How to spend two days in Stockholm

Travel Itinerary

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Itinerary by: Freya Godfrey

2 years ago

Travel Writer

Duration: 2 days

Itinerary Contents

Day 1
Day 2

Itinerary Introduction

Sweden’s capital is a mesmerising city of colourful architecture, cool art galleries, historic palaces, and one of the densest collections of museums in the world. Situated across fourteen islands, it’s also surrounded by water, making for pretty scenery and fun ways of getting around – boat to a museum, anyone? Images by brightfreak from Pixabay; ykaiavu from Pixabay; and lenalindell20 from Pixabay

Useful information about Stockholm

Best times to visit Stockholm

One of the most interesting aspects of Stockholm is the dramatic changes that take place across the stretch of a year. In summer, make the most of the country’s long, sunny days by hanging out on the waterfront or relaxing in parks. In winter, go ice skating outside in Kungsträdgården, the King’s Garden, or get cosy in the Christmas markets that pop up across town. But this also means that you’ll want to plan your trip, and your itinerary, carefully to ensure that the activities you want to do are available at the time of year you visit. Many museums, churches and other sights have shorter opening hours during the winter months.

Getting around in Stockholm

Stockholm is eminently walkable, so you’ll spend most of your time travelling between points on your itinerary by foot. But if you are taking longer journeys, it’s worth organising an SL Access Card (see below), which allows you to use the bus, trams, T-Banan (metro) and even ferries. If you do decide to travel by T-Banan, look out for the art dotted around the city’s stations. Be aware that bus and light rail train tickets must be bought in advance, and cannot be purchased once you board. To buy an SL Access Card, a top-up card that will act as your ticket, go to a Pressbyrån ticket office, tourist information centre, or Stockholm Public Transport (SL) centre. Single-use tickets that last for either 75 minutes or 24 hours can also be purchased. Finally, cycling is another way to get around Stockholm, with rental shops around the city. If you’re travelling on a budget, you’ll probably want to avoid taking a taxi in Stockholm, as the prices aren’t regulated so they can be expensive. However, you can find out the price per 10km on the yellow stickers on Stockholm taxis' back-door windows.

Local cuisine in Stockholm

Swedish cuisine is an interesting mix of creamy sauces, tangy pickled fish, and fresh vegetables. Alongside the meatballs that IKEA has made so ubiquitous, look out for traditional food options such as herring, reindeer and smoked salmon, all washed down with a strong drink of aquavit.

Making payments in Stockholm

In terms of paying for your time in Stockholm, it’s best to bring a travel credit card with free transactions, or low-cost transactions abroad. Sweden is almost entirely cashless, so this will be much more useful than taking out cash before you arrive. You may also wish to organise a Go City Pass, which covers entry to a lot of museums and attractions, and will save you queuing for tickets at each destination. The passes are available for one-, two-, three- or five-day stretches, and can be saved to your phone for easy use.

Stockholm - Travel Itinerary

Day 1

Day 1: Explore the Old Town and Södermalm

Wander round Gamla Stan's pretty streets and squares, taking in Stockholm's oldest church and the Nobel Prize Museum along the way. Afterwards, spend your evening in trendy Södermalm.

09:00 - 11:00

Gamla Stan

Gamla stan, Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden

Start your first day in Stockholm at the heart of the city, in the historic centre, Gamla Stan. Situated on the island of Stadsholmen, and also spreading across some of the islets nearby, it’s the most atmospheric neighbourhood in the city: think cobbled streets, charming architecture and old-fashioned street lamps. The wonderfully well-preserved neighbourhood looks much as it would have done in the past, and dates back as far as the thirteenth century, when the city was founded here in 1252. A trace of the area's age can be seen between Prästgatan and Kåkbrinken, where a runestone from the Viking Age is etched into a wall. Prästgatan is worth visiting in any case, thanks to its yellow- and orange-hued homes. Go shopping along the busy Västerlånggatan or browse the boutiques along the more relaxed Österlånggatan. For something a little different, check out Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, the thinnest street in Stockholm, at only 1.5m wide. Just wandering round Gamla Stan, looking out for five- or six-hundred-year-old houses, will enable you to get a real sense of Stockholm’s history, and there are plenty of cafes to start your day with a Swedish breakfast or cup of coffee. Image by Angelteix from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Gamla Stan
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	Free

Getting there

Gamla Stan is mainly spread over the island of Stadsholmen.

