Stockholm is a city made for walking. While some like to run if you prefer a slower pace exploring on foot is one of the best ways to see the many delights Stockholm has to offer. Here are our favourite streets to stroll.
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Svartensgatan
Svartensgatan – Photo: © Karasev Victor/Shutterstock.com
As you make your way down this street tucked into the hills of Södermalm you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time. Cobbled streets and old wooden houses will give you an idea of what Stockholm used to look like, long before modern housing took over. There are plenty of spots to stop and sip a drink or grab a bite to eat and we suggest also stopping by Katarina kyrka, one of the most beautiful churches in Stockholm.
Norr Mälarstrand
Norr Mälarstrand in Kungsholmen
Book ended by City Hall and Rålambshov park Norr Mälarstrand is hugs the waters of Lake Mälaren, with picturesque boats bobbing alongside it and beautiful stone apartment buildings towering above. You can make a day out of this walk: visit City Hall, meander along the water, stop for a fika, walk a bit more, have a cocktail at the always trendy Mälarpaviljongen, stroll a bit further and end things with a spot of footy or boule at Rålambshovparken, where Stockholmers love to lounge – and maybe take a bit of exercise.
Strandvägen
The fancy street Strandvägen – Photo: © juninatt/Shutterstock.com
Posh doesn’t begin to describe Strandvägen. It’s the most expensive street in Sweden, both for real estate and shopping. While you’ll be hard-pressed to find an apartment for sale (and if you did it would cost many, many millions) there are plenty of excellent boutiques carrying uniquely Swedish brands, such as Svenskt Tenn, where you’ll find one-of-a-kind Josef Frank textiles. Some of the city’s best restaurants and wine bars are also found here.
Mårten Trotzigs gränd
Stockholm’s narrowest street Mårten Trotzigs gränd – Photo: © SvetlanaSF/Shutterstock.com
It’s the narrowest street in Stockholm – and we say narrow we mean narrow! – and was named for the German merchant Mårten Traubtzich, who bought the houses here at the end of the 17th century. You’ll find it just at the start of Västerlånggatan in Stockholm’s Old Town (Gamla Stan) and it won’t take long to make your way along it – the perfect place to start exploring the oldest part of the city!
Drottninggatan
Old Stockholm Observatory
This is one of the longest streets in Stockholm and mostly car-free, and while it’s best known for the shopping stretches around Central Station and Hötorget there’s a lot more to this street than H&M and tourist shops. If you head up past Hötorget you’ll walk all the way to Odenplan, with plenty of great places to explore along the way, such as Observatorielunden (Old Stockholm Observatory), which has measured temperature daily since 1756 – and the Strindberg Museum. Head in the other direction and it will take you all the way to Helgeandsholmen, where the Swedish Parliament (Riksdagen) is located.
Långa Gatan
Långa gatan – Photo: © Holger Ellgaard/Wikimedia Commons
Djurgården is the ultimate oasis in Stockholm, and Långa Gatan (Long Street) gives you a sense of old Stockholm. Lined with imposing wooden houses that have been in families for generations, Långa Gatan is just a stone’s throw from some of the top tourist attractions in Stockholm, such as the ABBA The Museum, The Vasa Museum, Gröna Lund, and Skansen. So what better way to spend a day exploring Stockholm than hitting some of those great tourist spots before chilling out with a relaxing stroll through a bit of Stockholm, where the past meets the present?
Götgatan
The vibrant Götgatan – Photo: © Anastasiia Petrych/Shutterstock.com
Götgatan slices through Stockholm’s trendy Södermalm district from Slussen all the way down to Skanstull. Take the subway to either station and start walking. Along the way, you’ll discover shops, café´s, parks, markets, and plenty of little side streets to explore. The upper section of Götgatan, between Slussen and Medborgarplatsen subway stations, is car-free (although bikes are thick on the ground) and eternally packed with the hippest people in Stockholm. The shops, restaurants, and bars are varied and you could spend the entire day exploring the street without ever running out of things to do.
Karlavägen
Karlavägen – Photo: © webbgun/Flickr
Stretching from the edge of the Vasastan district all the way through Östermalm, Karlavägen is home to beautiful buildings, shops, restaurants, and even some embassies. The island running down the middle is perfect for walking, with plenty of benches sitting under the beautiful trees so you can stop, rest, and take in the beauty before continuing your journey. If you walk the entire length of the street, you’ll end up at Sweden’s national radio and TV broadcasting houses, with the wide open spaces of Gärdet to your left and Djurgården to your right.
Odengatan
Vasaparken, next to Odengatan – Photo: © Holger Ellgaard/Wikimedia Commons
Visitors, who often don’t realise just how much it has to offer, sometimes overlook Stockholm’s Vasastan district – and Odengatan is what Vasastan is all about: little boutiques sitting alongside bigger retailers, a truly thriving restaurant scene where locals fill the tables around the clock, great bars and cafés, and plenty of open space, such as Vasaparken, where you can play football in the summer and ice skate in the winter, and which also features a great playground for kids. Start at Valhallavägen and just start walking. You’ll find plenty to explore as you stroll.
Söder Mälarstrand
Söder Mälarstrand
Just across the waters of Lake Mälaren from Norr Mälarstrand, Söder Mälarstrand has an entirely different vibe. Boats line the street and a cliff overlooks it most of the way. Our suggestion is get up on that cliff and walk the wooden path that has been built (Monteliusvägen), which offers some of the most stunning views of the city. If you keep to the water you’ll eventually find yourself hitting some of the hidden hipster spots and companies of deep Söder – and that can never be a bad thing.
Have a great time walking in Stockholm!
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