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Stockholm

Stockholm is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Northern Europe. It is located in a beautiful area between the lake and the sea. There is a lot of water, islands, embankments. Sweden and Stockholm have a rich history and had a significant impact on the development of Europe in the past and (perhaps) this can explain the beauty of architecture and the wealth of museums. A large number of attractions, museums and a rich cultural life attract tourists from different countries here.

View of the Old Town and the Town Hall

In central Sweden, there is Lake Mälaren off the coast of the Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea Saltsjön Bay is located east of the lake. There are many bays and islands. Stockholm is located in this beautiful area between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.

Old Town - Gamla stan

The old city is the most visited part of Stockholm. The old town (Gamla stan) is located in the city center, on the islands. The main part of the Old city is located on the Stadsholmen Island. The Old Town also includes two smaller islands: Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen. Several bridges connect the islands with other areas of the city.

The old city is quite small and it is best to walk around it. The area of the island of Stadsholmen is 33 hectares, the size of the island is approximately 700 by 650 meters, the length of the coastline is 2200 meters.

The Old Town also includes the islands of Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen

  • There is the beautiful Riddarholms Church (Riddarholmskyrkan) on the island of Riddarholmen.
  • The building of the Swedish Parliament and the Museum of the Middle Ages are located on the island of Helgeandsholmen.

Two ducts separate the Old Town from the other parts of the city. These are two very short rivers that flow from Lake Mälaren into the Baltic Sea.
Norrström flows north and Söderström south of the Old Town. A gateway for passing ships is available on the Sederström River.

Read more about the Old Town in Stockholm.

The Norrmalm district is located north of the Old Town. This is a popular with tourists business and shopping area. Sergels torg can be considered as the central area of ​​the district. Drottninggatan is most popular shopping street. It crosses the area from the south (from the Old Town) to the north.

Södermalm is located south of the Old Town.
Here are:
Katarinahissen (Katarina Lift) - lift with observation deck.
Monteliusvägen walking trail with beautiful views of the Old Town.
South Railway Station (Stockholms södra, Stockholm S).

Djurgarden Island

Djurgården Island is another very popular tourist destination in Stockholm. Locals enjoy spending free time on the island too. About 10 million people visit this island annually.

Tourists are attracted to the island in particular by the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum Skansen, the Vasa museum, as well as green areas with walking paths.

Djurgården Island is located a little east of the Old Town. The distance in a straight line (from the royal palace) is about one kilometer, the distance when walking on foot is 2 kilometers. (The island is connected to other areas of the city by a bridge.)

The length of the island from west to east is about 4 kilometers and from north to south is 1 kilometer. The coastline is 10.2 kilometers long.

You can get to the island both on foot and by public transport.
Route 7 tram goes to Djurgården Island from T-centralen past Sergels torg Square and Kungsträdgården Park.

The most attractive mode of transport for tourists is the small ferry Djurgårdsfärjan (city transport route 82), which runs between the pier in the Old Town and the island of Djurgården with an intermediate stop on the island of Skeppsholmen. The ferry carries about 2.2 million passengers each year. In the Old Town, the pier is located in the Slussen area, in the southern part of the Skeppsbrokajen promenade. (This is the east coast of Stadholmen Island.)

djurgarden ferry

On the photo: this ferry goes to the island of Djurgarden.

Sheppsholmen Island

Skeppsholmen Island is located in the center of Stockholm, next to the Old Town (between the Old Town and Djurgården Island). The length and width of the island is less than 500 meters. From the old town to the island you can walk (past the Grand Hotel and the National Museum, over bridges). The distance from the Royal Palace is approximately 800 meters when walking.

There are on the island: Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Architecture, Museum of East Asia. The annual jazz festival takes place in July on the island.

A bit about the city

Stockholm is the capital and largest city of Sweden. The central part of the city is located on fourteen islands that are part of the so-called Stockholm archipelago. More than 972 thousand people live in the city of Stockholm. The population of Stockholm metropolitan area is about 2.37 million people.

Gamla Stan

The first mention of Stockholm as a city relates to 1252. The city was built on islands, where it was possible to block the exit of vessels in Lake Mälaren. Stockholm rapidly grew and in 1634 officially became the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden. In the XVII century, Stockholm became one of the richest cities in Europe and most developed city in Scandinavia.

While being in Stockholm, you will often see the “Vasa” name. Who is he? Sweden has long fought for their independence (from Denmark). Gustav Vasa headed the uprising of Swedes and achieved success and soon became the first king of independent Sweden.

Most residents of Stockholm work in the services sector, which accounts for 85% of jobs in the city. There is no heavy industry In Stockholm and that makes Stockholm one of the environmentally friendly and clean cities in the world. In recent years, a key role in the economy of Stockholm began to play tourism. The number of tourists visiting Stockholm is growing every year. If you are planning to visit Stockholm, you will surely find many interesting events and activities here.

Information

  • Stockholm hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall.
  • One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia.
  • Most well-known education institutions in Stockholm are the Karolinska Institutet, The Royal Institute of Technology (Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, or KTH), Stockholm University.
  • The Stockholm Old Town (Gamla Stan) located on the small islands and still featuring the medieval street layout.
  • Stockholm is one of the most crowded museum-cities in the world with around 100 museums, visited by millions of people every year. The most popular museums are: the “Nationalmuseum”, Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet), Stockholm City Museum, “Fotografiska” (museum of photography), “Skansen” (the archetype of open-air museums), the “Vasa Museum”.
  • Stockholm has regular ferry lines to Helsinki and Turku in Finland (commonly called "Finlandsfärjan"); Tallinn, Estonia; Riga, Latvia, Åland islands and to Saint Petersburg.
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