Norrmalm, Vasastaden and Skeppsholmen
Norrmalm. Built between 1950 and 1970, the modern buildings that make up Norrmalm (called City) have swept away the old Klara district, of which only the church of the same name remains today. Its steeple stands between the walls of the department stores, because Norrmalm is a shopper's paradise. There are large shopping centers such as NK, Gallerian and Åhlens.
Coming from the old town, the pedestrian street Drottninggatan, lined with souvenir stores and restaurants, runs through the entire district to the top of the Observatory Park. At number 85 is the August Strindberg Museum, a famous local writer whose apartment can be visited. The main train station (T-Centralen) and the bus terminal are located east of Norrmalm. The city center could be located at Sergels Torg, a huge square with the Kulturhuset (House of Culture) and Plattan, an esplanade where all kinds of gatherings take place.
You have to follow Hamngatan eastwards to find the green Royal Garden (Kungsträdgården), with its fountains and gravel paths, its small hedges framing lawns that invite you to stop and rest, facing the Royal Castle. On the large stage in the garden, there are regular performances by music groups and dancers. In winter, a large ice rink keeps the place alive until late in the evening, under the reddish silhouette of St. Jakob's Church and the Opera House. To the north of the garden is the distinguished Norrmalm Square, from which the historic old streetcar leaves.
Heading north, Sveavägen leads to Hötorget, where the Concert House(Konserthuset) is located (and can be visited). There is a daily market here, and in the basement are the halls. Kungsgatan street crosses the district from east to east and offers solutions for night owls: most of the cinemas are concentrated here, as well as many cafés. For nightlife, the area between Sveavägen and Birger Jarls Gatan has a large number of restaurants, pubs and nightclubs. At the southeast end of the district, the small park Berzelii is home to the Berns, a party institution, and marks the border with the upscale district of Östermalm.
Vasastaden. A fast-growing neighborhood that has traded in its historic suburban status to become a lively and thriving area in the north of the city. It has a more attractive character than Norrmalm, thanks to the limited height of its buildings (maximum 5 stories) which allow light to flood the streets, which are wider than in the center. At the heart of these perpendicular routes are the National Library (Stockholms Stadsbibliotek), a building with orange plaster and a magnificent reading room in its rotunda, the large parks of Vanadis and Vasa, and the green hill of the Observatory, from which there is an interesting view of the city's rooftops. On Odenplan Square, the traffic is constant and it is easy to find a place to dine. The Gustav Vasa Church, with its ancient temple-like appearance, lets the flow of buses and pedestrians pass by its immaculate façade.
To the northwest, the Red Mountains district (Röda bergen) contrasts with the straight line of Vasastaden: blocks of low-rise buildings in warm colors contrast with the rigor of the surrounding buildings.
The main roads Odengatan and St. Eriksgatan intersect at St. Eriksplan, a square around which there is a relaxed atmosphere with many bars, cafes and restaurants. The area is reminiscent in some ways of the quiet and trendy atmosphere of Södermalm. St Eriksgatan leads to the island of Kungsholmen via the St Erik bridge (St Eriksbron). Here are most of the second-hand music stores in the north of the city.
Skeppsholmen. Skeppsholmen is a small island that was once of great strategic and military importance. Today it is a very quiet island where it is nice to walk between historical buildings, such as the Admiralty House and the old water tower. It is reached by a bridge in the center of which two royal crowns shine and offer typical photo opportunities. The west quay of this island, with its three-masted ship Af Chapman, converted into a youth hostel, offers a sumptuous view of the old town. The place is best known for its three museums (of architecture, modern art and East Asian art) and in July it hosts the renowned Stockholm Jazz and Blues Festival.
Gamla Stan
Literally "the old city", Gamla Stan consists of three islands that form the natural border between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea: Stadsholmen, the largest, where the royal castle and cathedral are located; Riddarholmen, to the east, houses the church where the kings of Sweden are buried; the islet of Helgeandsholmen, to the north, is the seat of Parliament. But generally speaking, we speak of Gamla Stan to define this founding area of Stockholm, around which the city as it is known today has developed. Surrounded by water, Gamla Stan occupies a very small area, stretching only 500 m from east to west and 800 m from north to south. Gamla Stan is a historic district but also a lively area where many Stockholmers work and where cafés, pubs and night bars are full on weekends.
