Gamla stan
We're starting off our tour on Kungsholmen, where we'll go past Stockholm City Hall before we cross over to Riddarholmen and Gamla Stan. Obviously, we're visiting Stortorget, since no visit to Gamla Stan would be complete without it, but we've got some suggestions for some places that are a little less typical than the usual tourist choices. At the end, we visit Strömkajen for views over Gamla Stan, and you can optionally continue over to Skeppsholmen and Kastellet. If you don't fancy having to walk back, just go straight to Kungsträdgården from Strömkajen.
Starting point: Johan & Nyström | Nearest subway station: Rådhuset (blue line)
Finishing point: Strömkajen / Kastellholmen | Nearest subway station: Kungsträdgården (blue line). You can also take the ferries from Skeppsholmen if you've gone as far as Kastellholmen.
Total time: 1 hour. Many steep streets and cobbled paths.
Johan & Nyström
If you’re feeling like you need some energy to get you going, you’ve come to the right place for a caffeine fix. Johan & Nyström are masters of the cup of coffee. They roast their own beans, and you can even buy some to bring home with you. There’s a big focus on sustainability here, with the company heavily promoting buying good quality coffee for a fair price. No need to confess if you’re actually not a fan of coffee though, there’s also plenty of other choices of teas and cold drinks to keep you happy too. There’s also some lighter options for breakfast and lunch here, with the usual offerings for sandwiches and salads. Their pastries and buns are also all pretty good, but we’re going to be honest – it’s all about the coffee here.
Address: Hantverkargatan 7, 112 21 Stockholm
Directions: walk east on Hantverkargatan towards Skillinggränd. Stadshuset will be on your right.
Stadshuset
We start our trail by walking past Rådhuset – Stockholm’s City Hall, and is another example of the city’s most recognisable landmarks. Built from over eight million red bricks, Rådhuset plays host to the Nobel Prize banquet in the Blue Hall (only by name – the hall is actually…red). It’s another iconic building of Stockholm’s skyline with its spire featuring the three golden crowns, which is Sweden’s national emblem and on the coat of arms. The hall itself is open to the public through guided tours only, so you’ll need to book ahead if you want to go inside and go up the tower.
Address: Hantverkargatan 1, 112 21 Stockholm
Directions: Continue on Hantverkargatan, and cross Stadshusbron. Walk along the water on Klara Mälarstrand, and then turn right to cross Vasabron.
Vasabron
Stockholm is a city that floats on water. It’s made up of fourteen islands, and was known as Staden mellan broarna (‘the city between bridges’). Whilst you’re in no short supply of bridges and views of the water whilst in town, we love crossing Vasabron. Whilst crossing, you’ll have a great view of Riksdaget, Sweden’s houses of parliament, on your right. On your left, you’ll see a tiny islet that holds Strömsborg (Stream’s Castle).
Address: Vasabron, 111 28 Stockholm
Directions: once you’ve crossed the bridge, continue straight on Riddarhusgränd, and then turn right onto Riddarhustorget to take you to Riddarholmsbron, which will get you over to Riddarholmen. At this point, feel free to explore around Riddarholmen as much as you like.
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen is another islet, though part of Gamla Stan. It’s home to Stockholm’s last remaining medieval church from the 13th century, and a number of beautiful old houses and palaces. You’ll find Wrangel Palace, which was the Royal family’s residential palace between the 17th and 18th centuries. The Stenbock Palace, also from the 17th century, is also worth a vist, if nothing else to take a picture in front of its distinctive salmon-coloured walls. Consider it a bit of an introduction to the beautiful architecture of Gamla Stan!
Address: Riddarholmen, 111 28 Stockholm
Directions: get back to Riddarholmsbron. Keep to the right on Riddarhustorget, and take a right onto Storkyrkobrinken. Turn right onto Prästgatan.
Prästgatan
Gamla Stan has absolutely no shortage of lovely streets to take photographs on. However, it can be quite cramped, unless you happen to visit during an off-season when things quieten down a little (although it’s all relative with a tourist hotspot like Gamla Stan). If you’re looking for a recommendation on a quieter street, Prästgatan is one of our favourites to take a snap or two without constantly battling confused tourists from ruining your shot.
