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Winding cobblestone streets, ancient churches, medieval squares – even a royal palace. It’s all here in Gamla Stan (Stockholm Old Town). Dating back to 1252, Gamla Stan is one of Europe’s biggest and best preserved medieval centers.
Needless to say, there are many interesting things to do in Gamla Stan. And the best way to take in these delightful sights is to walk this historic area.
Contents: 8 Fun things to do in Gamla Gamla Stan
- What to see in Gamla Stan – Stortorget, Royal Palace, etc.
- Map of Gamla Stan
- Stockholm travel tips – Guided free walking tour of Gamla Stan, Stockholm Pass, where to stay in Stockholm, etc.
8 Things to do in Gamla Stan
We’d flown into Stockholm for a Baltic cruise a few days earlier so we could enjoy some “pre-cruise” time exploring the city.
And so, armed with our trusty Rick Steves’ Northern European Cruise Ports guide, we set off on foot to explore Gamla Stan.
While we tried to follow Rick Steves’ Stockholm walking tour of Gamla Stan, we got lost anyway (just as we have in other higgledy piggledy medieval towns like tiny Trogir and the 1,700-year-old palace city of Split).
But that’s part of the fun of exploring these old European towns, isn’t it!
In the end, it didn’t matter. Gamla Stan is compact – and visually rich – enough, that it didn’t bother us if we had to retrace our footsteps a couple of times.
Here, then, are 8 fun things to see and do in Gamla Stan:
1) People-watch in Stortorget
Stortorget (or “the Big Square”) is the oldest square in Stockholm. It’s lined by beautiful buildings and houses dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, once owned by wealthy merchants.
The cafés around this Gamla Stan square make good people watching spots. As do the many benches which invite you to plop yourself down and soak up the atmosphere…
2) Squeeze through the Alley of Marten Trotzig
How skinny can a street be? Pretty skinny!
The “Alley of Marten Trotzig” (Marten Trotzigs grand) is the narrowest street in Stockholm – a mere 35 inches wide. It consists of 36 steps, which get narrower and narrower as they lead to the top of the alley.
The alley is named after Marten Trotzig (1559 to 1617), who became one of Stockholm’s richest merchants. (Unfortunately, being rich was not enough to protect him from being beaten to death.)
3) Tour the Stockholm Royal Palace
Built in Baroque style, the 18th century Swedish Royal Palace is the official residence of the Swedish monarchy. Many rooms are open to the public, however, including five museums.
The Armory contains royal costumes and armor. The reception rooms with their splendid interiors are worth a look too.
Don’t miss the daily changing of the guard, which is quite a show-stopper.
4) Admire the Storkyrkan
Near the Royal Palace, Storkyrkan (literally “the Great Church”) has been around for as long as Stockholm.
On top is the clock tower, built in 1743 – at 216 feet tall, it’s hard to miss!
5) Browse for moose memorabilia
Apparently there are more moose per square mile in Sweden than in any other country.
That probably accounts for why moose memorabilia are popular as souvenirs – like this blanket decorated with moose pictures.
If you’re moose-mad, you’ll have fun doing a little Gamla Stan shopping – checking out all the moose-themed souvenirs.
6) Gawk at all the bicycles
Gamla Stan itself is more geared to walking, but Stockholm in general is quite bicycle-friendly.
It’s fun to see all the bicycles people wheel around.
7) Stop for fika
Fika (pronounced “fee-ka”) is essentially Swedish for taking a break for coffee and a pastry, perhaps a cinnamon roll or vanilla bun.
Of course, we indulged in the Swedish custom too and stopped for fika while walking Gamla Stan.
8) Eat at one of the Gamla Stan restaurants
Indeed, eating and drinking is popular in Gamla Stan!
And there are many tempting restaurants in Gamla Stan if you want more than just fika.
Map of Gamla Stan
You can zoom in and out on this map of Gamla Stan to plan how you want to explore the area.
Free walking tour of Gamla Stan
You might want to buy a Stockholm Pass, the sightseeing city card that gives you free entry to over 60 museums, attractions and tours.
If you do, you can get a free walking tour of Gamla Stan. This guided Stockholm walking tour gives you a short 1.5 hour introduction to the Old Town. (Note: The Stockholm Pass isn’t valid for a free tour between June 30 and August 26.)
Other fun things to do in Stockholm
Other Stockholm attractions we enjoyed that are available through the Stockholm Pass include:
- The Vasa Museum (which showcases the mighty Vasa ship recovered from the mud after it sank in 1628)
- A boat trip to beautiful Drottningholm Palace (where the Swedish royal family still spend time)
Where to stay in Stockholm
Overlooking one of Stockholm’s harbors, our base was the Hotel Diplomat Stockholm, originally built in 1911 as an Art Nouveau palace – lovely! See our review of the Hotel Diplomat.
Stockholm travel tips
Transportation from the airport:
We pre-booked a chauffeur-driven car with Blacklane to take us from the airport to our hotel. Blacklane is a professional driver service that contracts with a network of licensed drivers in over 50 countries. Surprisingly, the rate was only slightly more than what a taxi would have cost, but we had the added comfort of being met at the airport in a strange city.
Stockholm visitor information:
For more on what to see and do in Stockholm, see Visit Stockholm, the official tourist information website.
Best time to visit Stockholm?
