So you have one day in Stockholm and are looking for the best things to do and eat in Sweden’s capital? First of all, I envy you in the best possible way because Stockholm, after the very first trip, has become one of my favorite European cities. Second, I am here to make planning your journey as easy as possible.
I spent three days exploring Stockholm, so this guide is a compilation of the best I’ve done and eaten. It is quite intense and packed to the brim with major attractions, some hidden gems (yes, doable even with just one day in Stockholm), and great local food.
I arranged the stops in the itinerary in a logical manner (with opening times of attractions in mind). Simply type in one stop after the next into Google Maps, and off you go! There are time stamps for your convenience. That is just so you understand what the timing will look like. You can, of course, spend less or more time at each attraction.
I hope it shines through that I spend enormous amounts of time researching, actually visiting, and then writing the guides on this blog. I start with a blank page (a dinosaur, aren’t I?) and share all of my knowledge without gatekeeping.
If you use this guide, do leave a comment below. It makes me happy to know my blog was helpful.
If you would like to further support my work, consider booking your hotel or attraction tickets (in Stockholm or anywhere else in the world) using my affiliate links. It will NOT cost you anything extra, while I will earn a small commission. This is how I keep this blog running.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
Start the day at Pom&Flora, a casual all-day-breakfast cafe. They have 3 locations in Stockholm. For the purposes of this itinerary, the one on Odengatan is perfect. They are especially famous for their bowls made with porridge, yogurt or acai. I tried the Super Bowl with raspberry and red currant compote, granola, and nut butter which was everything I look for in a bowl: namely, the yogurt-to-toppings ratio is heavily skewed towards the latter so you are not left rationing the nut butter to last until the last spoon.
There are a few egg dishes on the menu, too. Coffee is good. The only thing I wasn’t in love with was banana bread (one of those times when gluten was obviously missing in a gluten-free cake).
The prices are around €10-12 for bowls (€14-15 for egg dishes) which is surprisingly good for Stockholm.
Pom & Flora — Odengatan 39
Important: they open at 9 am on the weekends, so either start the day later or use the alternative below.
Alternative: if a coffee and a pastry (the famous Swedish fika) sounds like a good breakfast, start your one day in Stockholm at Cafe Pascal. It’s a roastery with several coffee shops in the city (Odenplan location is best for this itinerary). They make incredible coffee and offer great cardamom and cinnamon buns.
Cafe Pascal — Norrtullsgatan 4
An 8-minute walk from Pom&Flora
After breakfast, take a short walk to Lärkstaden, a little picturesque neighborhood within the larger district of Östermalm. If you didn’t know exactly where you were going, it would be all too easy to miss it. Hidden in plain sight, Lärkstaden buildings look decidedly different from the architecture surrounding the neighborhood.
The reason for that is simple: Lärkstaden was planned by urban architect Per Olof Hallman and built all at once between 1907 and 1917. What makes it special is the mix of architectural styles: national romanticism, Art Nouveau, and English influences.
National romanticism specifically is something that will catch your eye immediately. It is a style that draws inspiration from local history and traditions and encourages the use of local materials. Per Olof Hallman sought inspiration in medieval Scandinavian architecture. You will see lots of curved streets, red brick buildings, heavy doors, small-paned windows, and steep roofs.
The neighborhood was initially built for wealthy city dwellers and remains one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Stockholm to this day.
Some of the streets you should explore while in Lärkstaden are Bragevägen, Tyrgatan, and Uggelviksgatan. Finish your walk at Engelbrektskyrkan, the neighborhood church. I visited on a Sunday morning during service, which was especially lovely.
A 20-minute walk from Lärkstaden
This is a bit of a detour, but in my mind a necessary one. Having grown up with Pippi Longstocking and Karlsson-on-the-roof, I simply had to see Astrid Lindgren’s house for myself. Luckily, she lived in a beautiful (and easily accessible) neighborhood of Vasastan, a short walk from Lärkstaden.
By the way, if you are traveling to Stockholm with kids, I highly recommend reading Swedish children’s books before the trip (and not only those written by Astrid Lindgren). It makes the whole experience so much deeper.
So the house! In an ideal world, it would be great to visit the apartment-turned-museum where Astrid Lindgren lived. In reality, however, English tours are few and far between and you need to book them way in advance. If you have time, book on the official website.
While I couldn’t see the apartment, it was still nice to see the house from the outside. I also managed to get inside the foyer by simply waiting in front of the door until someone walked in. You can walk up the stairs and see the door with the sign “A. Lindgren”.
