6 Fun Things to do in Stockholm, Sweden: 3 Day Itinerary

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In summer 2026, I spent almost three weeks bouncing around Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Aside from absolutely destroying my wallet, I learned a lot about the region. Likee these capital cities aren’t very activity heavy. Of course, there are things to do in Stockholm, Oslo, and Helsinki, but the pace is very different than more popular destination cities. Aka…the pace is slow. Instead of running between itinerary checkpoints, think instead of sleeping in (or turning in early), having leisurely cafe breaks, and going for strolls upon strolls.

That’s the vibe in Stockholm, just so your expectations are appropriate.

If you are typically a travel busybody (like I am), Stockholm might seem too slow to be enjoyable, but I was able to find some unique things to do in Stockholm to plump up my short 3 days in the city. If you tend to travel slower or want a relaxing getaway, then Stockholm just might be your new favorite city.

On this trip, I visited Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm, but I’ll keep all comparisons until the end. For now, let’s just get into these fun things to do in Stockholm, Sweden.

Where to Stay

But first, if you’re staying overnight, you’re going to need a place to rest your head. Since we were only in town for 3 days, we decided to pick convenience over savings and booked Hôtel Reisen. The hotel is located right on the waterfront in Old Town and is walkable to a number of attractions, shops, and restaurants. Plus, since it is a Hyatt property, you can use points to cut down on costs, which is what we did.

The staff were all incredibly nice and the lobby is bright and inviting. The lobby has a small seating area as well as a hotel, lounge, bar, and a gym and sauna as well (though, more on those last two in a bit).

The room was sufficiently spacious without feeling empty. The bed was incredibly comfortable, though that is a trait I’ve noticed throughout a lot of the properties we stayed in across the Nordic cities.

The downsides, I thought there was air conditioning, but perhaps it didn’t kick on because it didn’t get too hot? The shower also had some open areas that led to water getting on the floor, but that is also very common in these countries so I wouldn’t necessarily hold that against the hotel.

The food at the onsite restaurant is pretty good as well, especially the meatballs which I had to taste of course. Since breakfast wasn’t included, we opted to sleep in and not spend extra on breakfast most days but it is probably pretty solid considering how dinner went.

The last amenity we used was the onsite sauna and it was great! I mean, sauna is one of the best things to do in Stockholm, so it’s nice that you can knock this one out at the hotel. There’s only one sauna room, so if there are other people present just be mindful of adding more water to steam or leaving the door open so that the temperature is comfortable for everyone. The only downside to the sauna is that it is past the bar area so when you are entering/exiting…it feels a little awkward since you’ll probably be in a robe.

And as I said before, the hotel is super central and convenient so it made getting around Stockholm extremely easy.

Getting Around Stockholm

SPEAKING OF. How do you get around Stockholm? Thankfully, the public transit is fantastic in Stockholm. Even getting from the airport to the city center is easy with an express train station stop right at the airport terminal that leaves every 10 minutes or so.

Must be nice for your taxes to go to public infrastructure.

I found Google Maps to work great throughout Stockholm and I was able to easily navigate between all of the things to do in Stockholm without much hiccup. Using the public transit in the city is easy as you can simply tap your credit card (physical or digital from your phone) to pay your fare, including on buses and public ferries.

YEAH, there are even some public ferries!! Don’t worry, Google Maps will alert you of what kind of transport you will be taking and you can always avoid the ferry if you want. In fact, I only used it once and that was because I wanted to (there were other options).

There is a lot of public art in the subway stations, so keep an eye out as you’re getting around town. If you’re a photographer (or like to post on Instagram), visiting all the artsy stations is one of the best things to do in Stockholm.

For rideshares, similar to my time in Oslo and Helsinki, there is both Uber and Bolt and found Bolt to be more available and cheaper than Uber most of the time. I’d still recommend checking both just in case, but definitely download Bolt.

Other than that, Stockholm is very walkable. As long as you have the time, you can basically walk anywhere within the city. On days when we finished up doing the typical things to do in Stockholm, we just strolled around as the sun set and it was quite pleasant.

What to Eat

I didn’t eat at any fancy places, so I can’t speak on Stockholm’s fine-dining scene, but for the more casual places, in general, were pretty average. Not horrifically bad, but also not too memorable. It’s not the worst diagnosis, trust me, but personally I wouldn’t consider Stockholm to be a foodie city.

Sorry.

But thankfully you won’t be eating trash or anything. The options are pretty solid here, which is more than I can say of some other European cities. For breakfast, we usually stuck to cafes which were hit or miss, but I did like Cafe Schweizer which is in the heart of Old Town. Because of that, it does get busy, but the table turnover is relatively fast. They don’t have a full breakfast menu, but plenty of pastries, quiches, and cakes.

