Stockholm
Where to stay 12
Berns, Stockholm – a hotel inside the city's house of entertainment
Berns on Berzelii Park in Stockholm: the boutique hotel in the 1863 salons, the Clock Suite, Berns Asiatiska, Strindberg's Red Room and the stage.
Hotel Reisen, Stockholm – the maritime hotel on Skeppsbron since 1819
Hotel Reisen on Skeppsbron in Gamla stan: a sea captains' coffee house in the 1750s, a hotel since 1819, 1690s vaults below and harbour views from…
Bank Hotel, Stockholm – sleeping in a bank palace from 1910
Bank Hotel on Arsenalsgatan in Stockholm: a 1910 Art Nouveau bank palace with Bonnie's under the glass ceiling, Papillon, Le Hibou and rooms in the…
Hotel At Six, Stockholm – the art hotel in the 1970s bank
Hotel At Six on Brunkebergstorg in Stockholm: a brutalist 1970s bank turned art hotel, with Plensa, Eliasson and LeWitt, a brasserie and a rooftop…
Nobis Hotel, Stockholm – the Gold Bar and the bank palace on Norrmalmstorg
Nobis Hotel on Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm: 201 rooms by Claesson Koivisto Rune in the 1886 bank palace, with NOI, Bino and the gold-mirrored…
Hotel Skeppsholmen – Tessin's wings on Stockholm's green island
Hotel Skeppsholmen in Stockholm: 78 rooms in two 1699 wings by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, with Långa Raden restaurant, a kitchen garden and sea…
Lydmar Hotel, Stockholm – photography, jazz and a view of the palace
Lydmar Hotel on Blasieholmen: Stockholm's first design hotel, now in an 1880s house by Nationalmuseum, with jazz brunch and photography in the lobby.
Hotel Diplomat, Stockholm – inside the Art Nouveau palace on Strandvägen
Hotel Diplomat at Strandvägen 7C: the 1911 Art Nouveau palace that housed embassies, run by the same family since 1966, with views over Nybroviken.
Villa Dagmar, Stockholm – the city villa by Östermalms saluhall
Villa Dagmar on Nybrogatan: Hotel Diplomat's sister hotel by Östermalms saluhall, with 70 rooms, a glass-roofed garden bar, a spa and Restaurang…
Hotel Sven Vintappare – seven rooms in a house from 1607 in Gamla stan
Hotel Sven Vintappare in Stockholm's Gamla stan: seven rooms in a narrow house from 1607, a spiral staircase, a ground-floor café and a quiet square.
Grand Hôtel Stockholm – staying opposite the palace today
Grand Hôtel on Blasieholmen since 1874: suites facing the Royal Palace, the Veranda smörgåsbord, Cadierbaren, Mathias Dahlgren's kitchens and Nobel…
Ett Hem, Stockholm – the villa in Lärkstaden where guests stay at home
Ett Hem in Stockholm's Lärkstaden: a 1910 brick villa by Ilse Crawford with 22 rooms across two houses, a kitchen open to all, a library and a garden.
Where to eat 6
Operakällaren, Stockholm – the last season before the great renovation
Operakällaren in Stockholm's Royal Opera House: a restaurant since 1787, Tore Wretman's legacy, the gilded dining room and its final season before…
Östermalms Saluhall, Stockholm – the brick food cathedral of 1888
Östermalms Saluhall on Östermalmstorg in Stockholm: the 1888 food hall by Clason and Salin, Lisa Elmqvist's fish counter, restaurants and opening…
Aira on Djurgården – a shipyard building by the water with two stars
Aira on Djurgården in Stockholm: Jonas Bohlin's shipyard-like house, Tommy Myllymäki and Pi Lé's seasonal tasting menu and two Michelin stars since…
Stockholm's classic patisseries – from Vete-Katten to Tössebageriet
Stockholm's classic patisseries and fika: Vete-Katten since 1928, Tössebageriet since 1920, Svenskt Tenn's café on Strandvägen and Rosendal Garden.