A 25-minute walk to Tekniska högskolan station
You probably already know that some of the most popular attractions in the city are actually below ground. With only one day in Stockholm, it makes most sense to incorporate the beautiful metro stations into the itinerary throughout the day, rather than doing them all at once.
So for now, head to Tekniska Högskolan station (red line). You might have already used it to come to Pom&Flora in the morning. Located right near (and named after) KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the station design was inspired by scientific discoveries.
Take the train from Tekniska Högskolan to Stadion station (you are still on the red line), with its sky blue ceiling and a giant rainbow.
Then take the train further in the same direction to Östermalmstorg station (red line). This station is not particularly beautiful, but makes sense logistically.
A 2-minute walk from Östermalmstorg station
Once you exit Östermalmstorg station, it’s a few steps to Östermalm Saluhall, a historic covered food market.
Östermalm food hall is not your average market. Compared to, say, Borough Market in London or Torvehallerne in Copenhagen, it is decidedly more upscale and expensive. I could imagine a matriarch of an established Swedish family shopping here on a Sunday morning for wild-caught salmon and caviar.
Still, a visit here is a must, if only for the architecture alone. One of the most prominent companies here is Lisa Elmqvist, a seafood shop and restaurant that has been at the market since 1926. They are an official purveyor of the Swedish Royal family, so you can be sure the quality is top-notch. We had a sit-down lunch at Lisa Elmqvist: a traditional Swedish prawn toast and a seafood risotto were absolutely incredible and more than enough for two, but the bill (€90 for an appetizer and entree, no drinks, tap water) was brutal.
Next time, I would try to get a few bites from different stands, something to take out rather than a proper sit-down meal.
Östermalm Saluhall — Östermalmstorg
An 8-minute walk from Östermalm Food Hall
From Östermalm food hall walk past the Royal Dramatic Theatre towards the building at Norrmalmstorg 2. On the ground floor you will see Acne Studios boutique shop. Walk in, even if you are not planning to drop €300 on a T-shirt because this is where Sveriges Kreditbanken bank was located.
In 1973, a bank robbery which involved a hostage situation occurred here. The behavior of hostages who sympathized with the robber was studied afterwards and received the name Norrmalmstorgssyndromet (the Norrmalmstorg syndrome) in Swedish. It was later renamed as Stockholm syndrome.
When Acne Studios moved in, the architects deliberately stripped away parts of the recent renovations to reveal the original bank design. The original vault room where the hostages were kept is still there, but is used as a storage room for the store.
Afterwards, walk through Biblioteksgatan, a luxury shopping street. Even if brands are not your thing, it is still worth exploring for elegant architecture.
A few-minute walk from Biblioteksgatan
Walk back to Östermalmstorg station (red line) and take the train to T-Centralen, one of the biggest stations with lots of connections where several lines intersect. Walk to the platform on the blue line of T-Centralen which is where you will see this:
From now on, you will stay on the blue line. Take the train to Kungstradgarden. This is the only station I couldn’t see for myself because it was closed for renovations when I visited, so no pictures.
From Kungstradgarden, take the train to Solna Centrum, which looks like this:
And then back to Radhuset which looks like this:
Now go up and out and onto the streets!
A 10-minute walk from Radhuset metro station
With only one day in Stockholm, I’d leave out going inside the City Hall and would walk around instead. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city and a great example of Swedish national romanticism style that we discussed above.
It is most popular because the annual Nobel banquet takes place here. Walk around the courtyard and onto the waterfront for great views.
A 15-minute walk from the City Hall
I know most itineraries would send you straight to the Old Town first thing in the morning, but it’s not going to run away, is it? You are half way through your one day in Stockholm and have already covered so much. Here’s what you need to see in Gamla Stan!
Stortorget is the main square of the Old Town, the spot where you must take a picture as proof you’ve been to Stockholm. Pay attention to the Schantzska House (with red facade) and the Seyfridtzska House (with yellow facade).
We might be at the most touristy place in all of Stockholm, but there’s something here you can see that a lot of tourists completely miss.
Try to locate the cannon balls stuck inside the walls of two buildings at the square. Look for Stortorgskällaren restaurant: one cannonball is stuck right above the street sign. Then look at the red building opposite the restaurant, you will find two more cannonballs there. I learned about them on Atlas Obscura, you can read the story behind this oddity here. By the way, the article says there are 3 cannonballs in the red building, but one must have been removed, because currently there are only 2.
Even if you have only one day in Stockholm, the Nobel Prize Museum is totally doable. It is rather small: about 1 hour will be enough here.
