Our Wandering Chapter

How much of Stockholm can you experience in six hours without rushing from one attraction to another?

We had a chance to find out when a friend visited Stockholm for the day, arriving at Stockholm Central in the morning and catching a train home later that afternoon. Rather than trying to fit in as many sights as possible, we spent the next six hours wandering through some of our favourite parts of the city, taking the metro and tram, crossing the water by ferry and stopping whenever something caught our attention. It turned into a relaxed few hours in Stockholm, beginning beside Lake Mälaren and ending beneath the city among some of its most colourful metro stations.

From Stockholm Central to Riddarholmen

Our morning began with the short metro ride from Stockholm Central to Gamla Stan. Before heading outside, we grabbed a quick coffee and a Swedish bulle (sweet bun) and followed the signs towards the Riddarholmen exit.

Emerging from the station, we were immediately greeted by the water and beautiful views across Stockholm. On the other side of Riddarfjärden, the buildings of Södermalm rose above the waterfront, with Monteliusvägen running along the heights. Munkbrohamnen stretched beside us, while in the distance we could spot the golden crown at the top of Stadshuset.

To our right stood the historic buildings of Riddarholmen, while the distinctive Mälardrottningen, once the yacht Lady Hutton and now a floating hotel, was moored nearby on Lake Mälaren.

We found a couple of sun loungers on the small sandy area beside the water and settled down with our coffee and bulle, enjoying the view for a while.

From there, we walked along the waterfront towards the sculpture of Swedish troubadour Evert Taube. Across Riddarfjärden, Stadshuset stood tall on the opposite shore, its tower unmistakable against the Stockholm skyline. We continued towards the square, passing the statue of Birger Jarl with Riddarholmskyrkan nearby, before walking towards the bridge connecting Riddarholmen with Gamla Stan. Ahead stood Riksdagshuset, home of the Swedish Parliament, with the Royal Palace rising to the left.

Wandering Through Gamla Stan

From the bridge, we made our way uphill towards the Royal Palace. The slopes and steps brought us to the palace square, where we could take in the imposing façade of the palace as well as Storkyrkan, Stockholm’s cathedral.

We walked past the palace guards and continued past Storkyrkan, catching a glimpse of the waterfront below before heading towards Stortorget.

At the heart of Gamla Stan, the square is home to the colourful narrow façades that make up one of Stockholm’s classic postcard scenes, as well as the Nobel Prize Museum.

But Gamla Stan is as much about what lies between its landmarks as the landmarks themselves.

We wandered through cobbled alleys lined with ochre and rust-coloured buildings, passing quiet corners, little squares and streets that tempted us to keep turning down whichever lane looked interesting. For a while, we simply let ourselves get a little lost in the Old Town. Eventually, we made our way towards Slussen.

Stockholm from the Water and a Walk Through Djurgården

At Slussen, we boarded the SL ferry towards Allmänna gränd on Djurgården. Part of Stockholm’s public transport network, the short ferry ride also gave us some lovely views of the city. Being out on the water is one of our favourite ways to experience Stockholm, whether on a short city ferry or further out among the islands of the Stockholm archipelago.

As Gamla Stan receded behind us, Stockholm opened up around the boat. We passed Kastellholmen and its little citadel, Kastellet, with Södermalm stretching across the skyline beyond. The Viking Cinderella was another unmistakable presence along the way.

As we approached Djurgården, the peaceful ride acquired a rather different soundtrack: the shrieks from the rides at Gröna Lund.

Stepping off at Allmänna gränd, we walked past the crowds around Gröna Lund and Mamma Mia! The Party. Just around the corner was ABBA The Museum. There was a long queue outside, but we were only there for a quick photo stop before continuing along the waterfront.

Our walk took us past the Viking Museum and the Museum of Spirits. Then we spotted a small cart selling korv med bröd and colourful strips of sweets. A hot dog was hard to resist.

We took our korv down to the wooden pier and ate beside the water, watching the yachts bob at their moorings and boats pass through the harbour, with the sounds of Gröna Lund in the background.

From the marina, we continued towards the grand façade of Nordiska museet. Autumn had not quite reached Stockholm in full force, although there were already hints of colour beginning to appear on parts of its ivy-covered façade, a small preview of autumn in Stockholm.

Across the road, vibrant flowers filled the lawns beside the water. In the distance we could see Kaknästornet, while sightseeing boats and one of Stockholm’s distinctive amphibious Ocean Buses glided past. We followed the waterfront towards the blue gates at Djurgårdsbron, just as one of the heritage 7N trams rattled past. Soon afterwards, we boarded the regular number 7 tram and headed back towards the city centre

Back to Gamla Stan for Nystekt Strömming

Back in the city centre, we headed to Gamla Stan for a lunch we had been looking forward to. We took the metro one stop and, this time, left through the Gamla Stan exit before making our way to Nystekt Strömming, a small kiosk serving fried Baltic herring.

We ordered fried herring with creamy mashed potatoes, pickled cucumber, red onion and crispbread and found space at one of the shared outdoor tables.

Around us, people from different parts of the world squeezed onto the benches and tucked into their own plates of herring. The setting was simple, the meal hearty and, after several hours of walking around Stockholm, very welcome. Lunch finished, we had just enough time for one final part of the city before our friend’s train.

Station-Hopping Through Stockholm’s Metro Art

We had left our metro exploration until the end of the day. Rather than doing a dedicated underground tour, we used our remaining time to hop between a handful of stations.

From Gamla Stan, we took the Red Line to Tekniska högskolan, where the artwork draws on themes of science and technology. One of the station exits brought us almost directly to the KTH main building, just a few steps away. We had hoped to see its ivy-covered façade beginning to turn red for autumn. The transformation was only just starting, with patches of red appearing among the green leaves.

Back on the Red Line, we travelled towards the centre but hopped off at Stadion.

Here, a huge rainbow sweeps across the exposed blue rock, making it one of Stockholm’s most recognisable metro stations.

Next came T-Centralen. We headed down to the Blue Line platforms, where blue vines, leaves and floral patterns spread across the pale rock walls. The blue-and-white artwork gives this part of the busy station a surprisingly calm feel. There was time for one more stop.

From T-Centralen, we took the Blue Line one station to Rådhuset. Its reddish-brown exposed rock and vast underground spaces made it feel almost as though the station had been carved into a cave. After a quick look around, we boarded the train back to T-Centralen.

Six Hours Later

A short walk brought us back to Stockholm Central, almost exactly where our day had begun six hours earlier.

We hadn’t followed a tightly packed schedule or tried to see everything. There had been time to sit beside the water with coffee, wander through streets simply because they looked interesting, stop for food and take in Stockholm from the water.

Yet in those six hours, we had moved from the historic streets of Riddarholmen and Gamla Stan to the waterfront of Djurgården and finally beneath the city to its colourful metro stations. By late afternoon, we were back at Stockholm Central saying goodbye to our friend before her train home, a sweet end to a memorable day in the city.