Frantzén in Stockholm – three floors, 23 seats and three stars
Frantzén on Klara Norra Kyrkogata: Sweden's first three-star restaurant, Björn Frantzén's story, the 23 seats, the Nordic menu and how to get a table.
Stockholm's MICHELIN restaurants – from Frantzén and beyond
Stockholm's Michelin stars in 2026: three-star Frantzén, two-star Aira on Djurgården, opening of the year ADAM ALBIN and every one-star table in the…
Itineraries 2
Gamla stan's lanes, Stockholm – a slow walk through the old town
A walking guide to Gamla stan in Stockholm: Mårten Trotzigs gränd, Prästgatan's rune stone, Österlånggatan, the German Church and Den Gyldene Freden.
Luxury weekend in Stockholm – three Michelin stars, Josef Frank and a boat trip
Our luxury weekend in Stockholm: dinner at three-star Frantzén, Nationalmuseum and Svenskt Tenn, Östermalm, a boat to Fjäderholmarna and Centralbadet.
What to see 29
Skeppsholmen, Stockholm – the navy's island turned museum island
Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm: the island that served the Swedish navy for 300 years, its Tessin and Hårleman buildings, old ships and…
Hallwyl Museum, Stockholm – a countess's palace left untouched
The Hallwyl Museum on Hamngatan in Stockholm: Isak Gustaf Clason's palace of 1898, the countess's 50,000-object collection and a home preserved…
Riddarholmen Church, Stockholm – where Sweden buries its kings
Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm: the medieval friary church that became Sweden's royal burial church, its chapels, cast-iron spire and how to visit.
Thiel Gallery, Stockholm – a banker's Munch collection on Djurgården
The Thiel Gallery on Blockhusudden in Stockholm: Ernest Thiel's villa by Ferdinand Boberg and his collection of Munch, Liljefors, Zorn and Carl…
Storkyrkan, Stockholm – the cathedral of coronations in Gamla stan
Storkyrkan, Stockholm Cathedral in Gamla stan: coronations, royal weddings, Bernt Notke's St George and the Dragon and the Vädersolstavlan painting.
Ulriksdal Palace, Stockholm – a royal retreat on Edsviken
Ulriksdal Palace near Stockholm: the royal palace on Edsviken, Confidencen theatre of 1753, the Orangery sculpture museum and Ulriksdals Wärdshus.
Haga Park, Stockholm – Gustav III's English landscape on Brunnsviken
Haga Park on Brunnsviken near Stockholm: Gustav III's English landscape park, his pavilion by Masreliez, the Copper Tents, Haga Palace and walks.
Rosendal, Stockholm – Empire palace and garden café on Djurgården
Rosendal on Djurgården, Stockholm: Charles XIV John's Empire palace by Fredrik Blom, the great granite vase and the biodynamic garden café.
Katarina Church, Stockholm – the twice-risen dome over Södermalm
Katarina Church on Södermalm, Stockholm: Sweden's first centrally planned church, the fires of 1723 and 1990, its restoration and the lanes around it.
Kungsträdgården, Stockholm – from royal kitchen garden to city stage
Kungsträdgården in central Stockholm: the royal garden turned public park, statues of Charles XII and XIII, Molin's fountain and the cherry blossom.
Skansen, Stockholm – Hazelius's open-air museum on Djurgården
Skansen on Djurgården in Stockholm: Artur Hazelius's open-air museum of 1891, its farmsteads and town quarter, Nordic animals and Christmas market.
The German Church, Stockholm – Gamla stan's tallest spire
The German Church in Gamla stan, Stockholm: St Gertrude's Hanseatic guild house, Kristler's hall church, Tessin's royal gallery and the copper spire.
