en
Top 10 places of interest in Stockholm
14 August 2023
travel
matthieu
Located on the west bank of the Baltic Sea, Stockholm is Sweden’s largest city and the largest city in Northern Europe. The name of the city of Stockholm is literally translated into Wood Island, which is also known as the “Venice of the North”. Stockholm is also a cultural city with a variety of museums and places of interest. Stockholm is the home of Nobel. On the anniversary of the death of Nobel on December 10th from 1901, a grand ceremony took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The King of Sweden personally award prizes to the winners and holds a dinner at the City Hall.
Here is the list of top 10 tourist attractions in Stockholm.
1. Stockholm’s Old Town
The history of the Old Town dates back to the 13th century. There are medieval alleys, round stone streets and ancient buildings that are influenced by the North Germanic style. Since Sweden has no war for 200 years, the Old City is well preserved and it is worth taking a moment to walk around, especially on the streets at the riverside. Rugged stone roads are narrow or secluded with endless ups and downs. There are also narrow and towering houses. All together form the face of Stockholm’s Old Town. At sunset, the ornamental lights light up and the tourists leave. The old town is restored to the original image, which is just like an old-fashioned record player showing the vicissitudes of his age.
2. Stockholm Town Hall
Designed by architect Granar Ostberg, the City Hall was built between 1911 and 1923 and is located on the shores of Lake Mälaren. The City Hall is a brown red brick structure. The building is surrounded by two large squares, an outer courtyard and an indoor lobby. It is made up of 8 million red bricks. Granar Osterberg originally planned to design the interior lobby blue and that’s why it’s called the “blue lobby”. But when he saw the beautiful red brick, he changed his mind. The most famous event of the “Blue Lobby” is the dinner after the Nobel Prize ceremony in December. The “Golden Lobby” is made up of more than 18 million pieces of glass and gold pieces, and it can accommodate 700 people. You can overlook Stockholm when you climb up on the 106-meter tower. The top of the tower has the symbol of the “Three Crowns”.
3. Vasamuseet
Vaasa is the name of an ancient warship, which was built in 1625 by King Gustav II of Sweden. The warship was originally a single-layer boat. However, the king learned that Sweden’s strong enemy at the time, Denmark, already had a double-layer warship. Then he ordered that the ship should be converted into a double-layer in spite of the technical conditions of the country at that time. It sank a few minutes after the first voyage in 1628. It saw the lights of the day until 1961. After a tens of years of careful restoration of the hull, the sculptures on board are exquisite that are worth visiting. The exhibitions of the entire museum are very interesting with the process of salvage and the introduction of Vaasa with the origin of the ship and the historical story of Sweden at that time.
4. Stockholm Royal Palace
The Stockholm Royal Palace is the Swedish Royal Palace. It dates back from the Middle Ages. It was originally a military fortress. It was gradually transformed into the present Imperial Palace from the end of the 17th century. Although the royal family has moved out to the Queens Island Palace on the outskirts, the Stockholm Palace is still the official residence of the Swedish king. In addition to being used as the royal residence, there are other usages. For example, there are the Gustav III Cultural Relics Museum, the Treasure Exhibition Hall, the Ordnance Exhibition Hall and the Three Royal Palace Museum on the ground floor.
5. Drottningholm Palace
A private palace that became the Swedish royal family since 1981 is located in Drottningholm (Queens Island) in Eckel. The building was first built in the late 16th century and was rebuilt after being burned in 1661. In addition to the private residence of the Swedish royal family, some rooms and collections are currently open to the public. The Drottningholm Palace is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This castle built at 17th century is not only the best-preserved royal palace, but also the most representative of all European court buildings. The exotic Chinese palace, the court theatre and the magnificent palace garden make the Imperial City an unparalleled sense of unity.
6. Drottninggatan
Drottninggatan (Queen Street) is a famous commercial pedestrian street in Stockholm that is divided into Old Street and New Street where many large shops gather. The street stretches out to the shopping street of the old city, and the other leads to the main road of the city center. There are countless shopping malls and small shops on both sides specializing in clothing, food, books and crafts. There are colorful strips of flags flying on the streets of Queens. A pair of cute little lions are placed every other distance. Sometimes the naughty children ride on the lions.
7. Stockholm Cathedral
Stockholm Cathedral is the oldest church in Stockholm’s Old Town. It has a history of more than 700 years and it’s a model of Swedish-style Gothic architecture. The wedding of the Royal Princess of Sweden took place in the cathedral. The Stockholm Cathedral is not really famous, but the church is very exquisite both inside and outside. There are many items in the church that are regarded as treasures, such as the spherical candlestick, St. George and the dragon, the oil paintings “The Last Judgment” and “The Magic Day”, the silver altar, the altar and the royal throne, which shows the legends and immortal history of ancient Swedish to the world.
8. Skansen Open-air Museum
Founded in 1891, Skansen Park is the world’s first open-air museum. It mainly shows the past Swedish folk life and traditional architecture across Sweden. There is also a zoo showing animals living in Scandinavia. There are different activities every day in the park. The specific information can be found on the official website. If there are special events, ticket’s price is increased to some extent. Skansen is one of the main places of visit for foreign guests to Sweden and is very important for understanding Swedish culture.
9. King’s Garden
In the past, it was a field dedicated to the cultivation of flowers and vegetables for the royal kitchen, so it was called the King’s Garden. Due to its central location and its outdoor coffee shops, it is a popular meeting place in Stockholm. The cherry blossoms are blooming in the garden in spring. The open-air concerts are held in the summer. In the autumn, the yellow leaves of the garden are visible, and in the winter it becomes an ice rink. In the middle of the garden there is a large rectangular pool with a statue of a Swedish king on each side. Carl 12 is the one with four iron piers underneath, and Carl 13 is the other with four lion statues below. On the side of the square is a large stage where concerts such as jazz and rock and opera often take place.
10. Stortorget
Stortorget (the Grand Place) is a small square in the heart of Stockholm’s Old Town. This is the oldest square in Stockholm surrounded by the medieval old town. The Grand Place is known as the most beautiful square in Sweden. However, it is this peaceful and peaceful square where the “Stockholm Massacre” in history happened in 1520. It is said to have resisted the invasion of King Christian II of Denmark. Thousands of tourists come to the square every year, occasionally you meet demonstrations and performances. The square is famous for its annual Christmas market that is full of traditional crafts and the food. The Stockholm Stock Exchange building occupies the north side of the square obscuring the Stockholm Cathedral and the Stockholm Royal Palace.
You have also other tourist attractions to visit in Stockholm. Please don’t forget to rent our pocket Wi-Fi via our site before leaving. Hippocketwifi makes you stay connected everywhere in Europe.
