Stockholm by Bus: A Local’s Tour of the Capital’s Highlights

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Stockholm by Bus: A Local’s Tour of the Capital’s Highlights

(9 reviews)
Stockholm audio tour: Stockholm by Bus: A Local’s Tour of the Capital’s Highlights
This is a 12.2mi driving tour
It takes an average of 120 mins to complete.
Stockholm
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$7.99
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About the Tour

Stockholm is filled with quirky facts and untold stories that are scattered across the Swedish capital’s 14 islands. On this unique self-guided bus tour created by a husband-and-wife team, you’ll hop on and off public buses to experience the city like a local, hearing insights you won’t find in any guidebook.

The tour starts at Hötorget, Stockholm’s vibrant market square, where you’ll hear about its days as a humble hay market for the king’s horses. You’ll journey through the city’s diverse neighborhoods, from elegant Östermalm to bohemian Södermalm. With our help, you’ll see how Stockholm’s islands are woven together, creating a city that’s both steeped in history and alive with modern energy.

You’ll wind through Södermalm, known as the ‘heights of the south,’ where you’ll pass by some of Stockholm’s most breathtaking viewpoints, like Västerbron and Fjällgatan. On the way back to Hötorget, you’ll have a chance to admire the beautiful City Hall and travel through Kungsholmen district, where we’ll tell you how a once-polluted bay got the unflattering nickname, ‘the golden lake’.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

  • Unravel the legends behind Stockholm’s name, including one about settlers dropping anchor in the location where a log (stock in Swedish) floated ashore
  • Discover the lesser-known tale about a Swedish royal and an unexpected pirate
  • Spot iconic landmarks like the Stockholm Olympic Stadium
  • Get the scoop on Polar Studios, where ABBA and other famous musicians recorded
  • See Konserthuset Stockholm, the city’s concert hall, where Nobel Prizes are given out by the King of Sweden
  • Discover the charm of Gamla Stan, the Old Town, with its cobblestone streets, colorful facades, and centuries of history
  • Cross Slussbron – also known as the Gold Bridge, linking Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea
  • Learn about Stockholm’s founder, Birger Jarl, and how he redefined inheritance law to benefit women

This 120-minute tour invites both first-time visitors and seasoned travelers to experience Stockholm like a local. By the end of the tour, you’ll have a well-rounded view of the city’s character, from historical grandeur to its vibrant, modern-day atmosphere.

Categories
Film And TV Literature Colonial History

Tour Producer

avatar

Mia & Mikael Brejcha

2 tours

We are Mia & Mikael Brejcha. Both born and raised in Stockholm and passionate about telling foreigners about our hometown a Stockholm.

Preview Location

Location 23

Långholmen

The trees you can see below the bridge to the right is the island of Långholmen. For over a century, from the early 1800s until 1975, Långholmen served as Stockholm's prison island. The old prison, which once housed some of Sweden's most notorious criminals, is now a hotel and... Read More
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Major Landmarks

  • Hötorget

  • Stureplan

  • Humlegården

  • Östermalm

  • Stockholm Stadium

  • KTH Royal Institute of Technology

  • Stockholm Public Library

  • Vasastan

  • Gustaf Vasa Church

  • Astrid Lindgren's Home

  • Vasaparken

  • Rålambshovsparken

  • Västerbron

  • Södermalm

  • SoFo

  • Fjällgatan

  • Slussen

  • Gamla stan

  • Riddarholmen

  • Stockholm City Hall

  • Före detta Kungliga Myntverket

  • Kungsholmen Church

  • Södra Årstalundens koloniområde

  • Vete-Katten

  • Orfeusgruppen

  • Konserthuset Stockholm

  • Kungstornen

  • Svampen

  • Royal College of Music

  • Långholmen

  • Skanstull

  • Stiftelsen Malmgården Vita Bergen

  • Katarina Elevator

  • Slussbron (Guldbron)

  • Riddarholmen Church

  • Kungsholmens gymnasium/Stockholms Musikgymnasium

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.
  1. Start location
    Hötorget 13-15, 111 57 Stockholm, Sweden
  2. Total distance
    20km
  3. Final location
    Kungsgatan 54-56, 111 22 Stockholm, Sweden
  4. Distance back to start location
    155.38m

Directions to Starting Point

We begin the tour at the square Hötorget, which is a very central location in Stockholm City. You can easily get there by subway or bus or, if you are staying at one of the many hotels in Stockholm City, you are most probably within walking distance or a short cab ride away.

The starting point of our tour is the square called Hötorget. The corner of the square where Sergelgatan meets Hötorget. When facing the square you should have the Concert Hall on your right and across the square, the Haymarket hotel.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

We will pass many of Stockholm's attractions along the way. If you feel like taking a break from the tour to visit any of them while you’re there, just go ahead! Hop off the bus and make a note of the stop where you got off, so it’s easy to return to our guided tour when you’re ready.

If you would like to take a break to eat or drink, about halfway through we will be changing buses at a bus stop next to a restaurant and a café. If you would like to stretch your legs a bit at the same time there is a hidden gem about 100 metres walk away from the bus stop that we will point you to.

Best time of day

You can take this tour at any time of the year or time of the day, but it is best to do so in daylight. If you are visiting during June or early July when the Swedish summer nights are particularly light, you can for instance go either very early in the morning or late in the evening. Since we are utilizing the public buses we would recommend to avoid rush hour.

Precautions

• The tour is using public buses, and you need to buy bus tickets separately. It is not included in the price for this tour. The easiest way to pay for your ticket is to tap your regular contactless card or mobile pay when entering the bus. If you want to know more about tickets and fares, see below.
• We recommend that you avoid sitting at the back of the bus. The seats are closer to the roof there, which makes it a bit harder to see everything we are pointing out through the window.

More about ticket fares:
The public transportation company is called SL. There are two types of tickets: single journey tickets or travel card. Tickets are available in full price for adults, and at a discounted price for children and young people under 20 years of age, as well as for senior citizens over the age of 65.

If this tour is your only time during your stay that you will be using public transportation we recommend buying single journey tickets. You do that simply by tapping your regular contactless card or mobile pay when entering the bus. A single journey ticket is valid for 1 h and 15 min, which means that since the journey is 2 h you will need to renew the ticket once. But you don't have to think about that. Just tap your card every time you get on a new bus and when the duration since the first tap is more than 1 h and 15 min, the card will be charged again.

If you are planning on using the public transportation regularly during your stay it might be better to buy a travelcard. With a travelcard you can travel as much as you like throughout the duration of the card. A travel card is also valid on the Djurgården ferries between Slussen and Djurgården.

Travelcards suitable for a short term visitor in Stockholm come in durations 24 h, 72 h or 7 days. Download the smart phone app “SL Reseplanerare och Biljetter” and purchase the travel card in the app.

The travel cards are also available as a smart card but the plastic card itself comes with an additional cost. The smart cards are sold at Metro and commuter rail stations and at ticket agents around Stockholm County.

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Questions and Reviews

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