Humlegården and the Royal Library, Stockholm – Östermalm's green heart
Humlegården on Östermalm, Stockholm: Gustav II Adolf's royal hop garden of 1619, its statues and the Royal Library of 1878 with its cast-iron reading…
Liljevalchs, Stockholm – Djurgården's gallery of contemporary art
Liljevalchs on Djurgården in Stockholm: Carl Bergsten's art hall of 1916, Milles's Archer, the Spring Salon since 1921 and Wingårdh's Liljevalchs+ of…
Sturebadet in Stockholm – the bathing palace at Stureplan since 1885
Sturebadet at Stureplan, Stockholm's oldest preserved bathhouse from 1885: the Venetian façade, the Moorish swimming hall from 1902 and the 1985 fire.
The Royal Palace in Stockholm – Tessin's palace and the Royal Guard
Stockholm's Royal Palace in Gamla Stan: Tessin's baroque palace after the Tre Kronor fire, 1,430 rooms, the halls and museums, and the Changing of…
Mariaberget and Monteliusvägen – Stockholm's most beautiful view
A walk on Mariaberget, Södermalm: the 416-metre Monteliusvägen above Riddarfjärden, the tower houses, Bastugatan's artists and the 18th-century…
Diplomat Town – Stockholm's twelve patrician villas by the water
A walk through Diplomatstaden in Östermalm: twelve brick villas from the 1910s and 1920s by Östberg and Tengbom around the English Church, now mostly…
The Vasa warship – the ship that sank and became Stockholm's pride
Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised in 1961. The warship's story, its painted sculptures and how to visit the Vasa Museum on…
Drottningholm Palace – a day at Stockholm's World Heritage Site on Lake Mälaren
A day at Drottningholm Palace on Lake Mälaren: the baroque palace and garden, the Chinese Pavilion, the 1766 Palace Theatre and how to get there by…
Gunnar Asplund's Stockholm – the Public Library and the Woodland Cemetery
Gunnar Asplund's two Stockholm masterpieces: the cylindrical Public Library from 1928 and the Woodland Cemetery, a World Heritage Site, from…
Winter light in Stockholm – the ice, the sauna and the low light after Christmas
Stockholm after Christmas: the returning light, Lucia at Skansen, long-distance skating on Lake Mälaren and the Art Nouveau Centralbadet baths from…
Stockholm City Hall – Östberg's brick palace and the halls of the Nobel Banquet
Stockholm City Hall: Ragnar Östberg's brick palace from 1923, the Blue Hall that isn't blue, the Golden Hall's mosaic, the tower and the Nobel…
Midsummer in Stockholm – the city's brightest weekend of the year
Midsummer in Stockholm: the history behind the maypole, herring and strawberries, when Midsummer's Eve falls, and how to celebrate at Skansen or in…
Stockholm's museums – Nationalmuseum, Moderna Museet and Fotografiska
Stockholm's three great art museums by the water: Nationalmuseum on Blasieholmen, Moderna Museet on Skeppsholmen and Fotografiska in a 1906 customs…
Östermalm's stone city – the architecture behind 1880s Stockholm
A walk through Östermalm's stone city in Stockholm: Strandvägen, the Bünsow House, Narvavägen, the Hallwyl Museum and the Engelbrekt Church, with the…
Djurgården – from royal hunting ground to Stockholm's green island
Djurgården in Stockholm: Johan III's deer park, northern Europe's largest stand of ancient oaks, Rosendal, Djurgårdsstaden and the exhibitions.
The archipelago by boat – from Fjäderholmarna to Sandhamn
Two classic Stockholm archipelago boat trips: 20 minutes to Fjäderholmarna, or out to Sandhamn with its 1752 customs house, sailing club and…
Gripsholm and Mariefred – The Vasa Castle on Lake Mälaren near Stockholm
A day trip from Stockholm by 1903 steamboat to Mariefred: Gustav Vasa's Gripsholm Castle, Gustav III's theatre, the portrait collection and the old…
