Stockholm Travelers Recommend

With three days in Stockholm, you have plenty of time to soak in the city’s atmosphere, see its most famous sights—by both land and water—and even head out of town for a history- or nature-filled day trip into the surrounding countryside. Here’s how to experience the best of Stockholm in 72 memorable hours.

Day 1: See the City’s Sights

Spend your first day in the Swedish capital getting your bearings and hitting the top sights. There are multiple ways to explore Stockholm. You can take a bus tour or a boat tour, or a combination of both. Guided tours by both bus and boat typically take visitors to major attractions including the Royal Palace, City Hall, and the Vasa Museum, and conclude with a cruise around the Stockholm archipelago. With many miles of bike lanes and a population for whom pedaling is a part of life, Stockholm is an exceptionally bike-friendly city, so another option is a guided bicycle tour, which has the added benefit of reaching places missed by big buses. Alternatively, a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus or boat tour allows you to set your own schedule, create your own itinerary, and spend as long as you like at each stop before continuing along the route.

Day 2: Get Out on the Water

As Stockholm is spread across 14 islands, water is a crucial element in the very existence of Stockholmers. Immerse yourself in this aspect of Stockholm life on a sailing or kayaking tour around the archipelago—which is made up of around 3,000 islands in total. Tours typically include onshore time on one of the islands and the opportunity to swim in the water; many often also provide lunch.

If you’d rather not stray too far from the city center, you can cruise Stockholm’s central canals and islands on a sightseeing tour by boat. Tours typically offer historical and cultural insight into the city as you glide through tranquil waterways lined with interesting architecture and leafy vegetation, and past such central islands as Reimersholme, Långholmen, and Kungsholmen.

Continue the watery theme by boarding a dinner cruise. Tours typically include a 3-course meal, offering dinner with a view and a relaxing way to top off the day.

Day 3: Venture into Viking or Wildlife Territory

Sweden is, of course, land of the Vikings, and you can uncover some of the secrets of this heritage during a full-day trip from Stockholm into the surrounding countryside. Tours typically head to historic sites such as the ruins of an ancient Viking parliament, runic stones, and burial mounds. Viking heritage–focused tours usually also visit Sigtuna, Sweden’s longest established town, and the Norse religion cultic center of Gamla Uppsala.

If you’re more interested in the natural world than ancient history, you can take a wildlife-focused evening excursion from Stockholm. Tours typically head into the rural landscapes surrounding the Swedish capital, delving into the dense forest to track wild boar, hares, deer, and elk, who are all at their most active at the beginning and end of the day.

Two days in Stockholm allow you time to thoroughly explore the city—from the cobblestoned streets of Gamla Stan to stately Drottningholm Palace—and to get out onto the water that surrounds the city. Here’s how to spend two days in the Swedish capital, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Day 1: Sightsee in the City

**Morning:**Get your bearings by embarking on a guided tour. A hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus allows you to set your own schedule and spend as long as you like at each stop before continuing along the route. Alternatively, since Stockholm is a very bike-friendly city, a bicycle tour is a great way to see top sights, plus some off-the-beaten-path places missed by big buses.

**Afternoon:**Spend some time delving deep into one or two of Stockholm’s must-see attractions. You can save money by purchasing a Stockholm Pass, which affords entry to sights and museums including the Nobel Museum, Drottningholm Palace, the Vasa Museum, and Skansen for the length of the pass’ validity (one, two, three, or five days). 

**Night:**Discover the hidden side of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s medieval center, and its long and rich history on a ghost-themed walking tour. Ghost tours are typically by foot and recount true stories—plus a few myths and legends—as you walk along cobblestoned streets and duck into little courtyards.

Day 2: Explore the Archipelago

**Morning:**Water is a crucial element in the lives of Stockholmers. Immerse yourself in the scenic archipelago on a sailing or kayaking tour. Tours typically include onshore time on one of the islands and the opportunity to swim in the water; many often also provide lunch.

**Afternoon:**With a hop-on hop-off boat cruise ticket, you can go island-hopping at your leisure. Create your own itinerary by disembarking at any stop of interest along the sightseeing route—such as the Royal Palace, Nybroviken, Gamla Stan, and the Vasa Museum—and spending as little or as much time as you wish.

**Night:**Conclude your visit to Stockholm back out on the archipelago with a dinner cruise. Tours typically include a 3-course meal, offering dinner with a view and a relaxing way to conclude your 2-day visit to the Swedish capital.

Spread over 14 islands, Stockholm is idyllically surrounded by water, woodlands, and plenty of open space. Add in its well-preserved medieval core packed with must-see sights and it’s easy to understand why the Swedish capital is often said to be one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Here’s how to spend one memorable day in Stockholm.

Morning: Hit the Must-See Sights

Despite comprising more than a dozen islands, Stockholm is easily navigable, so you can see the top sights within a short time. Guided bus and boat tours typically take visitors to attractions including the Royal Palace, City Hall, and Vasa Museum, and conclude with a cruise around the Stockholm archipelago. Stockholm is an exceptionally bike-friendly city, too, so another option is a guided bicycle tour, which has the added benefit of reaching places that big buses miss. Alternatively, a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus or boat tour allows you to set your own schedule and spend as long as you like at each stop before continuing along the route.

Afternoon: Delve Deeper into Top Attractions

Now that you have gotten your bearings in Stockholm, you can focus on certain attractions that you wish to spend more time at. Save money by booking a Stockholm Pass, which affords entry to attractions and museums including the Nobel Museum, Drottningholm Palace, Vasa Museum, and Skansen for the length of the pass’ validity (one, two, three, or five days). The pass also includes sightseeing tours by boat or bus. If you are feeling hungry, head to Sodermalm for lunch. The traditionally working-class neighborhood has undergone a revival in recent years and is now Stockholm’s hippest, filled with diverse restaurants, galleries, and stores.

Night: Experience Stockholm After Sunset

The cobblestone streets, tiny courtyards, and old buildings of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s medieval center, have seen centuries of turbulent history. You can learn about some of its stories and mysteries on a walking ghost tour after dark. If that’s not your scene, you can improve your photography skills and secure some great nighttime images of Stockholm on an evening photo tour led by a professional photographer. Alternatively, if after a busy day of exploring you’d rather simply take a seat and enjoy the view, a dinner cruise through the inner Stockholm archipelago is a relaxing way to cap off your day in the Swedish capital.

Spread across 15 island, Sweden’s capital is a bustling city of cafes, galleries, and restaurants, but underneath lies a rich history of Viking tribes, warrior spirit, and Norse mythology. Here’s how to see the best of Stockholm’s Viking history.

Viking History in Stockholm

The Vikings dominated the region around what is now present-day Sweden between the late eighth century and the mid-11th century, establishing trade, colonization, and conquest routes to far-flung destinations including the British Isles, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Russian, and Ukraine. Although widely revered as a barbaric, marauding force, the Vikings demonstrated advanced engineering skills and even artistic creativity, and their sphere of cultural and linguistic influence reaches far and wide.

Ways to Experience Viking History in Stockholm

Visitors to Stockholm can explore the region’s rich Viking history and heritage by choosing from a broad range of Viking-themed activities, day trips, and tours. In Stockholm, follow a tour guide on a Viking-themed walking tour around the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and take in top sites such as the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slotten) and the Parliament House. Along the way, hear how Viking and Scandinavian cultures have intertwined through the centuries. Alternatively, use Stockholm as a base and head further afield on a day trip to Gamla Uppsala, Sigtuna (Sweden’s oldest town), and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Markim-Orkesta, where the region’s Viking history comes to life.