• Sweden Guide

  • Introduction to Sweden
  • Things not to miss
  • Weather
  • Money
  • Getting Around
  • Public Holidays

• Explore Sweden

  • Stockholm
  • Around Stockholm
  • Gothenburg
  • Around Gothenburg
  • The southwest
  • The southeast
  • The Bothnian coast
  • Central and northern Sweden

• Cities

  • Gävle
    
  • Gothenburg
    
  • Stockholm
    
  • Umeå
    
  • Ystad
    

Sweden Guide

Stockholm

• Accommodation
• Cafés and restaurants
• Bars, brasseries and pubs
• Clubs
• Live music: rock and jazz
• Classical music and opera
• Theatre and cinema

"It is not a city at all," he said with intensity. "It is ridiculous to think of itself as a city. It is simply a rather large village, set in the middle of some forest and some lakes. You wonder what it thinks it is doing there, looking so important."

Ingmar Bergman interviewed by James Baldwin.

STOCKHOLM often feels like two cities. Its self-important status as Sweden's most forward-looking commercial centre can seem at odds with the almost pastoral feel of its open spaces and expanses of water. First impressions can be of a distant and unwelcoming place – provincial Swedes call it the Ice Queen – but stick around for the weekend, when the population really lets its hair down, and you'll see another side to Stockholm.

Gamla Stan (meaning Old Town) was the site of the original settlement of Stockholm. Today it's an atmospheric mixture of pomp and history, with ceremonial buildings surrounded by a lattice of medieval lanes and alleyways. Close by to the east is the tiny island of Skeppsholmen, with fantastic views of the curving waterfront, while to the north is the modern centre, Norrmalm, with its shopping malls, huge department stores and conspicuous wealth, plus the lively Kungsträdgården park and the transport hub of Central Station. East of Norrmalm is the grand residential area of Östermalm, southeast of which is the green park island of Djurgården, home to two of Stockholm's best-known attractions: the extraordinary seventeenth-century warship, Vasa, and Skansen, Europe's oldest open-air museum. South of Gamla Stan, the island of Södermalm was traditionally Stockholm's working-class area; it's known today for its cool bars and restaurants and lively streetlife. To the west of the centre is Kungsholmen island, which is coming to rival its southern neighbour with its trendy eateries and drinking establishments.