Stockholm walking tour: the landmarks and legends of Gamla Stan and beyond

(145 reviews)

Stockholm audio tour: Stockholm walking tour: the landmarks and legends of Gamla Stan and beyond

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

Stockholm

Sweden

$9.99

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About the Tour

At the heart of what was once the Swedish empire is Stockholm and, as you’ll find out on this walking tour, it’s more than just an archipelago and home of the country’s monarch.

Starting in Gamla Stan, the Old Town, you’ll wander down narrow medieval lanes and past grand buildings built to impress during the days of the empire. At the end, you’ll emerge into the pulsing centre of modern Stockholm, with its gleaming glass buildings. You’ll hear about Gustav Vasa, the man who started the uprising that led to Swedish independence five hundred years ago, and retrace history on cobblestoned streets that once flowed with blood. And I’ll tell you about Olaus Petri, the priest who almost lost his life for contradicting Gustav Vasa after he was crowned. Bronze statues of kings will gaze down at you while you stroll down Kungsträdgården and hear their stories.

All the way, you’ll be surrounded by the natural beauty of Lake Mälaren and never far from water, since Stockholm stands on a handful of islands at the very spot where the lake meets the Baltic Sea. You’ll find out where you’ll be wined and dined if you ever win a Nobel Prize.

You’ll also be able to brag to friends that you’ve:

Seen a genuine century-old Viking runestone
Taken in the rather oversized Stockholm Palace
Walked down Västerlånggatan, the cheapest piece of real-estate on a Swedish Monopoly board
Spotted the Royal Swedish Opera house and its two entrances
Found the fountain in which they’ll no doubt be plenty of splashing about if Sweden wins the Ice Hockey World Cup or the Eurovision Song Contest when you’re in town
Discovered where the expression “Stockholm Syndrome” comes from
Learned about Alfred Nobel, a man who profited off of death and destruction and then donated his fortune to fund the Nobel Prize while standing outside the Nobel Prize Museum

Allow at least 90 minutes for this tour but feel free to give into the temptation to stop at one of the many scenic spots along the way for a coffee – preferably served with a traditional Swedish cinnamon bun.

Tour Producer

Mikael Shainkman

2 tours

Mikael Shainkman is a historian, licensed tour guide and avid coffee drinker. He’s written several books and he also hosts the Scandinavian History Podcast, which you can find wherever you get good podcasts.

He lived and studied in Lund for ten glorious years. He also loves Stockholm but doesn’t like to admit it to the locals, because they tend to get a little smug about that sort of thing.

Preview Location

Location 1

Start: Mälartorget

Hello and welcome to this VoiceMap tour of Stockholm. My name’s Mikael Shainkman, and I'll be your guide today.

Whether you arrived here via the metro or not, please start by standing with your back to the underground exit, facing the square.

The city was founded in 1252... Hello and welcome to this VoiceMap tour of Stockholm. My name’s Mikael Shainkman, and I'll be your guide today.

Whether you arrived here via the metro or not, please start by standing with your back to the underground exit, facing the square.

The city was founded in 1252 by a man called Birger Jarl. Thanks to its strategic location, it soon developed into the largest and most important city in all of Sweden even though it was confined to this island for several centuries. In fact, it wasn't until the 1600s that Stockholm expanded beyond this island that the Old Town is built on. The reason for the city's expansion was both because Stockholm was made the permanent location for the king, the parliament and the national bureaucracy in 1634 and because this was a time of war and conquests. In the 1600s, Sweden's neighbors in Germany, Poland, Denmark and Russia were suffering from political chaos and weakness. The Swedes exploited the situation by gobbling up bits of Denmark, Norway and lands beyond the Baltic Sea. Sweden became a regional superpower, and Stockholm was transformed into the metropolitan heart of an empire.

Today, over a million people live in Stockholm--meaning that more than ten percent of Sweden's population call Stockholm their home.

We begin the tour in the Old Town, also known as “the Town between the Bridges”, for obvious reasons. The whole city is built on a handful of islands and along the shores, so you’re never far from the water when you’re in Stockholm. But it’s not the same water: the Old Town is situated on an island where Lake Mälaren to the west meets the Baltic Sea to the east. The water you can see, or at least sense, behind and to the right of this square, is the lake. During this tour, we’ll traverse the island and you’ll get a chance to enjoy the view of the sea as well.

If you look ahead across the lake, you can see the Southern Heights. It used to be a poorer area of the city, but gentrification has pushed the poor further out into the suburbs, and today the Southern Heights are a haven for the middle classes and especially hipsters. In other words, if, after the conclusion of this tour, of course, you want to shop for vinyl records, have your beard trimmed or satiate your craving for an espresso-based on sustainably grown coffee, that’s the place to go.

So, without any further ado, let’s start our tour! Walk straight ahead along the square with the buildings to your left until you reach the narrow street called “Tyska brinken” to your left. Don't worry if you're not sure where to turn: I'll let you know when it's time.

The square you’re walking through is called “Mälartorget”, named after the lake. Stockholm is sometimes called “the Queen of Lake Mälaren”, and sometimes, somewhat less romantically, ”the lock of Lake Mälaren”, because if you want to cross from the lake to the Baltic Sea to the east of the Old Town, you have to pass by Stockholm, so whoever controlled this island, controlled the hinterland of the lake to the west. And since that has traditionally been some of the richest farmland in the country, this island has always been important, strategically, politically and financially. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Gamla stan
Upplands runinskrifter 53
Stortorget
Nobel Prize Museum
The Royal Palace
Parliament House
Royal Swedish Opera
King's Garden
Sergel's Square

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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.

Start location
Stortorget, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden
Total distance

2km
Final location
Benny Fredrikssons Torg 5-1, 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden
Distance back to start location

987.83m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at the square Mälartorget in the Old Town. You can reach it very easily by taking the metro (Tunnelbanan) to the station called Gamla stan.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Along the route you'll have plenty of opportunities to grab a drink, an ice cream, a meal or a coffee. Some of the best spots are the Old Town Main Square, Kungsträdgården and the area around Sergel Square at the end of the tour.

Best time of day

You can take this tour any time. Stockholm is beautiful and safe both in the day and at night.

Precautions

Stockholm is a safe place, so there's no need for any particular precautions--except sunscreen on hot days and warm socks in the winter.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”