No one can deny that Stockholm is an amazing city. Its rich history and stunning landscapes come together perfectly to create a unique and vibrant atmosphere, making it a fantastic place to live. One of the many reasons that I love living here is that there is always something fun to go and do.

In this blog post I’ll be talking about three of my favourite sights to visit in Stockholm. Living in this city is not exactly cheap, and a lot of well-known museums in Stockholm demand an admission fee. However, sights (2) and (3) in this list can be done for free.

It was hard to decide which three sights to focus on in this blog post as there are so many places in Stockholm that I love. So, for more information on what else this beautiful city has to offer, you can visit https://www.visitstockholm.com/.

1. Skansen:

Skansen is an outdoor museum and a really fun place to visit. It is located on Djurgården, a large island on the Eastern side of Stockholm which, in the past, was used as a royal hunting ground. Nowadays, Djurgården is open to the public and, whilst packed full of museums and restaurants, still retains much of its natural beauty.

Although I will focus on Skansen in this section, many of my other favourite Stockholm attractions (Gröna Lund, Vasa Museet and Nordiska Museet) are also located on this island. To find out more about Djurgården, you can visit http://www.visitdjurgarden.se/en/.

Skansen is the world’s oldest outdoor museum and contains a number of genuine structures (farms, houses and shops) from around Sweden. With only three exceptions, these structures were transported to Skansen piece by piece and reconstructed, creating a unique insight into how the Swedes have lived over past centuries. When visiting during summer, one can enter many of these buildings and interact with “characters” (employees) inside. These characters are dressed in traditional Swedish garments and tell you about the building’s history and past inhabitants. Towards the back of Skansen is an open-air zoo containing some iconic Scandinavian animals such as elk, wolves and wild boar. Throughout the year Skansen also has a number of themed celebrations, including midsummer festivities, an Autumn Fair and a Christmas Market.

Skansen can be reached by many modes of transport including trams, buses or walking. The most enjoyable way to reach it, however, is by boat. If you have the SL travel card, you can take a short boat ride from Slussen to the Southern side of Djurgården which offers some stunning views of Stockholm from a novel viewpoint.

If you want to learn more about visiting Skansen, including admission fares, go to http://www.skansen.se/en/.

2. Stockholm’s Medieval Museum:

During an excavation in the 1970’s a number of important historical artefacts, including a 55m section of the old city wall (dating back to the 16^th century), were discovered. As a consequence a new museum was built to showcase these findings and provide information on Stockholm’s medieval past.

This museum can be visited every day for free and has accessible and interesting information on how people lived and died, worked and went to war between the 13^th and 16^th centuries in Stockholm and Sweden. This museum also houses a replica of a 14^th century boat as well as information on how historical excavations have been done in Stockholm.

The central location of this museum makes it very easy to visit. It is located on the island of Helgeandsholmen in Gamla Stan under Norrbro, Stockholm’s oldest stone bridge. For more information on how to visit Stockholm’s Medieval Museum and what’s inside, you can go to http://medeltidsmuseet.stockholm.se/in-english/visit/.

3. The alleyways of Gamla Stan:

As you walk through the old town of Stockholm (Gamla Stan) it really can feel like you have been transported back in time. Even after living in Stockholm for a year, the medieval streets of Gamla Stan still take my breath away.

Gamla Stan consists of three islands (Stadsholmen, Riddarholmen and Helgeandsholmen), but the majority of the town is located on Stadsholmen, the largest of the three islands. Running along the West and East sides of Gamla Stan are the main tourist streets, Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan, which are lined with souvenir shops and cafes and always buzzing with life. Further into the centre of Gamla Stan, the shops and crowds begin to disappear and quieter, narrower streets emerge, some of which have remained largely unchanged for centuries. Looking up as you walk around Gamla Stan you may see the tips of the old churches, Storkyrkan and Tyska Kyrkan, peeking over the dark rooves of the coloured houses that line the streets. Music may also be heard from the Royal Palace, where, over summer, a changing of the guard ceremony is held for the public to watch every day.

A walk around Gamla Stan can definitely be enriched by knowing a bit about the history of Stockholm. Free tours are a great and entertaining way to learn this information, and run most days throughout the old town. As you are guided by experts along these streets you may learn about Prästgatan, a street running through Gamla Stan along the line of the old city wall, Mårten Trotzigs grand, Stockholm’s narrowest street, less than a metre wide, and Stortorget, Gamla Stan’s oldest square and the site of the 1520 Stockholm Bloodbath. After finishing a tour or a self-guided walk around Gamla Stan, there are an abundance of cafes and restaurants to relax in and have a Fika.

With such a depth of history and culture, there is always a reason to come and visit Gamla Stan, one of the most iconic parts of the beautiful city of Stockholm.

Hopefully this post has inspired you to go out and explore more of Stockholm. It is a remarkable city with so much to offer and, whatever your interests, you can be sure to find some activities that you’ll love!

Hannah