We were fortunate we were visiting in September, at the end of Stockholm’s tourist season – we didn’t encounter the crowds we understand can gather in summer. Can’t blame them though… With its lakes and fingers of waterways, Stockholm is crazily beautiful.
It’s no wonder people want to visit!
Bottom line? If you can, don’t visit in July or August. While the weather is dry and warm in high summer, prices are the highest and it’s very busy too. To avoid hordes of tourists, the best time to visit Stockholm is June and September.
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More lovely Old Towns to explore
Check out these posts of ours!
Photo credits: © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase (except lead image)
I will book mark this article for my upcoming trip. We are also departing from Stockholm for a Baltic Cruise. Gamla Stan sounds like a perfect day 1 after overnight flight………..and Fika will help!
The “fika” will definitely help after flying overnight to get to Stockholm! Have a fabulous Baltic cruise!
I liked Stockholm way more than I expected, Gamla Stan in particular. We were very lucky with the weather too. It was just perfect. The little cafés around Stortorget were my favorite place for ice cream and people watching. So much to see and photograph all around the Old Town and the port area.
The weather can make a big difference to one’s perception of a place – glad you had good weather too :-). And, yes, Stockholm is very photogenic…
My husband has been to Stockholm often and I was always so disappointed I couldn’t make a trip with him. Now I know first hand what a beautiful city I missed. Next time I will have to make sure my calendar is clear!
Yes, make every effort to go with him next time he visits! You won’t regret it :-).
Looks lovely, love the tall colorful old houses! I have never been to Stockholm but this looks like a great area to begin exploring!
You have to get lost in Gamla Stan if you visit Stockholm. Once that’s out of your system, you can venture elsewhere :-).
We tend to go to more warm weather places too – especially as we live in Canada (so we need some of that sunshine in winter). But we were really impressed by northern Europe – Bergen, Stockholm, Tallinn, etc. – which was all new for us. It probably helped that we lucked out with beautifully warm and sunny weather :-). Anyway, we think you’d enjoy Stockholm!
Your wonderful post brought back so many memories of our visit to Stockholm. I agree that the city is crazy expensive but very special!
We agree that the city is special. The Stockholm Pass helps to keep sightseeing costs in control…
I would love to visit Stockholm and Gamla Stan. Those fika sure caught my eye! Love the architecture too.Thank you for the great post, Janice.
Visit Sweden likens Gamla Stan to “a living, pedestrian-friendly museum.” And when you stroll around the old architecture, converted now to cafes, bars, restaurants and shops, you totally understand why :-). Hopefully you’ll get to visit Stockholm in the not-too-distant future…
I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time in Gamla Stan when I was in Stockholm last summer, which (as you show) is good reason to go back. Thanks for the visual trip!
Glad we brought back happy memories for you. We could happily return to Stockholm too :-).
A fika break sounds perfect to me! It’s been years since I visited but I found it very picturesque
Maybe it’s time for a return visit to Stockholm?
Would love to visit Stockholm and Gamla Stan. Thx for the great post, Janice.
Bet Stockholm has some great chocolate that needs investigating by the world’s chocolate blogging/writing expert :-).
We have been to Gamla Stan several times and always enjoy just wandering, and of course a stop for fika. Your photos are wonderful and brought back fond memories.
We could happily go back to Stockholm – and Gamla Stan, of course!
Love those doorways above the Cafés around Stortorget. A beautiful spot for a Fika!
Sounds like you’ve also enjoyed stopping for fika in Gamla Stan :-).
Beautiful, love the narrow buildings. More moose per square mile than Canada? Didn’t know that.
Stockholm a place we’d like to see someday.
Frank
We were surprised too by the moose trivia. We thought moose and Canada were synonymous :-)
Hi Janice and George,
We travel bloggers must keep in touch better — Conrad and I were in Stockholm in September as well! Who knows, we may have passed each other in the square! It happened to be a lovely stretch of weather when we were there — warm and sunny. On a Sunday afternoon, Gamla Stan was peppered with young ones playing Pokeman Go. A local family with whom we chatted, said that Gamla Stan was the best place in the city for the game. So yes, many locals there for that!
Thanks for the historical context, too, and great photos. A fun city!
~Josie
Too bad we missed each other! We were really surprised at how beautiful Stockholm is – glad we spent some time there before our cruise…
Considering that this old town in Stockholm is the most touristy attraction, it is totally authentic and still well loved with locals. I love the narrow streets and beautiful architecture of the old town.
It’s quite beautiful, and as you say, locals love it too :-).
Gamla Stan looks so pretty and colourful. I’ve not been to Stockholm myself though have heard about the cost being a massive shock to the system! I am really liking the sound of the Fika custom though – until I make it to Stockholm, I might have to make it part of my day to day routine here at home ☺
We hear you :-). Fika is good anytime, anywhere…
Oh I love Gamla Stan! I finally made it back to Stockholm after far too much time between visits and was there for Eurovision earlier this year. Such a fun time to be there, but between all the crazy songs and fun we had some great times in the old town. and good tip on the car. Trains are so crazy expensive there that we decided to split a taxi between a couple of us. The car idea is even better for next time.
We found Stockholm shockingly expensive :-). But beautiful… And we loved it too. We never took the train. Apart from the car/driver from the airport to our hotel, our transportation was our own two feet :-).