flowering trees are the main attraction of this square.

Also not to be missed, even if only on the outside, is the Royal Swedish Opera building. The building dates back to the 18th century and there we can watch opera, ballet or modern dance performances.

Skeppsholmen island is quite peaceful, and we can find some museums there, such as the Museum of Modern Art.

However, most people visit this island for another reason: the incredible views of Gamla Stan. No need for words, right? 😍

It’s time to continue towards the islet of Kastellholmen. There isn’t much to visit in Kastellholmen apart from its small castle, built in the mid-19th century.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Next to the castle of Kastellholmen is one of the best viewpoints over the city’s amusement park – Gröna Lund.

The Östermalm market (Saluhall) is a market created at the end of the 19th-century where we can find everything from the sale of fresh produce, to restaurants and even some souvenirs (more food related).

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The market is open from 9.30 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday and until 5 pm on Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

But Östermalm has more to visit. This is the case of the Swedish History Museum, the Transport Museum or even the National Library.

I don’t know about you guys, but to me, just reading the description made me immediately want to try the fika. Needless to say, I loved it 🥰. There’s no lack of cute cafés in the city with traditional sweets (great excuse to try another sweet!) and good coffee/hot chocolate.

However, in my case, I chose to try Fika & Wine. The space is very cosy and therefore perfect for those looking for something more intimate. They have several drinks available and a wide variety of traditional cakes.

If you can, try to visit the stations in the middle of the day or at night to avoid rush hours and get better photos! This is exactly what I did, and it went well 😊.

The order in which you visit them depends on your point of departure, but I suggest the order in which I have listed them above to make the best use of the metro lines.

But the island itself is already worth a walk there. The houses and streets are, like all of Stockholm, very photogenic.

You can also take the opportunity to visit the interior of Fotografiska. Located in a former customs house, there is currently an exhibition of contemporary photography here.

But there are also two additional places worth visiting in Södermalm. The first is Mosebacke square and the second, Fjällgatan – another viewpoint with incredible views over the city.

However, on this last day, our visit to Djurgården will focus on Skansen. Founded at the end of the 19th century, Skansen is an open-air museum. The aim of this museum is to demonstrate the way Swedes have lived for many years.

Throughout the museum, we can enter several small houses that represent the main crafts of the time and learn more about them and their importance at the time. In many cases, it is even possible to attend workshops on these crafts.

In addition, during the Christmas season, there is also an extensive Christmas market in the complex, where we can find the most diverse handicraft products as well as food.

But Skansen also has a zoo with some species from the Scandinavian region.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: Opening hours, as well as entrance fees for Skansen, vary throughout the year, so I suggest you check with the most up-to-date information here.

To be totally honest, Skansen was probably one of the places I enjoyed least during my time in Stockholm. The museum was packed (maybe because it was Christmas time and weekend) and it seemed more suitable for those travelling with children. However, everyone knows their interests best, so I decided to include it in this itinerary anyway.

💡 EXTRA TIP: If you have some extra time available in your itinerary, you can also take the opportunity to visit the Drottningholm Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is slightly outside the city centre but is said to be well worth the visit.

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