Gamla Stan

10:00 - 11:00

Stortorget

Stortorget, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden

Still within Gamla Stan, Stortorget is the oldest square in Stockholm, and became a popular meeting place in the Middle Ages. Admire the seventeenth- and eighteen-century buildings, with their gabled roofs, or people-watch from one of the cafes that spill out onto the square. Behind today’s cafes and restaurants lies a darker past to the square – this was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520, when the Swedish Regent was defeated by the Danish King Christian II, who later rounded up and beheaded over 80 noblemen and burghers, grotesquely piling their severed heads into a warning display. Image by Robert Bye from Unsplash

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Stortorget
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	Free

Getting there

Stortorget is in the centre of Gamla Stan.

Stortorget

11:00 - 13:00

Nobel Prize Museum

Stortorget 2, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden

On Stortorget itself, you can't help but notice a particularly spectacular, lemon-hued building with a grand pediment front and arched windows topped by a cupola. This is the former Stockholm Stock Exchange building, which now houses the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Prize Museum and the Nobel Library. Head inside the Nobel Prize Museum’s halls to discover the story of various winners of the Nobel Prize and Nobel Laureates over the last century. Like the prize itself, the museum aims to inspire visitors to learn about the natural sciences and human culture, and the journey through some 900 winners across physics, literature, chemistry, physiology/medicine and world peace, is also a journey through creativity in the twentieth century. While visiting the museum, you’ll also have the opportunity to learn about Alfred Nobel himself, the Swedish chemist who left the entirety of his enormous fortune to set up the Nobel Prize institution. During his lifetime, among the 355 patents with his name, Nobel is credited with inventing dynamite. It is partly due to criticisms that he had profited from war that Nobel left his money to the Nobel Prize institution in his will, writing that it should honour those who “have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” Image by JarkkoManty from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Nobel Prize Museum
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	130.00 SEK
Students	90.00 SEK
Kids	0.00 SEK	Under 18
Seniors	90.00 SEK

Getting there

The Nobel Prize Museum is located on Stortorget, so you won't need to walk far.

Nobel Prize Museum

13:00 - 14:00

Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral)

Trångsund 1, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden

Head to the oldest church in Stockholm, Storkyrkan, or Stockholm Cathedral, whose towering spire can be seen from across the city. The eighteenth-century Baroque facade conceals a stunning interior that dates back to the late-Medieval period. Admire the artworks and paintings that decorate the cathedral, and look out in particular for the elaborate sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon, which was created in the fifteenth century, and the Vädersolstavlan, from 1636, a copy of the first-known painting depicting Stockholm. There are two elaborate royal pews in the cathedral, and royal weddings have long taken place here, including that of Crown Princess Victoria in 2010. Image by Michelle_Raponi from Pixabay

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral)
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	60.00 SEK
Kids	0.00 SEK	Under 18
Seniors	50.00 SEK

Getting there

It's a one-minute walk from the Nobel Prize Museum to Storkyrkan.

Travel time

0 hours 1 minute

Storkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral)