Stadsholmen. The main island is organized around two busy pedestrian streets: Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan, which meet in the south at the small square Järntorget (the Iron Square, where the metal market was held in the days when ships loaded and unloaded their cargoes in the port of Gamla Stan). The first of these alleys is part of the classic tourist circuit, with its traditional souvenir stores, cafés and restaurants, often with inflated prices. The second, Österlånggatan, is wider and less crowded and offers mostly art galleries and small craft stores. On the other side of the old town, to the east, the twin streets Stora Nygatan and Lilla Nygatan are wider, with more functional restaurants, pubs and stores, and run in a straight line down to Kornhamnstorg, where most of the night bars are located.
Riddarholmen. Northeast of Stadsholmen, this "knight's island" can be reached via Riddarholmsbron, or from Slussen and Stadshuskajen along the pedestrian bridge along the train tracks. Fortified in the 16th century by Gustav Vasa to prevent any attack (the two towers that made up the defenses are still visible), the island was home to a monastery of Franciscan monks from 1270 onwards, who were expelled at the Reformation. The main attraction of the site is the church of Riddarholmen, built on the site of the monastery, which houses the tombs of most of the kings of Sweden.
Helgeandsholmen. This small island is the link between Stadsholmen and Norrmalm. It is on this piece of land that the Swedish Parliament, or Rikstad, was built in the neoclassical style of the early 20th century.
Södermalm
A former working class neighborhood that served to relieve the overcrowded Gamla Stan, Södermalm has become, over time, a part of Stockholm that cultivates its difference, its joyful diversity and its casual character. Trendy but relaxed, a mecca for night owls, holder of many historical secrets, Söder, as it is called, distinguishes itself from the other districts of the capital by its air of tranquility and the impression that here time passes more slowly. Södermalm will be divided into three parts: Slussen, Medborgarplatsen and the Katarina Heights; SoFo and Vita Berget; and finally the district of Maria, Hornstull and Långholmen.
Slussen, Medborgaplatsen and the Katarina Heights. Let's start with Slussen, in the north of the island, the communication node between the old town and Södermalm, a monstrous concrete imbroglio that the years have finally worn out and that should have a new and modern face in 2025, the estimated date of the end of the colossal redevelopment project that is underway. There, train and metro lines cross, the automobile expressway, dozens of buses whose terminal is located in the asphalt bowels... Designed and built in the 1930s, the place is dominated by the Katarina elevator, a junction between the quays and the heights of Mosebacke, and is famous for its City Museum, located in the old Södermalm town hall. Slussen is a regular stop for Stockholmers because you always catch a bus there, unless you meet a friend when changing subway lines. From there, Götgatan begins, which is partially pedestrianized until Medborgarplatsen. This artery spreads out its countless cafés, pubs and fashion stores in a noisy animation which reaches its paroxysm on the weekend evenings. Backbone of Södermalm, it cuts the island in two. To the east, streets lead up to Mosebacke Square, home of the famous concert bar and disco of the same name, and its charming side streets offer lovely views. The Katarina Church, its garden and the surrounding area retain the memory of the 19th century, with low wooden houses and rough cobbled streets. On the way back down, you will inevitably come across Medborgarplatsen, also known as Medis, a meeting place, a place where everything happens, with its market halls and French fry stands, where it is nice to drink a cold beer at the Snaps terrace on a sunny afternoon.
SoFo and Vitaberget. South of Folkungagatan, towards Bonde and Skåne streets, is the city's artists' and designers' den. Hipster here, hipster there, SoFo is an area with a trendy and relaxed atmosphere, full of designer stores, thrift stores and small galleries. Not to be missed for its architecture (eclectic), its inhabitants and its gentle way of life, you can feel a unique atmosphere that invites you to take a break in one of the original cafés of the area. In the evening, dozens of restaurants offering cuisine from all over the world allow everyone to find something to their liking. Further south, the White Mountain neighborhood, Vita Berget, is part of SoFo. Organized around the park topped by the Sofia church, this area, which was extremely poor at the beginning of the century, still has many vestiges of the industrial era of the end of the 19th century with a whole street intact from that time and several old buildings and gardens that have not moved for over a hundred years. A walk through Nytorget and Malmgårdsvägen will allow you to discover this smartly preserved heritage.
