Is Stockholm Worth Visiting in 2025? Things To Do & Reasons To Visit

Wondering whether Stockholm is worth visiting?

You’ve come to the right article as I’m a full-time traveller and I’ve spent 5 days in Stockholm.

Asking the question “Is Stockholm worth visiting?” is a completely normal question to have before visiting a new city or a new country, and it was a question I was searching myself before visiting the Swedish capital.

As a full-time traveller, I feel like I have a good gauge of whether somewhere is worth visiting or not.

Now, after spending 5 days in Stockholm, I feel confident enough to provide an answer as to whether Stockholm is worth visiting or not.

So without further ado, let’s start dissecting Stockholm piece by piece.

Is Stockholm worth visiting? YES!

In my opinion, Stockholm is definitely worth visiting, without any doubt. 100%. It’s a beautiful city with so much to offer.

I visited Stockholm with my family, but I saw plenty of solo travellers, couples, friend groups, and all different types of travellers during my trip. It’s the perfect destination for anyone.

Having solo-travelled to Scandinavian cities before like Copenhagen, I have a pretty good judgement on Stockholm.

The vibe is really unique but special. There’s a sense of calmness throughout Stockholm, it’s peaceful. Despite being a major city, it doesn’t feel busy or like there’s a hustle and bustle like you would get from London, New York, Paris, and other major cities.

I personally just feel like they have a better way of life in Stockholm and throughout Sweden and its neighbouring countries. The quality of living just seems so much better– that’s why the city is expensive. And by visiting Stockholm, you get a feel of this for yourself.

There are so many reasons to visit Stockholm, and it would be impossible to list all of them, but here are some of my main reasons I would encourage anyone to book a trip to the city.

• Historic architecture: Stockholm is a beautiful city. Even the buildings that have no significance are stunning. The streets are pretty with all of the coloured houses and around every corner, there’s a new building ready to take your breath away.
• Scenic waterways: If you didn’t already know, Stockholm is made up of over 30,000 islands in total. This makes for some really scenic views, and having the water right by your side throughout the city is one of the reasons I find the city so charming.
• Abundance of culture: Stockholm has a great amount of culture. If you’re into museums, you could spend a year in Stockholm. From the history of the Vikings to the Nobel Prize, all the way to ABBA, Stockholm has a lot to offer in terms of culture.
• Quality of life: As you explore Stockholm, you’ll get to realise that Stockholmers have it all worked out. The quality of life in Stockholm is just better than anywhere I’ve ever seen. It’s why the city is so expensive to visit- because things are just better there.
• It’s super safe: You can visit Stockholm without any safety concerns. The whole of Scandinavia is very safe, but Stockholm in particular, is the 12th safest city in the world. Pretty impressive when you consider how many cities there are.

But as I said, there are endless reasons, and hopefully, you can discover more as you continue reading this post. To summarise, my answer to “Is Stockholm worth visiting?” is yes, no debate about it.

20 Best Things to Do in Stockholm

Just because I said that Stockholm is worth visiting, doesn’t mean that you’ll be 100% convinced and go and book your flights, right?

So to help you make your own decision to see whether Stockholm is worth visiting for you (because everyone is different), here are some of the best things to do in Stockholm.

1) Explore Gamla Stan: Gamla Stan is the name of the old town in Stockholm and if you ask me, it’s one of the prettiest old towns there are. I’ve travelled all over Europe, and pretty much every city has an old town, but few come close to Stockholm. The streets are stunning, and simply walking down the cobbled streets and taking in your surroundings is a must-do during a trip to the city.

2) Visit the ABBA Museum: Would it really be a trip to Stockholm without visiting the ABBA Museum? In fact, when we were there, some people came to Stockholm, because of the ABBA Museum. The museum tells the complete history of the band and has lots of original items too. Such as their Eurovision costumes, for example. Even though I’m not the biggest ABBA fan in the world, it was still a really good museum to visit.

3) Admire the view from Stockholm City Hall Tower: This is one of my favourite things to do in Stockholm, and in any city to be honest. I absolutely love panoramic views, and there’s no better view over Stockholm than from the City Hall Tower. I can’t really say much more than tell you to take a look at this (completely unfiltered) pic below. Wow!

4) See Stortoget: Stortoget is the main square in Stockholm. It’s often the image people will use to represent the city, with the thin-coloured houses. There isn’t much to do in the square except visit the Nobel Prize Museum and I’ll get onto that later, but seeing the square is a must. It’s really impressive.

