In this post I will share my experience of Stockholm old town and Gamla Stan. In my previous post you read all about my first day in Stockholm, the journey from the airport, checking in to our hostel and a tour of the hostel. Today I am going to share what we did on day two of our three day trip to Stockholm.

The hostel beds were really comfy and after a good nights sleep we were ready for an early start on our second day in Stockholm. We enjoyed a simple breakfast of cereals, fruits and tea after which we took a short leisurely walk from our hostel which is very conveniently located near the bus station to the old town.

Walking Tours in Stockholm old town

We had booked two walking tours with Nordic Freedom Walking Tours. The tours are approximately two hours long and are free to book. Generally after the walking tour a donation is given. This helps to fund more tours for the tourists. The guides conduct the tours in several languages. This is a very inexpensive way to see Stockholm and take in some history if you are travelling on a budget. While our walking tours in Stockholm were enjoyable, they were also very exhausting.

The house of Nobility, Parliament House, The Riksdag in Old Town Gamla Stan

We arrived at the meeting point for our first tour of Stockholm city. Our first stop was The House of Nobility. It is a building and a corporation that is responsible for keeping records and representing the Swedish nobility. We walked past the The Parliament House, the Riksdag. It is located on nearly half of Helgeandsholmen, in the Gamla Stan district of central Stockholm. 

The Royal Palace in Stockholm Old Town

We also visited The Royal Palace of Stockholm. This is His Majesty The King’s official residence and the location of most of the monarchy’s official receptions.

The palace is open for public viewing, you can purchase tickets to view the inside. The palace has many interesting things to see. In addition to the Royal Apartments there are three museums. The Treasury with the regalia, the Tre Kronor Museum  and Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities.

Royal Dramatic Theater at Nybroplan

We enjoyed hearing the guide tell the story of Margaret Krook, a well-known artist, during the walk. She is commemorated by a statue at Nybroplan’s Royal Dramatic Theater corner. A heated coil runs through her body since she always insisted that statues are cold, and she did not want her statue to be cold.

Hermitage vegetarian and Vegan Restaurant in Old town Stockholm

After our tour we were famished so we found a vegetarian/vegan restaurant called Hermitage. The cafeteria style restaurant offers a buffet system and the choice and variety of food was amazing. I would highly recommend it if you visit Stockholm. 

After a really delicious and filling lunch we decided to check out the shops. Most are Swedish style, very clean very modern and European. It is not cheap to shop in Sweden, so we only bought a few souvenirs. 

Walking tour in Gamla Stan Sweden

After our lunch we joined our second walking tour of the old town Gamla Stan, the original city center. It is made up of Stadsholmen island and the islets of Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen and Strömsborg. The old town is packed with cafés, restaurants, tourist shops, studios and galleries. Additionally, there is also the Nobel Prize Museum and the Post Museum in Gamla Stan

This walking tour was really enjoyable as there were lots of cobbled streets and very picturesque buildings. We walked down Swedens narrowest street Marten Trotzigs.There is an old myth that if you walk along it with your arms extended and make a wish, it will come true. 

Our walking tour ended at Stortorget public square. Schantzska House and Seyfridtzska House are famous coloured buildings that we enjoyed photographing.

Swedish Fika and dinner at Saffran

After our walking tour, we enjoyed a Fika which is very common in Sweden. Fika is where you stop for a coffee and cake and enjoy a chat with your friends and watch the world go by. After some relaxing back at out hostel we went out for an enjoyable dinner at Indian restaurant Saffran. I would highly recommend a visit there, if you visit Stockholm.

In the Next blog I will cover our Day three. Watch this space. If you missed my Stockholm day 1 you can read it here:Stockholm in Three Days part 1You can check out our vlogs here:

Sweden Stockholm Day 1:

 Stockholm City Hostel Tour and Drottninggatan 

Sweden Stockholm Day 1: Stockholm City Hostel Tour and Drottninggatan  

Sweden Stockholm Day 2: 

Share this post