Sweden guide
Pick through our Sweden travel guide and find out what we consider to be rated, underrated and downright overrated as well as a brief history of Sweden and how to travel like a local on your Sweden holiday.
Best time to visit Stockholm
Summertime is pretty special in Stockholm – warm temperatures and 18-hour days lure everyone outside and beyond the city limits.![]()
You can visit Stockholm year round, just be prepared to wrap up in winter, when temps drop to -3°C. Come in Dec for atmospheric Christmas markets and twinkling lights. If you want to enjoy the countryside on the doorstep, the best time to visit Stockholm is May-Sept. From mid July-Aug you’ll meet Swedes on holiday, too, but overcrowding is rarely an issue. Want the place to yourself? Go May-mid July, when the landscape is green and the weather warm, at 15-20°C. Outside the summer, things become unpredictable. There can be snow in April, and by Oct the nights draw in and it turns cold.
Stockholm Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
-5
0
37
FEB
-5
-1
27
MAR
-3
3
24
APR
1
8
30
MAY
6
15
29
JUN
11
20
45
JUL
13
22
64
AUG
13
20
61
SEP
9
15
52
OCT
5
10
47
NOV
1
5
50
DEC
-3
1
44
Stockholm travel advice
Carmen Hamdi, from our partner Nordic Trails, moved from the UK to Sweden with her family. She gives her insights into Stockholm and the surrounding countryside:
When to visit
“December is a lovely cosy month here in Stockholm. The darkness outside is brightened up by the Christmas lights in people’s houses – you never pass a house without the classic advent lights in the windows. Snow is not guaranteed throughout December, but it adds a lot to the atmosphere if it does fall in the lead up to Christmas. Christmas markets are very popular in and around the city – Skansen and Gamla Stan hold the most popular ones.”
What to check out in Stockholm...
“I’d recommend a visit to Gamla Stan (the old town), walking around the small alleys of Söder, plus the beautiful Monteliusvägen in Söder which is a quarter mile path with lovely views of Lake Mälaren. Vasa Museum is outstanding, Rosendahls Trädgård, a garden on Djurgården island is great, plus the Ecopark. Any of the thousands of islands are a boat journey away. Skansen open air museum is in a lovely setting and the Abba Museum is a lot of fun for ABBA fans.”
What to eat
“Meatballs of course! If made well they are really delicious, with the essential ‘gräddsås’ sauce and lingonberries on the side. Also, herring is eaten in many different forms, from the somewhat acquired taste of rollmop herrings to pan-fried herring with mashed potatoes and butter. The Swedish ‘fika’ or coffee break has also become something of a phenomenon. Bakeries are really very popular all over town.”
How to eat out without breaking the bank
“Eating out is expensive, around SEK 200 for a main course in a mainstream restaurant, but higher prices at anywhere smarter. Alcohol is expensive when bought in restaurants, but not so bad actually if you buy a bottle of wine from the state run Systembolaget [a government owned chain of stores selling alcohol]. Lunches called a ‘Dagens lunch’ are a good deal. You get a cooked meal for SEK 80-100 with salad, drink and coffee.”
How to get around Stockholm
“Stockholm is easy to get around. It’s rather small, so actually you can get around most of it on foot. There is an excellent system of trams and buses and the underground which make everywhere accessible, not to mention the intricate system of boats heading in and out of the archipelago. Excellent English is spoken here in the city. You’re certainly welcome to try some Swedish, no one will laugh, but locals are quite likely to revert back to English. They are very used to speaking it. It’s also very child friendly here. There are lots of parks and open spaces for kids to play in, and families are welcome at all restaurants.”
Sweden activity holiday, Stockholm countryside
Multi-activity tour in Stockholm's picturesque countryside
From
SKr12645 to SKr12945
7 days
ex flights
Central archipelago walking tour in Sweden
Summer island hopping through Stockholm's central archipelago
From
SKr10350
7 days
ex flights
Baltic coast walking holiday, Sweden
Discover the coast & islands of the Baltic
From
SKr12975
8 days
ex flights
Sweden self guided cycling holiday
Self-guided cycling in Stockholm's picturesque countryside
From
SKr10600
6 days
ex flights
Sweden cycling holiday, Stockholm archipelago
Self-guided cycling in Stockholm's fantastic archipelago
From
SKr9375
6 days
ex flights
Southern archipelago self-guided walking tour, Sweden
Summer walking through Stockholm's southern archipelago
From
SKr10300
7 days
ex flights
Contact Us
Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.
01273 823 700
Call us tomorrow after 9am
Calling from outside the UK
Tips from our travellers in Stockholm
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Stockholm travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Stockholm travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
In Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is outstanding...![]()
– Ian Buckley
“Take up the suggestion for walking in or near Stockholm itself: we took up the Eco Park option and spent a day walking in Djurgården, unwinding from our journey to Stockholm, catching a glimpse of deer in the park, eating at the organic gardening project, and seeing another side of the city, before setting out on our trip.” – Bronwen Davies
“To use the public transport system in Stockholm you need to buy either one Access card, which can be used to buy tickets for a group of people travelling together; or an Access card for each person, which can be used to buy 24-hour or 72-hour travel cards. It may be a good idea to have bought these online before you travel, so that you can use them as soon as you arrive.” – Bronwen Davies
“If you are travelling beyond Stockholm, be aware that if you go out of season some restaurants/shops may be closed. However, we didn’t find that a disadvantage. Also, going in early June means missing most of the mosquitos.” – Andrew and Sharon Venables
“In Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is outstanding. We extended our canoeing holiday to stay in Stockholm at the end. It is such a beautiful city it is definitely worth doing (if time and money allows).” – Ian Buckley
“There was a bit of wet weather around although we got fairly lucky, so pack appropriately. Make sure you have enough time in Stockholm, it is worth it. We also booked a follow up week on the island of Utö, which was fantastic, so maybe consider this if you want another week.” – Mike Platten
“To use the public transport system in Stockholm you need to buy either one Access card, which can be used to buy tickets for a group of people travelling together; or an Access card for each person, which can be used to buy 24-hour or 72-hour travel cards. It may be a good idea to have bought these online before you travel, so that you can use them as soon as you arrive.” – Bronwen Davies
“If you are travelling beyond Stockholm, be aware that if you go out of season some restaurants/shops may be closed. However, we didn’t find that a disadvantage. Also, going in early June means missing most of the mosquitos.” – Andrew and Sharon Venables
“In Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is outstanding. We extended our canoeing holiday to stay in Stockholm at the end. It is such a beautiful city it is definitely worth doing (if time and money allows).” – Ian Buckley
“There was a bit of wet weather around although we got fairly lucky, so pack appropriately. Make sure you have enough time in Stockholm, it is worth it. We also booked a follow up week on the island of Utö, which was fantastic, so maybe consider this if you want another week.” – Mike Platten
More Stockholm articles
Sweden’s capital is a destination in its own right, but take time to explore beyond its boundaries and you’ll find quiet beaches, tiny islands and pristine lakes. Our Stockholm travel guide celebrates the city and also highlights the treats on its doorstep – from pretty Baltic towns, castles and manor houses, peaceful nature reserves and sparkling lakes.
More relevant guides