5) Take a tour of The Royal Palace: The Royal Palace in Stockholm is another must-do. Taking a tour of the palace gives an insight into the lives of royalty and how different their lives are from anyone else’s. The decor is so rich, grand and luxurious. You can also see the crown jewels and learn a lot about the Royal Family along the way. I won’t lie, it doesn’t quite compare to the likes of Buckingham Palace, but it’s still really impressive.

6) See the Changing of the Guards: I would definitely encourage you to be near the Palace around 12:15 pm at least once during your trip. Watching the Changing of the Guards is special. The bands are amazing, and unlike other countries, they actually have some personality. They’ve been known to play ABBA, Avicci and other famous songs during their parade.

7) Visit the Vasa Museum: It wouldn’t be a trip to Scandinavia without learning a bit about ships. The Vasa Museum is one of the best maritime museums in the world and is home to the only preserved 17th-century ship in the world. One of one, and it’s in Stockholm. The ship is called Vasa, hence the name of the museum, but there are more things to see too.

8) Take a boat tour: Speaking of boats, a boat tour of Stockholm is one of the best ways to see the city. Since it’s made up of islands, water flows all throughout the city and taking a boat tour allows you to see all of the main attractions from a unique perspective, on the water. I really enjoyed my boat tour of Stockholm, it was nice to sit back and take in the sights rather than walking. Hopefully, your boat won’t have the same outcome as Vasa…😂.

9) Try some meatballs: Sweden is famous for its meatballs. All you need to do is go to your local IKEA and you’ll be treated with meatballs to buy. But there’s no better place to try them than in the heart of Sweden in Scandinavia. Authentic Swedish meatballs are delicious!

10) Feel inspired at the Nobel Prize Museum: Every year, the Nobel Prize awards take place in Stockholm. The prizes for Literature, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Economics* are given to individuals who went above and beyond that year. And you can learn all about the awards at the Nobel Prize Museum in Stortorget. You can even see some unique items from over the years too.

*the Nobel Peace Prize is given out in Oslo.

11) Take a free ferry ride: You actually actually get a free boat ride through parts of Stockholm. Since the city is made up of islands, sometimes it’s more efficient to take a ferry from A to B. Some lines are paid, but some are free such as the Djurgården-Slussen ferry which I took during my trip. It was a comfortable ride too.

12) Have fun at Gröna Lund: The ferry stop at Djurgården is right beside the theme park of Gröna Lund. It’s over 140 years old and is the oldest theme park in Sweden. Don’t worry though, the rides have been updated! It makes for a really fun day out, and the views from the top of the roller coasters are breathtaking.

13) Step back in time in Skansen: Skansen is a real-life time machine, as it shows what life was like in Sweden before the industrial era. The traditional way of life is fascinating to see. It’s also the oldest open-air museum in the world. It’s like visiting the windmills during a trip to Amsterdam- it’s a great way to see what life was once like.

14) Rent a bicycle or e-scooter: One of the most efficient ways to get around Stockholm is by riding a bike. The city is very bike-friendly with cycle lanes everywhere, and cycling allows you to see the city really quickly while having fun. And speaking of fun, renting an e-scooter and riding around Stockholm is one of my all-time favourite travel memories I have of the city. It’s the first place I ever rented one and it was so fun.

15) Fika: Fika translates to “a coffee and cake break”. It’s a Swedish tradition of sitting down and having a break while speaking with friends or family and enjoying a warm drink. and sweet treat. I don’t think it takes much more convincing to show that trying Fika during a trip to Stockholm is amazing.

16) Appreciate the art in Fotografiska: Stockholm is jam-packed with museums, 50 museums in fact, but one of the most popular is Fotografiska. As you might have guessed from the name, it’s a museum showing off photography. Sounds a bit boring, but trust me, it’s not. What some people are able to achieve with a camera is frankly mind-blowing.

17) Visit the churches: There are churches all throughout Stockholm, but the most notable are the Riddarholmen Church shown below, the German Church and Storkyrkan. These three are steeped in history. Riddarholmen Church is no longer a church and is where lots of Swedish kings and queens are buried, for example.

18) Take a tour of the Swedish Parliament: As someone very interested in politics and how it’s different all around the world, visiting the Swedish Parliament was a must, for me. Tours are free and delivered in English, and they offer an amazing insight into the way Sweden is run. The UK, my home country, could definitely take some notes!

19) Learn about Scandinavia in the Nordic Museum: Scandinavia is a fascinating place, and a trip to Stockholm is the perfect opportunity to learn a bit more about this amazing part of Europe. The Nordic Museum is home to over 500,000 exhibits of Scandinavian history, and it does not disappoint.