14:00 - 16:00

The Royal Palace

Kungliga slottet, 107 70 Stockholm, Sweden

After seeing where the Swedish royals get married, make your way to their official residence, the Royal Palace, or Kungliga Slottet. Surrounded by the sea on two sides, the palace is spectacularly sited, and can be viewed on boat tours of the city’s waterways. Although this is a working palace that hosts numerous official receptions each year, it is also open to the public year-round. In the thirteenth century, a fortress stood on the land where Stockholm’s Royal Palace now lies, and over the years this was transformed into a castle known as Tre Konor, or “three crowns”. In the seventeenth century, various members of the royal family made plans to improve the existing castle, but it wasn’t until 1692–96 that the first part of the new palace – the Baroque-style Northern Row – began to be built by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (based on designs by his father, Nicodemus Tessin the Elder). In May 1967, much of the old Renaissance castle burnt down in a fire. The newer Northern Row was restored, and over the following century, the remainder of the palace as it stands today was constructed in the style of a Roman palace. Visit the Royal Palace to explore the Royal Apartments, as well as the Treasury, where you can view the Regalia of Sweden (including bejewelled crowns and swords of state), the Tre Konor Museum, which details the history of the original palace, and Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities, where an impressive collection of sculptures make up one of Europe’s oldest museums (open in summer only). Image by giraffew from Pixabay

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for The Royal Palace
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	100.00 SEK
Students	50.00 SEK
Kids	50.00 SEK	Under 17

Notes

As well as general entry tickets, there are guided tours of the Royal Palace available for a higher fee. Children under 7 years of age can enter for free.

Getting there

It's a one-minute walk from the cathedral to the Royal Palace.

Travel time

0 hours 1 minute

The Royal Palace

16:00 - 18:00

Fotografiska

Stadsgårdshamnen 22, 116 45 Stockholm, Sweden

From Gamla Stan, make your way south to Södermalm's waterfront, where you’ll find the Stockholm outpost of the Fotografiska Museum (they also have bases in New York, Tallinn, Berlin, Miami and Shanghai). The imposing, Art Nouveau-style red-brick building that houses the museum was built in the early 1900s, and was formerly a customs house. Inside, four large-scale exhibitions are held each year, as well as many smaller shows. And as if the artwork wasn’t enough of a draw, this is a great place to come for dinner. Their award-winning, sustainable restaurant serves brilliant food in a chic environment with fantastic views across Stockholm. Photo from Unsplash by Claudio Schwarz

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Fotografiska
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	165.00 SEK
Students	125.00 SEK
Kids	0.00 SEK	Under 11
Seniors	125.00 SEK

Notes

The Fotografiska offers different priced tickets depending on the day and time that you choose. This is in order to reduce overcrowding, with cheaper tickets on Mondays compared to Saturdays.

Getting there

A number of buses will take you from Gamla Stan to Södermalm. Once you're there, you'll need to walk about fifteen minutes to reach Fotografiska.

Travel time

0 hours 30 minutes

Fotografiska

18:00 - 20:00

Södermalm District

Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden

Once you’ve had your fill of Fotografiska, spend some time looking around Södermalm. This is one of the city’s coolest islands, with hip places to eat, drink and dance, plus great shopping and busy food halls. Head to the largest neighbourhood, Skanstull, or try the up-and-coming Hornstull, the pretty Mariatorget, or the more diverse Slussen. Image by miaikransen from Pixabay

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Södermalm District
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	Free

Södermalm District

Day 2

Day 2: Drottningholm Palace and Djugården

On your second day in Stockholm, get an insight into Sweden's royal family at Drottningholm Palace before exploring the island of Djugården.

09:00 - 11:00

Drottningholm Palace

178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden

Drottningholm Palace, one of Sweden's royal palaces, lies on the island of Lovön. It's here that the current monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and his wife, Queen Silvia, live. Built in the 1600s, this is the best-preserved royal palace of its period in Sweden, making it a fantastic representation of European architecture from the seventeenth century. So well preserved, in fact, that the palace has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Drottningholm Palace was designed by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder at the behest of Queen Hedvig Eleonora, who also led the creation of its beautiful Baroque gardens. Later, Gustav III created landscaped English gardens, which feature ponds, bridges and walkways dotted with antique sculptures. All of these can be explored on a visit to the palace. You’ll also have the opportunity to enter the incredible palace theatre, which was built in 1766, and which still hosts performances today. The Chinese Pavilion, built around the same time, is well worth visiting too, as is the Palace Church, which features an organ dating back to 1730 and a tapestry made by Gustav V. Image by falco from Pixabay

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Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Drottningholm Palace
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	140.00 SEK
Students	70.00 SEK
Kids	70.00 SEK	Under 17

Notes

Guided tours are available for a higher fee. Children under seven years old can enter Drottningholm Palace for free.

