11-07-2025
I spent 48 hours in Stockholm, this is the ultimate 2-day itinerary
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Set over 14 islands connected by 57 bridges, Stockholm is a captivating city where grand historic buildings and modern architecture mix with lush green spaces and sparkling water.
Here's how to spend 48 hours in the largest city in Scandinavia.
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DAY ONE: Morning
After sailing into Stockholm at the end of our Viking Homelands cruise my mother and I wake up in the Bank Hotel in the heart of the city. The hotel is set in a historic bank and breakfast is served at Bonnies in the Art Deco former bank hall.
From our hotel it's a short stroll to take a boat ride around some of the 30,000 islands that make up the Stockholm Archipelago. Stromma sightseeing boat tours include hop-on, hop-off options for visitors with more time to explore, but we opt for a 90-minute tour where we sit in the open air and listen to the live English commentary as we take in the views.
Back on land take a taxi or Uber to the sculpture park and art gallery Millesgården, the former home of sculptor Carl Milles and his artist wife, Olga. Keep in mind taxi prices are not regulated in Sweden and can vary wildly. Look for the rate displayed on the rear door window before getting in the car. Taxis also accept Uber bookings so you could travel the same way for less.
At Millesgården start with fika, the very easily embraced Swedish tradition of coffee and tea breaks with a snack and chat. Try a knotted cardamom bun as you look out over Milles; sculptures before exploring the gallery and the home.
Millesgården sculpture park in Stockholm.
Afternoon
Head to the park island of Djurgården and start your visit with lunch at Ulla Winbladh, where traditional Swedish food heritage is being kept alive in a historic building.
From here it's a seven-minute walk to the Vasa Museum, the home of a 17th-century warship that is a true work of art. After sinking on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour in 1628 the Vasa was salvaged 333 years later in 1961, and you can now be transfixed by this ship covered in hundreds of carved sculptures.
Then it's less than 10 minutes' walk to a different kind of Swedish history at Abba The Museum. Book ahead to secure your entry time and save money, and prepare to feel the Abba magic as you see those Abba-licious costumes, take photos in the Arrival album's helicopter, dance on stage with Abba holograms, see that Eurovision medal and so much more.
Wax figures on display at Stockholm's ABBA Museum.
Evening
Hop on a tram back to the waterfront boulevard of Strandvägen for dinner at Glashuset. Here the 'fun dining' philosophy has created a welcome way to enjoy cocktails and Swedish flavours on the water's edge. Then wander past some of Stockholm's most beautiful Art Nouveau buildings lit up at night on the short walk back to the Bank Hotel.
Colourful houses on Stortorget Square in Stockholm's Old Town.
DAY TWO: Morning
With most museums and attractions not opening until 10am early risers can explore Stockholm's Old Town, Gamla Stan, before the cobblestoned streets start to fill with tourists. Make your way to Stortorget, the oldest and most picturesque square in Stockholm, before heading to the city's narrowest street, Mårten Trotzigs Alley, which whittles down to around 90cm across.
From the alley it's a five-minute walk to one of the best fika spots in town. The winner of last year's Best Cinnamon Bun in Stockholm competition, Skeppsbro Bageri is a 100 per cent organic artisan bakery with waterfront-view tables. Then explore more Gamla Stan streets on the eight-minute walk to the Royal Palace.
With five museums you could spend all day in the official residence of the King of Sweden, but to save time we take in two: The Treasury, where the Swedish Crown Jewels and other dazzling regalia are stored deep in the cellar vaults, and The Royal Apartments, where opulence is the word and some of the original furnishings date back to the 1730s.
The Avicii Experience in Stockholm.
Afternoon
After lunch in the cosy Chokladkoppen café in Stortorget travel 1.3km to the Avicii Experience, honouring the life of one of Sweden's most prolific songwriters and producers, Tim 'Avicii' Bergling. This interactive museum had me in tears even before I saw the recreation of his childhood bedroom with his original items and doesn't pull any punches as it shows the intense highs and lows of his life.
Then it's back to the waterfront to meet a ferry for the future. The world's first electric hydrofoil ferry, the Candela P-12 Nova, is faster and uses 85 per cent less energy than traditional diesel ferries, and when it rises up on those hydrofoil wings and flies along the water it's a whole lot of fun, too. Take the Nova for a ride to Tappström on Ekerö and back to Klara Mälarstrand before a seven-minute drive to SoFo.
Named for 'south of Folkungagatan' in the Södermalm district, SoFo is full of creative and interesting shops including vintage and thrift stores, local jewellery and fashion boutiques, record stores and tattoo parlours, and cafés and wine bars. Depending on the day, you might catch open-air markets in Nytorget Square, while the last Thursday of the month sees lots of shops open until 9pm for SoFo nights.
Evening
From SoFo stroll to restaurant Pelikan where you can dine on classic Swedish dishes in one of Sweden's oldest restaurants. Try its fall-off-the-bone pork leg that's baked at 90C overnight, or doppsko, the creamed Swedish hash with egg yolk and beetroot. Then it's back to the Bank Hotel for a nightcap before bed at the rooftop bar, Le Hibou, where cocktails on the terrace come with city views.
The writer travelled as a guest of Viking Cruises and stayed as a guest of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Bonnie's Restaurant in the Bank Hotel. Picture: Amanda Woods
How to get to Stockholm, Sweden from Australia
Multiple airlines fly from Australia to Stockholm including Qatar Airways, which has one-stop flights from some Australian cities to Stockholm, and Finnair, which offers flights through Singapore or Hong Kong before a hop to Helsinki.
Where to stay in Stockholm, Sweden
Part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the Bank Hotel has 111 rooms including windowless vault rooms for total blackout sleeps in a historic bank building where modern art mixes with heritage touches just a stone's throw from the waterfront.
Originally published as I spent 48 hours in Stockholm, this is the ultimate 2-day itinerary
