Sights to see and things to do in Stockholm

The capital of Sweden is located at the mouth of Lake Mälaren in the Baltic Sea. Stockholm is built on 14 islands, hence making your way through the city, the lake or ocean is always near. Stockholm municipality is a green city and just over 40 percent of the land consists of parks and green areas. There are a wide variety of places to see and things to do when you rent a motorhome in Stockholm. Have a look at some of the gems the city has to offer in this article.

Stockholm is at the same time a historical old town and in the middle of nature with lots of water and islands

Stockholm Old Town - a well visited tourist attraction of Stockholm

The Stockholm Old Town is one of Europe's largest and best-preserved medieval city centers. Stockholm was founded in the 13th century and the city was built adjacent to the Royal Palace. For several hundred years, the Old Town made up the actual city.

The palace fell victim to a fire that broke out in 1697 that completely destroyed it. The new castle was built on the same site and was put into use in 1754. This is to this day the official residence of the Swedish monarch.

Take a guided tour of the Royal Castle to get the most of it. If you plan your trip well you might get a glance of the royal guards. The Changing of the Guard ceremony includes a military marching and a band and attracts many swedish and international tourists during the summer.

Tourists make their way to The Old Town because of the variation in things to do and places to visit here. The streets are narrow, buildings colorful and roads are often made with cobblestone. Come here for a wander in the beautiful surroundings, for a good meal, for locally produced foods and drinks, local handicraft, to shop the typical swedish souvenirs or for a rest with a view.

From the Old Town make your way to the beautiful city national park, Djurgården.

Family activities in Stockholm - visit Djurgården, the green oasis right in the city

Djurgården is a green oasis just a hop and a skip from the city centre of Stockholm. This district has been regarded as an area of amusement since the late 1600s. Today the local Stockholmers come here for walks, runs, picnics, coffee, concerts, fine dining and of course to visit the amusement park Gröna Lund and the open-air museum Skansen. Tourists love to add both the Vasa Museum, to see the unique and well preserved warship Vasa from 1628, and the Nordiska Museum, which tells the story of Nordic lifestyle and traditions from the 16th century onward, to their Djurgården explore.

Make your way around Djurgården by foot, bike, kayak, sightseeing train or by canal boat. If you feel like discovering the island by foot it is a 10,2 kilometre walk and takes about 2 hours (without stops). Walk waterside and discover a bit of swedish history.

You are only few minutes from a beautiful country side when touristing in Stockholm with your camper

Stockholm restaurants and cafés around Djurgården

There are plenty of restaurants and cafés along your walk for a boost of energy. Don’t miss the beautiful setting of the Flickorna Helin café. Or the ecological, own grown vegetables and gardens of Rosendals Trädgårdscafé. Or the fine dining at Oaxen Krog och Slip. If you are into the more traditional foods make your way to Wärdshuset Ulla Winblad or Villa Godthem.

Hungry for more adventurous family sights in Stockholm?

Want a bit more adventure? Visit Gröna Lund or Skansen. Choose Skansen if the kids in the family are younger and let the teens have a memorable visit to the amusement park of Gröna Lund. Or both! The unique open air museum is a popular tourist attraction Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum, showcasing the whole of Sweden with houses and farmsteads from every part of the country. Come here to meet the past and the present, imagination and facts, animals and culture, traditions and trends of Sweden.

Children are very important people at Skansen, and many of the activities on offer are aimed specifically at them. There are several playgrounds, a classic car track, pony rides and a Children’s Zoo where all manner of small animals live.

The largest tourist attraction in Sweden is the oldest amusement park Gröna Lund is a magical world where the sky is the ground and the ground is the sky. Come here for thrilling rides and sugar-floss, popcorn in cones and exciting concerts.

Gröna Lund is the largest tourist attraction and the oldest amusement park in Sweden. It was first opened as early as in 1883. Today it offers 30 rides, numerous lottery and pentathlon stalls, a wide range of entertainment and food and drinks for all tastes.

See Stockholm from above

The Stockholm skyline is quite spectacular. As there are few high-rise buildings except a couple of church towers piercing through the skyline you can get a good view over the city from many spots.

Södermalm offers many viewpoint sights over the city of Stockholm

The district of Södermalm rises high above sea level. Skinnarviksberget is the highest natural point with its 53 meters. The cliffs is a popular picnic outing for locals during summer. The view over Old Town and Stockholm City Hall is astonishing. Stroll down Monteliusvägen is a 500 metres long walk path on Södermalm with a view over CIty Hall and lake Mälaren. Climb the 365 stairs of the City Hall Tower and you reach 106 metres high. The view from here is breath taking! Want a more thrilling ride to see the tree tops of the city? Go to the Globe arena to ride the SkyView, an attraction that takes you to the top of the world’s largest spherical building. It reaches 130 metres above sea level and offers a fantastic view of the city. Would you like to combine dinner with a view? Take the elevator to the 25th floor and enjoy a meal at Himlen (Heaven) and a 360 degree view of Stockholm. Or steer towards the terrace of restaurant Tak (Roof) to enjoy a drink in the bar with the city on display.

Beaches in Stockholm

The water in Stockholm is clean enough to go swimming right in the city. There are many beaches on the shores of the lakes around the city and depending on what kind of surroundings you are after there are various options to choose from. For a city swim where the beach is more of a party among the local youngsters, go to Tontolunden on Södermalm. If you want nature in combination with swimming and add in a trail run go to beautiful lake Källtorpssjön and Hellasgården, 15 minutes out of the city. For a more traditional larger beach where the kids can play in the sand, go to lake Flaten and Flatenbadet approximately 20 minutes south of the city. Check out a listing of all beaches in Stockholm where you can see your location using the map.

Souvenir shopping in Stockholm

If you would like to bring a bit of Sweden or swedish lifestyle back home as a memory of your campervan journey, Stockholm shopping will not let you down. Are you interested in local foods and drinks? Or is the swedish design or arts more of interest? Are you shopping Stockholm souvenirs for a friend? Swedish handicrafts and modern design are both very popular swedish souvenirs and you can find them all over the city.

Here are a few tips for the beginning of a fun and fortunate shopping spree. For gallerias where you can find a bit of everything go to Åhléns city or Nordiska Kompaniet (NK). For souvenirs stroll the streets of the Old town. For local produced foods go to a market hall, like Östermalms saluhall. For swedish fashion designers the gallerias will be helpful, for more high-end shopping go to Bilioteksgatan. For handicraft go to Iris Hantverk, Svenskt Tenn and boutiques in the Old Town. Don’t forget the museum shops! The shop at the Moderna Museum is popular both among the Stockholmers and tourists.

Welcome to Stockholm!