Things to do in Stockholm

The old town neighborhood (Gamla Stan) – and the Stortorget center square – date back to the 13th century and is an extremely picturesque area in Stockholm. Shopping, food and plenty of attractions will keep you busy here for quite a while. Don’t miss the Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Museum. For royalty lovers, the impressive Royal Palace has more than 600 rooms. There’s a daily parade and changing of the guard, too.

The modern city center is called Norrmalm, and is the center of shopping and business in Stockholm. Take the efficient subway system from Central Station and end up in Sergel’s square (Sergels Torg), at the center of it all. Södermalm is a funky and bohemian settling south of the city center with nice art galleries and a great sphere.

Beautiful Skeppsholmen island, a popular tourist stop, is home to the Modern Art Museum (Moderna Museet) and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. The island is also the venue for the annual Stockholm Jazz Festival, and the most well-known youth hostel in all of Sweden, Hostel af Chapman.

At the Vasa Museum, you’ll find the only fully preserved 17th century ship in the world. And it comes with a great story. The Vasa sank on its maiden voyage and remained at the bottom of the sea for more than 330 years. Painstaking restorations took 50 years, but have brought the ship back to about 95% of its original state. Never was a nation so proud of such an enormous maritime failure. But the story’s great.