20) Go to a football match: If you’re a football fan or a sport fan in general, you might have heard about the Swedish football ultras. They’re mental, but it’s really cool to see. It’s essentially die-hard fans who sing and chant for the full 90 minutes, set off flares and pyros, and just show passion like nothing before. I’ve never seen anything like it in English football before. Oh, and the football’s good to watch too!

These are just 20 of the best things to do in Stockholm, of course, there are more, but these things just give a good reflection of the type of things on offer. They should have helped you decide your own answer to “Is Stockholm worth visiting?“, and I hope the answer is yes, because it’s a wonderful city.

What is Stockholm known for?

Stockholm is most known for being the capital of Sweden. It’s a city known all around the world, and a city on many people’s European bucket lists.

You might not have known that it’s also the largest Nordic city, though.

But something the city is more commonly known for is being the birthplace of ABBA, one of the most famous bands of all time. And it’s also where Avicci was born, and you can see how much he was, and still is, adored by the locals.

Stockholm is where the Nobel Prize awards take place every year on the 10th of December, in the Stockholm Concert Hall, and this puts a big spotlight on the city.

It’s also in Stockholm where you will find the most famous metro station in the world, T-Centralen Station. The station is pretty much an art gallery, it’s incredible.

There are so many things Stockholm is famous for. Many of the reasons lie in the things to do: the Vasa Museum, for example. The Vasa is famous all around the world and can be found in Stockholm.

And last but possibly most importantly for you, as someone planning a trip, Stockholm is known for its charm. Just take a look at this picture below. What a pretty city Stockholm is.

Best Time to Visit Stockholm

I’m a strong believer that there’s never a bad time to visit somewhere, and I think this applies perfectly to Stockholm.

The “best” time to visit depends on what you are looking for out of your trip.

If you want a true Scandinavian experience, then you will want to visit in the winter months when it’s much colder and snowy. The city is beautiful during the winter. Seeing some of the waterways frozen over is class.

But, if you want to skip the crowds and have okay weather, visit in the summer. Pretty much all of the locals leave Stockholm in the summer for warmer European destinations, so by visiting in July and August, the city isn’t very busy and the weather is better.

To be clear though, a summer in Stockholm isn’t the same as a summer in Portugal. Because it’s so high up, the weather averages only 18ºC in July. That’s 64º for you North Americans.

And visiting in the shoulder seasons, autumn (fall) and spring, leads to cheaper prices for flights and accommodation. And when Stockholm is so expensive, any money saved is a bonus.

So really, there is no bad time to visit Stockholm. It’s incredible all year. No matter what time of the year you are considering a trip to Stockholm…do it, you will love your time in the city.

Where to Stay in Stockholm

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In my opinion, the best area to stay in Stockholm is in and around the Stockholms ström. It’s right in the heart of the city and means all of the main attractions are pretty close to you.

There are lots of great hotels in the area, but I recommend the Radisson Collection Strand Hotel. It’s right on the waterfront and all of the rooms have a beautiful view over the city. I find it especially beautiful at night.

The hotel has nearly 4000 reviews on Booking and has a score of 8.4/10, so you know that the standard of the hotel is incredible. And trust me, it is. It’s the perfect place to come to and unwind after a day of sightseeing in the Swedish capital.

🏨 Book your stay in the Radisson Collection Strand Hotel well in advance, as it’s extremely popular and spaces are limited.

How to get around Stockholm

There are lots of ways to get around Stockholm, and it will change depending on where you are going.

If you’re right in the heart of Stockholm, going between attractions like the City Hall, Parliament, Royal Palace, Stortoget, and the old town, then everything is really close together and walkable.

But for things that are a bit further out, like the ABBA Museum, for example, the best way to get around is using public transport.

Taxis are very expensive in Stockholm, and the city has Uber too, but it’s also quite pricey. So unless you need to go somewhere very specific, I would avoid it personally.

Instead, use public transport. It’s very reliable and runs on time. And Google is accurate in showing you the best routes and options you have.

Public transport in Stockholm consists of buses, trams, trains and even ferries. As I said earlier in the article, some ferry routes are even completely free.

Is Stockholm worth visiting: FAQ

Below are some questions related to “Is Stockholm worth visiting?” along with my answers.

Final Thoughts: Is Stockholm worth visiting

And there you have it, a complete guide to “Is Stockholm worth visiting?“.

Remember, my answer is 100% yes. I love Stockholm and I would recommend it to anyone.

It’s an amazing city, with something for everyone. And if nothing else, it’s extremely pretty to walk around.

So what are you waiting for? Book those flights and enjoy your trip to Sweden!