Maria's district, Hornstull and Långholmen. Crossed by Hornsgatan, a historical and cosmopolitan avenue, the western part of Södermalm is organized around the adorable Maria square (Mariatorget), its small lawns and its superb fountain representing the mythological episode of the fishing party during which the god Thor fought the world serpent, Jörmungandr. From there, Bellmansgatan climbs to the heights of Montelius and crosses Brännkyrkagatan, a picturesque half-level street paved in the old style. The Monteliusvägen promenade offers a beautiful view of the bay and Kungsholmen. Hornsgatan joins the Hornstull district to the west of Söder. There are several parks such as Högalidsparken and especially Tantolunden, a huge green haven spread along the waterfront. If you climb the path up to the rocks, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the suburbs of Liljeholmen and Årstaberg. Västbron, the bridge that connects Södermalm to Kungsholmen, spans Långholmen, a bathers' paradise. In summer, this is where you feel like you're on vacation in Stockholm: greenery, vast lawns, rocks, beaches, creeks... You can swim in clean water, sunbathe, play sports, sleep in the old prison converted into a youth hostel ... In short, Långholmen is, with a ray of sunshine, the relaxed and popular seaside resort in the south of the city.
Östermalm
The history of Östermalm is singular: pasture for royal cows in the 15th century before being opened to peasant farmers, the area became a military exercise camp in the 17th century and served as housing for soldiers until the end of the 19th century. It was not until 1880 that a modern urban plan was drawn up by the architect Lindhagen. Its rectilinear layout, the style of the bourgeois buildings of four or five floors (especially those which are proudly aligned on Strandvägen), the presence of large parks... are clearly reminiscent of the great Parisian boulevards. The pedestrian streets Nybrogatan and Biblioteksgatan and the very Parisian Norrmalmstorg offer famous shops, bars where the terraces are filled with radiant young people in summer. To the south, the Strandvägen quay is always very busy, it is the only way to connect the City district to the island of Djugården, where there are many museums. As far as going out is concerned, it is Stureplan, a place famous for its Svampen, the "Mushroom", a shelter with an unmistakable name that has become the symbol of this place with a bourgeois look. Luxury restaurants, clubs with endless queues... This is the place to be to see and be seen, to enjoy the night while blazing to feel "part of this world".
Djurgården and Gärdet
This part of the city is unquestionably the greenest in Stockholm. Separated from each other by an arm of water where kayaking is recommended, Gärdet Park and Djurgården Island are the lungs of the capital and the beginning of the famous Ekopark, which stretches northwards for dozens of kilometers.
Djurgården. A royal hunting park until the 18th century, the island of Djurgården is now an immense space encompassing not only vast English-style lawns and woods, but also the Gröna Lund amusement park, the Vasa Museum, the Nordic Museum, the Waldermarsudde Art Museum, Aquaria and Skansen, an open-air museum which alone occupies almost a third of the island's surface. The island can be reached by boat from the Slussen and Nybroplan quays, or by bus, streetcar or, even more pleasantly, on foot along the quay and Strandvägen boulevard. Djurgården is a great place to take a stroll.
Gärdet. This is reached by following Strandvägen, leaving Djurgården on the right to walk along the waterfront into the charming Nobel Park. The large reserve contains several cultural sites: the Ethnographic Museum, the Technical Museum, the Police Museum and the Maritime History Museum, all grouped together. Further on, the Kaknäs television tower is one of the tallest buildings in Scandinavia. From its summit, there's a breathtaking view of the entire capital. Gärdet is also a reserve with vast plains where horses graze.
Kungsholmen
It was first populated by Franciscan monks who lived from fishing and animal husbandry and established a brick factory here as early as the 1500s (hence the original name Munklägret, the "monks' camp"). Today, Kungsholmen has no major attraction, except for the red-brick town hall (Stadshus), built in the early 20th century in a unique style mixing Italian Baroque and National Romanticism, and whose three crowns of the great tower dominate Stockholm from their 106 meters. The large Rålambshovparken, west of Kungsholmen, is a popular gathering place (this is where the Swedish soccer players celebrated their bronze medal after the 1994 World Cup) where people picnic, drink with friends, play petanque or Frisbee when the weather is good.