Inside, you will find many artifacts that belonged to, inspired, or were used by Nobel laureates. I think it’s most fun to find objects connected to those laureates you actually know or heard of. I personally was concentrated on those who come from Russia. So naturally, it was exciting to find a glass holder that belonged to Sakharov, Gorbachev’s walking stick and Pasternak’s death mask.
But the most fascinating part of my visit was the cafe inside the museum. If you are only going to the cafe, there’s no need to buy a ticket. You need to do two things here: try the ice cream and look at the bottom part of the chairs.
The black chairs you will see at the cafe (yes, the chairs you casually sit on) were signed by Nobel Laureates. They are numbered, and you can ask at the ticket counter where to find a specific signature. Keep in mind, this tradition started after 2003. You can find Barack Obama’s signature on one of the chairs.
Now, the ice cream at the cafe is the exact ice cream that was served to the Nobel laureates at dinner for many decades. Apparently, it was the only dessert allowed and pastry chefs didn’t have much room to improvise. It has since changed, but the original vanilla ice cream with black currant sorbet, raspberry sauce, and a chocolate Nobel medal is still served at the museum’s cafe.
Storkyrkan is the oldest church in Stockholm and the place where many coronations and royal weddings took place. Do go inside (you need to buy a ticket) — behind a modest façade lies the most impressive interior.
The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Once again, with only one day in Stockholm, I would skip going inside the palace (make an exception if you are visiting during cold and rainy months) and admire it from outside instead. You will have missed the official changing of the guard ceremony (at 12.15), but you might catch individual guards being relieved at the post through the day.
From the monumental Royal Palace with over 1400 rooms proceed to find the tiniest monument in all of Sweden! The Iron Boy is a 15-centimeter statue of a boy looking at the Moon, located in a church courtyard.
Nothing special, just your average runestone believed to be over 1,000 years embedded into the wall of a souvenir shop. I would have passed right by it, if I didn’t know what exactly to look for. Read more about its story here.
Lastly, check out the narrowest street in Stockholm, named after a German merchant. At its narrowest spot, it is less than a meter wide.
A 20-minute walk from Mårten Trotzigs Gränd
Södermalm is a cool and trendy neighborhood of Stockholm (as if the whole of Stockholm wasn’t already cool and trendy). It is popular for its many boutique shops, art galleries and vintage stores, not to mention a myriad of great places to eat.
You couldn’t possibly spend one day in Stockholm and not try the famous Swedish meatballs! And one of the best places to do so is Meatballs for the People. While the name kinda implies that a meal here will be down to earth and cheap, it is not quite so in reality. The place is casual, but an entree will set you back €25.
It is a genuinely good meal: potato mash, meatballs of your choice ranging from chicken and beef to deer and wild boar, lingonberry sauce and pickles. I went for their special Nobel’s meatballs (a mixture of beef and moose), but I have to say the chicken meatballs my husband ordered were my favorite.
Meatballs for the people — Nytorgsgatan 30
A 17-minute walk from Meatballs for the People
Walk around Södermalm neighborhood and make a stop at Johan & Nyström. Half past six might be a little late for coffee and a bun, but this wonderful cafe offers some of the best fika in town and is right on the way to our next stop. I had their espresso tonic on a hot summer day and their cinnamon bun was one of the best I’ve tried in Stockholm (and I tried quite a few).
Keep in mind, they close at 19.00 (except for Monday, when they close at 18.00)
Johan & Nyström — Swedenborgsgatan 7
An 8-minute walk from Johan & Nyström
We are reaching our final destination for the day and one that has some incredible views, too. The reason I came to Ivar Lo’s park in the first place was because there’s a really cool playground which is critical when you travel with kids (as I do). What I found left me speechless.
Ivar Lo’s park is located on a slope called Mariaberget close to the waterfront. From here, you get unbeatable views of the Old Town and the City Hall across Riddarfjärden bay. I was amazed mostly because this prime property could be given to developers to build a hotel or at the very least a cool restaurant with a view and €30 cocktails. Instead, they built a playground.
While you will see a lot of families here, the spot is popular with all kinds of people. Locals bring a blanket and snacks and enjoy the view, especially at sunset.
From the park, you get easy access to Monteliusvägen, a popular cliffside walking path with gorgeous views.
If you want to keep exploring, head further, to Skinnarviksberget. It is a rocky hill and the highest natural point in Stockholm, where locals and tourists come for sunset views. I couldn’t check it out myself, but it seems like an easy 10-minute walk from Ivar Lo’s park.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
@2025 That’s What She Had - Food and Travel Blog | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
Designed by wpauthors.com
