Stockholm Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Stockholm walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the medieval lanes of Gamla Stan to a boat ride into the archipelago. The notes below turn those stops into practical day plans, with walking order, timing, transport, etiquette and the free sights worth knowing before you go. For official visitor information and events, also check Visit Stockholm, the official visitor guide to Stockholm.

Route 1, the Old Town (stops 1, 3 and 8). Start in Gamla Stan, where Stockholm began in the 13th century, and follow the videos from Stortorget, the oldest square in the city and scene of the Stockholm Bloodbath of 1520, to the cathedral with its statue of Saint George and the Dragon, Västerlånggatan and Mårten Trotzigs gränd, the narrowest lane in town. Walk up Slottsbacken to the Royal Palace, with more than six hundred rooms, then cross to the island of Riddarholmen for the burial church of the Swedish monarchs and its cast-iron spire.

Route 2, Djurgården (stops 2, 4 and 5). Take the ferry or the tram to Djurgården, the green island of museums. Begin at the Vasa Museum, home of the warship that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised in 1961, the world's only almost fully intact 17th-century ship. Walk on to Skansen, opened in 1891 as the world's first open-air museum, with historic houses, craftspeople and Nordic animals. Finish at ABBA The Museum, opened in 2013, to sing along with the band that won Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo.

Route 3, City Hall and Södermalm (stops 6 and 9). Walk west from Gamla Stan to City Hall on Kungsholmen, finished in 1923, with its Blue Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each December, and its Golden Hall, covered in millions of gold mosaic pieces. Later, cross to the Södermalm waterfront for Fotografiska, the centre for contemporary photography in a 1906 customs house, whose top-floor café has one of the best views over Gamla Stan and Djurgården.

Route 4, palace and islands (stops 7 and 10). In summer, take the boat from the City Hall quay to Drottningholm Palace, the private home of the royal family and a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its gardens, Chinese Pavilion and 18th-century court theatre. On another day, board a Waxholm boat at Strömkajen for the archipelago, with Vaxholm and its fortress, Fjäderholmarna close to the city, or Sandhamn further out.

If you only have one day, Routes 1 and 2 give the best Stockholm walking tour on foot, because Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace and the Djurgården museums are linked by short walks and a ferry. A three-day Stockholm walking tour works well as Route 1 and City Hall on day one, Djurgården on day two, and Drottningholm or the archipelago on day three.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Stockholm walking tour are the Riddarholmen quay at sunset, looking across Lake Mälaren to City Hall, the Monteliusvägen cliff path on Södermalm, the waterfront of Strandvägen, and the Skeppsholmen bridge back toward the Royal Palace. From the City Hall tower in summer, the whole of Gamla Stan lies at your feet.

Late May to early September is the best season for a long Stockholm walking tour, with long light evenings and the full summer boat timetable to Drottningholm and the archipelago. Midsummer weekend in June is a big holiday, when many locals leave the city. Winters are cold and dark, with only about six hours of daylight in December, but the Christmas markets in Gamla Stan and at Skansen are a highlight.

City Hall is visited by guided tour, so book a slot early in summer, and note that it can close for official events. Check the opening days of the Vasa Museum, the Royal Palace and the other museums on their official websites before your Stockholm walking tour, since the palace in particular can close for state occasions.

Stockholm's metro, buses, trams and many ferries, including the short ferry between Slussen and Djurgården, are covered by one public transport ticket. You can pay by contactless card at the gates or buy tickets in the official app or from machines. Many metro stations are decorated with art, so the metro itself is often called the world's longest art gallery. The boats to Drottningholm and the archipelago need their own tickets.

Use the Map button at each stop to check walking time. The centre is spread across islands linked by bridges, so distances are short, but the walk from Gamla Stan to Djurgården takes a while, and the ferry is a scenic shortcut on your Stockholm walking tour.

Between museums, Djurgården itself is worth a slow walk. The island is part of the Royal National City Park, with oak meadows, waterside paths and canals, and the Rosendal gardens and their café at its centre. In summer, bikes and canoes can be rented near the Djurgården bridge, a relaxed break in the middle of a long day of sightseeing.

Swedes value quiet and personal space, so keep your voice down on public transport and stand on the right on escalators. Inside the cathedral and Riddarholmen Church, avoid visiting during services. Queueing is taken seriously: in shops, pharmacies and some cafés, take a numbered ticket and wait for your number to be called.

For food, take a fika, the Swedish coffee break, with a kanelbulle, the cinnamon bun, in a Gamla Stan café. Try Swedish meatballs with lingonberries and mashed potatoes, and pickled herring or a shrimp sandwich at a food hall such as Östermalms Saluhall. Many cafés and restaurants offer a good-value set lunch on weekdays, called dagens lunch. Service is included in Swedish bills, so a tip is only a small extra for good service on a Stockholm walking tour.

Stockholm is largely cashless, and many shops, cafés and even public toilets accept only cards or mobile payment, so bring a contactless card. The city is generally safe, but keep an eye on your phone and bag in crowded places such as the main station, Gamla Stan in summer and the metro.

Wear comfortable shoes, because Gamla Stan's lanes are cobbled and slope down to the water. Pack layers and a waterproof jacket in any season, because the weather changes quickly near the sea, and full winter clothing from November to March.

Several stops cost nothing at all. The lanes of Gamla Stan, Stortorget, the outer courtyard of the Royal Palace, where the changing of the guard takes place, the waterfront garden of City Hall, the Riddarholmen quay and the Djurgården shoreline are free to walk, and the gardens of Drottningholm are free to explore. The Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum, the palace rooms, City Hall tours, Riddarholmen Church, Fotografiska and the boats all need tickets. That is why this free walking tour Stockholm visitors can start at any hour works well: the 50 videos are free, and you only pay for what you choose to enter.

If you plan to visit many paid sights in two or three days, compare the cost of the official city pass with single tickets, and remember that children and students often pay reduced prices. Prices and opening times change by season, so confirm them on each official website before your Stockholm walking tour.

For accessibility, the Djurgården museums, City Hall and Fotografiska are largely step-free, and buses and many metro stations have lifts and low floors. Gamla Stan is cobbled, narrow and sloping, so it is harder for wheelchair users and strollers. The boats to Drottningholm and the archipelago vary in accessibility, so check with the operator before you travel.

When you finish this Stockholm walking tour, carry on with more free walks around the Nordic and Baltic region: the Oslo walking tour, the Copenhagen walking tour, the Helsinki walking tour and the Tallinn walking tour, both an overnight ferry away. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.