Stockholm City Guide

Sweden's beautiful capital, Stockholm, has a picturesque setting that makes the city unique. Located in the south part of the country, Stockholm is not the oldest city in Sweden, but over the years it has became a national center and the most important city of the country. The city has a population of approximately 765,000 inhabitants in the center and 1.9 million in the metro area, with numbers increasing rapidly.

When it comes to architecture in Stockholm you can find all types of buildings, the oldest dating in the 15th century. Most tourist attractions can be found in the inner city ("innerstaden") which is divided into three major zones thanks to the geography of Stockholm, with its charming islands and mass of water. The first district consists of Normalm, Vasastan and Östermalm, while the island of Gamla Stan and Södermalm for the second one, leaving Kungsholmen island as the third district. While visiting Stockholm, remember that the tap water is of very high quality, thus there is no reason to buy bottled water!

The national language of Sweden is Swedish, but almost everyone can speak fluent English! However, every tiny attempt of a tourist to speak some words in Swedish is highly appreciated. The most common greeting form is Hej, a sort of "Hi" you can also use when you leave, and though Swedish don’t often use the work "Please" (snälla), they do make excessive use of tack (tuck), meaning "thanks". Their English skills are no doubt very good, but do not be surprised of the excessive swearing( due to movies) or by some similar words that have totally different meaning as in English; such as ‘fack’(‘compartment’), ‘fart’(‘speed’), ‘prick’(‘spot’) and ‘slut’(‘end’) among others.

Taking in consideration the weather, the best time to visit is from late May to early September to enjoy summer or from February to April if you are looking for snow. Be aware that daylight varies greatly during the year. Probably the busiest month is July, the time of the "industrial vacation" when be prepared for heavy traffic and crowd everywhere. Other major holidays are Easter, Midsummer, and Christmas. Note that most holidays are celebrated a day before, as the majority of Swedish people do nothing on the day itself!

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Stockholm guide