Apparently people eat cake for breakfast in Stockholm. Who knew?

The only proper breakfast spot we ate at was STHLM Brunch Club, and it’s the most popular brunch spot in the city. In fact, I’ve seen some travel guides listing it as one of the best things to do in Stockholm. Now…I wouldn’t go that far, but it was very tasty. They will probably have a line, so make sure to arrive earlier to put your name on the waitlist since there are no reservations.

When it comes to lunch and dinner, I was surprised at the sheer amount of Italian restaurants literally everywhere. In Old Town, there were two or three on the same street, sometimes right next to each other. Now I didn’t eat at any, but just know that’s an option! In general the food is expensive in Stockholm, there’s no getting around it. So I’m going to list a few of the spots I recommend eating at between the things to do in Stockholm.

• Stockholms Gästabud: classic Swedish food that is very traditional homestyle cooking.
• Östermalms Food Hall: Northern Europe loves a food hall, and that is especially true for the Nordic countries. This one is the most convenient for tourists and has a lot of options.
• La Neta City: honestly, I went here purely out of curiousity and yooo it was actually good! Thank you Mexicans for making one of the best cuisines in the world and bringing it with you around the world. That said, this is still Sweden so it wasn’t that spicy, but there was good flavor.
• ima street: this Asian street food spot came highly recommended to me but unfortunately I got there too late and they had closed early that day (sold out maybe?). It’s in a popular food/shopping street, so if you’re able to eat there let me know how it is!
• bim (vegan friendly): since ima street was closed, we went to the nearby restaurant bim since we were in the mood for something fresh and on the healthier side. This is a very vegan friendly restaurant that also does meals to go and has a focus on sustainability!
• Saya Sushi: this was a last minute pop in as it was one of the last restaurants open near one of the late things to do in Stockholm. They have Korean cuisine and sushi, so you can pick what you’re in the mood for.

Speaking of late night, while we were strolling around Old Town, we came across the desert chain Letiz Gelato, which has won awards for its unique flavors. Personally, I didn’t think they were thaat unique, but they were good and they’re open late as well so it makes for a good night cap sweet treat.

Things to do in Stockholm

If there’s one thing you can count on in Europe, it’s that there’s a museum somewhere around the corner. That’s no different here and visiting a museum is one of the best things to do in Stockholm. I’m not someone who typically goes to “standard” museums (science, natural history, art, etc) unless there is a specific exhibition going on that I’m interesting in.

When I’m traveling, the museums I like to go to are usually cultural museums so I can learn understand why a destination is the way it is, or some random super niche museum that I can’t go to anywhere else. Thankfully there’s a few of those in Stockholm that fit the bill!

• ABBA The Museum: yes, that ABBA! I honestly hadn’t known anything about them until a former project manager used their songs at every.single.meeting and so I had to visit just to see what the hype was about. It does get pretty crowded through, so visit on a week day if possible.
• Avicii Experience: now this museum was more my music taste. I loved that it was interactive and fun, but also very powerfully done in his memory. It was one of my favorite things to do in Stockholm.
• Vasa Museum: on the other hand, if you want something historically connected to Sweden, here you can see the world’s only (almost) fully intact 17th-century ship and learn more about the maritime history of the region.
• Nobel Prize Museum: or if you’re craving something more culturally insightful on a global scale, you can go here and learn how the contributions of some of the world’s greatest researchers and activists have impacted today’s society.

Wander Old Town

Old Town is a popular neighborhood for the reason most “old towns” are: they’re compact with stores and restaurants and usually have a cute historic backdrop. This one is the same. The buildings are tall with winding streets and there’s souvenir shops and cafes spread throughout. There’s not much to Old Town in the sense of “things to do” in Stockholm, but it’s a nice first stop to center yourself.

Another benefit of staying in Hôtel Reisen is that you’re just steps away from the activity of Old Town, but on a much quieter street. So you can wake up early and get pictures before the crowds take over the area and you can also stay later and people watch as the shops close up and the streets slow down.

Two places in Old Town I really enjoyed, and ended up revisiting before the end of my trip, are Eye Shut Island for cute pop art and Coop Järntorget which was just a small grocery store for snacks and Swedish candy. Since we’re on the topic….I’m sorry but I’m not a fan of Swedish candies and especially not licorice. But hey, I tried it. To each their own.

Clothes Shopping

My favorite of these things to do in Stockholm, and what really sets the city apart from the other Nordic capitals, is shopping. If you love shopping, you’ll be spoiled for choice. From designer to vintage, checking out the fashion scene is one of the best things to do in Stockholm. Everyone’s tastes are different, so I’ll just quickly note a few shops I really enjoyed and you can choose to check out if you like.