Getting there

Depending on where you're staying, it could be a bit of a journey to Drottningholm. From Gamla Stan, take the metro to Drottningholm, about a 45-minute journey.

Travel time

0 hours 45 minutes

Drottningholm Palace

11:00 - 13:00

Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall)

Hantverkargatan 1, 112 21 Stockholm, Sweden

Make your way back to the centre of town via Stockholm City Hall, or the Stadshuset. Completed in 1923, the grand National Romantic-style building looks out over Riddarfjärden, and it’s here that the prestigious Nobel Prize banquet is held each year. Its grand spaces are certainly palatial enough for such an event. The most impressive is arguably the Golden Hall, where brilliant mosaics cover the walls in patterns that depict motifs from the country’s past. If you can’t make it inside, admire the Three Crowns on the southeast tower, Sweden’s emblem, and the fairytale-like turrets that embellish the towers. Children under six years old can enter for free. Image by Ken Kullik from Unsplash

Website

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall)
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	130.00 SEK
Students	110.00 SEK
Kids	50.00 SEK	Under 18
Seniors	110.00 SEK

Getting there

Take the metro to T-Centralen, from where it's a fifteen-minute walk to Stadshuset.

Travel time

0 hours 50 minutes

Stadshuset (Stockholm City Hall)

13:00 - 15:00

Skansen

Skansen, Djurgårdsslätten 49-51, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden

One of the most interesting places to go in Stockholm, Skansen is an open-air museum – in fact, the oldest of its kind in the world – that recreates what Sweden would have looked like in the past. Historic buildings have actually been brought here from all over Sweden to give visitors a unique insight into olden-times daily life. And there are even people working in the traditional businesses that have been recreated, so you can enjoy a pint from a 1700s pub, buy something sweet to eat from an 1870s bakery, or sit down for a meal in an 1880s restaurant. There’s also a church, children’s zoo, farmstead and more. Image by LubosHouska from Pixabay

Website

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Skansen
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	200.00 SEK
Students	200.00 SEK
Kids	70.00 SEK	Under 15
Seniors	200.00 SEK

Notes

Children under four years old can enter for free.

Getting there

It's about half an hour on the tram from T-Centralen to Skansen.

Travel time

0 hours 30 minutes

Skansen

15:00 - 16:00

Vasa Museum

Galärvarvsvägen 14, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden

The quirky exterior of the Vasa Museum, with its mast and rigging, gives you a clue as to the museum’s subject. Inside is the Vasa, a huge warship which sank to the bottom of the water in Stockholm in 1628, plus related exhibitions and artefacts from the time. 333 years after it capsized, the Vasa was pulled up from the seabed, and the incredibly well-preserved ship has been displayed in the Vasa Museum since 1990. The Vasa's rich decoration – it’s covered in sculptures and carvings – is what makes it so fascinating. Originally, the sculptures that adorn the boat would have been gilded and painted, but they’re still spectacular to look at today, and painted replicas are also on show. Image by monikawl999 from Pixabay

Website

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Vasa Museum
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	170.00 SEK
Kids	0.00 SEK	Under 18

Getting there

It's less than a ten-minute walk from Skansen to the Vasa Museum.

Travel time

0 hours 7 minutes

Vasa Museum

16:00 - 17:00

ABBA Museum

Djurgårdsvägen 68, 115 21 Stockholm, Sweden

If you’ve still got some energy left, end your trip to Stockholm on a high at the ABBA Museum. Here, you can learn all about the group’s rise to fame, sing their songs on the dedicated stage, admire their colourful costumes, and even try some outfits on. There are all sorts of ABBA-related gifts in the gift shop, so why not bring back an ABBA Monopoly set as your Stockholm souvenir? Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay

Website

Article By: Freya Godfrey

Price covers: Entry