Address: Prästgatan, 111 60 Stockholm
Directions: depending on how far you’ve gone down Prästgatan, you’ll want to either go up or down to find Kåkbrinken. From there, turn left to get to Stortorget. If you suddenly find yourself beside lots of other people, particularly tourists, you’ve probably found the place!
Stortorget
Stortorget is the central square of Gamla Stan, and the city’s oldest, having changed little since the medieval ages. If you’ve seen any photos of old buildings in Stockholm, then its probably from Stortorget. On the west side are some of the square’s most iconic buildings, each in a distinctive colour – green, red, orange and yellow. The red house is called the Ribbinska huset (the House of Ribbing), and was built in the 15th century. Don’t let its pretty architecture fool you, as each of the white bricks scattered throughout the red facade supposedly represent the heads of murdered Swedish nobles! Some people think the white bricks (which were added much later after the building was originally built, in 1628) symbolise the decapitated heads of the 82 Swedish nobles who were killed by the Danish King in 1520.
Address: Stortorget, 111 29 Stockholm
Directions: walk east across Stortorget, to Källargränd. Walk onto Köpmangatan, and turn right onto Själagårdsgatan. Our nex stop, Under Kastanjen, will be on your right.
Under Kastanjen
The café Under Kastanjen (literal translation: Under the chestnut) lies right in the heart of Gamla Stan and, like its name implies, sits in a square, covered by a chestnut tree. In this cosy spot you’ll find great fika and lunch options – from simple salads and soups, to the Swedish classics of meatballs and mash, or waffles and pancakes with sylt (our version of jam). They also specialise in gluten-free and lactose-free options. Whether you’re making a proper stop or just grabbing something on the go, we definitely recommend exploring the side streets around the place – you’ll find yet more beautiful townhouses to dream of living in.
Address: Under Kastanjen, Kindstugatan 1, 111 31 Stockholm
Directions: Continue down on Själagårdsgatan towards Tyska skolgränd. Take a small left, and then right onto Södra Benickebrinken. Walk down Tullgränd, and turn left onto Skeppsbron. Our next stop, Bröd & Salt, is on your right, by the water.
Bröd & Salt Skeppsbron
A chain of bakeries across Stockholm, Bröd & Salt concentrate on quality ingredients and bake all their own goods in their stone ovens. They make solid cardamom and cinnamon buns, and if you fancy something that’s more suitable for a lunch, they sell pizzas by the slice and the toppings change fairly frequently. There’s nothing overly fancy here – just good coffee and food, with a gorgeous view over the water.
Address: Tullhus, Skeppsbron 3, 111 30 Stockholm
Directions: Continue north on Skeppsbrokajen, and cross over Strömbron. You’ll want to turn right to continue over Södra Blasieholmshamnen.
Strömkajen
There’s little to point out here, other than the gorgeous views! Hope you brought your camera. Blasieholmen is home to a number of iconic, luxury hotels, so you’ll see a number of opulent hotel buildings on one side, and the lovely skyline of Gamla Stan on the other. You can either finish the trail here, or if you don’t mind the walk there and back, you can continue on to Skeppsholmen and Kastellholmen (our next and official final stop) which is about fifteen-twenty minutes away, one-way.
Address: Strömkajen, 111 48 Stockholm
Directions: Continue along Södra Blasieholmshamnen to cross Skeppsholmsbron. Walk down the main road Svensksundsvägen, all the way down to Kastellholmsbron. Kastellet lies on Örlogsvägen, on your left.
Kastellholmen
Kastellholmen is another small island, and is technically an extension of Skeppsholmen, which you walked through to get here. The ‘crown’ of Kastellholmen, if you will, is Kastellet, a bright red naval fort that sits on a hill in the center of the island. Ever since its completion in the 17th century, a forked Swedish flag flies from its top, signifying whether or not the country is at peace. When the navy left the fort in the 90s, they tried to end this practice, but it only lasted three days after heavy protests from Stockholmers. After that little incident, a marine comes to Kastellholmen every day, twice a day to raise the flag in the morning and take it down at night.
Address: Kastellholmen, 111 49 Stockholm