• Svenskt Tenn Design furniture (fun colorful decor and great ideas if you love bold prints and patterns)
• Axel Arigato
• OUR LEGACY
• Acne Studios Norrmalmstorg
• Acne Studios NK Women
• IKEA City – Stockholm Gallerian (I meannn you gotta. Even if you just get a soft serve cone!)
• Acne Archive Torsgatan (can you tell I like Acne?? Such good finds here!)
• Our Legacy Work Shop (unique experiemental pieces)

Gröna Lund

Now if you’re into rollercoasters and thrills, thankfully Stockholm’s got something for ya! Gröna Lund is an amusement park, but just know that it is seasonal so if you’re visiting outside of summer it may not be open for you. But if you are visiting in summer, it can be one of the best things to do in Stockholm!

It’s definitely more of a full day activity, or at least a half-day, but thankfully there are some options for food onsite. I wouldn’t have high expectations necessarily, but it gets the job done. There are a lot of teens, young families, and couples so the energy is very lively and fun. You may also get to catch a performance or concert in the area. Plus, you can also visit the ABBA and Vasa museums while you’re in the area. Three birds, one ferry ride!

SkiStar Hammarbybacken

If you want something a bit more active but maybe not quite amusement park levels, then SkiStar Hammarbybacken will be one of the best things to do in Stockholm. And the best part, they also have activities during the winter! I went during the summer and there are a few activities but I just did the mountain coaster. It’s very short (like…30 seconds), but it was honestly the most fun I’d had up to that point.

It’s hands down one of the best things to do in Stockholm for kids under 12 or so as well. The only thing to note is that public transit won’t get you all the way there, so once you make it to the last station stop, I recommend grabbing a Bolt. The walk is long and taking a scooter is…the worst possible option. Trust me.

Fika

And last, but not at all least (in fact, this probably should’ve been first), one of the musts for things to do in Stockholm is to fika! If you haven’t heard of it before, fika is a essentially the word in Swedish for taking a break (usually with another person) with a cup of coffee and a cookie, cake, or other sweets. But the tradition of fika has gone on for centuries and is more of a lifestyle tradition and has come to represent Swedish values of togetherness, equality, and simplicity.

In their eyes, no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you do, you deserve a moment to pause, yap, and enjoy a warm drink. I don’t have any specific cafe recommendations for fika, in part because I was just in town for three days and another part…eh, none of them really stood out amongst the others in an outstanding way.

They were all great, much better than cafes in Norway (no shade but…), so wherever you are, pop into the closest cafe and take time to reflect and enjoy the present. You don’t have to tell me twice to enjoy a cinnamon bun and chai latte.

I know it’s cheesy or whateva, but I’ll give it to em, it’s pretty nice.

General Vibes

Overall, while Stockholm isn’t my absolute favorite city in the world, I do see the perks. It’s extremely kid friendly with lots of parks, playgrounds, and intentional spaces to entertain children.

There’s kids everywhere and for the most part, they’re pretty well behaved (from what I saw). Even in museums, there are dedicated areas and activities to keep them entertained. Most restaurants had high chairs and were happy to move tables and chairs to accommodate strollers. Although I personally don’t have kids, it was very sweet to see.

There are readily available public restrooms and they were clean, so you really can just walk and stroll everywhere without the worry of bodily functions catching up to you.

The stereotype that Swedish people aren’t very chatty…is true. I didn’t have any interactions with people outside of employees of the places I went. For me, I almost prefer that hahaha, but if you are someone who likes to strike up conversation and get to know people, you might feel a bit stifled.

That said, Stockholm did feel fairly diverse for what I expected of the destination, which could be because of it’s closer proximity to mainland Europe. Do people call it mainland Europe? I digress. I was halfway expecting to stick out way more than I did, but honestly no one paid me any mind which I liked.

Compared to Helsinki and Oslo, Stockholm just make the most sense for a stopover/layover geographically. I think it’s also the better shopping city, though I will say Oslo had the most activities and things to do. But overall, yeah, Stockholm is cute.

Conclusion

And that’s all folks! Like I said, there isn’t toooo much in the way of things to do in Stockholm, but it felt like a very ALIVE place nonetheless. Lots of folks, both visitors and residents, walking around, enjoying the day, doing fika.

…or maybe it was just the nice summer weather.

In any case, it was a great way to close out my Nordic summer. Have you ever been to Stockholm? What were your experiences like? Is there anything I missed out on that you would recommend as a must for things to do in Stockholm? Let me know in the comments below! And if any of you are on your way to Stockholm, feel free to drop any specific questions and I’ll do my best to answer them.

YES-it is expensive. Hahahah. I don’t have any tips on that besides prepare your wallet.

If you’re going to Finland or Norway, feel free to check out my other city guides:

• Things to do in Oslo, Norway
• Things to do in Helsinki, Finland

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