Feature · Stockholm
Stockholm, the classic and the new
A capital built on islands, of copper roofs and red timber, where a 17th-century warship and a three-star kitchen are both part of the same afternoon. By the ULTIMATE Stockholm Editorial Team.
Updated October 2026
Grand hotels and house hotels
Stockholm’s grand hotels face the water. The Grand Hôtel, opened by Régis Cadier in 1874, looks across the harbour to the Royal Palace; Hotel Diplomat has stood on Strandvägen since 1911; Berns, by Berzelii Park, has entertained the city since 1863.
A newer Stockholm prefers the feel of a private house: Ett Hem, “for people looking for something more personal than the luxury hotel”, in its own words; Villa Dagmar on Nybrogatan; Villa Dahlia on the leafy square of Tegnérlunden; and Ruth in Vasastan, new to MICHELIN’s hotel selection.
The palaces
The Royal Palace at the head of Gamla Stan is the King’s official residence, where its Royal Apartments, the Treasury and the Museum Tre Kronor are open to visitors. Riddarholmen Church, beside it, is the burial church of the kings. Out on Lake Mälaren, Drottningholm, the royal family’s home since 1981, joined UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1991, with its court theatre and Chinese Pavilion.
The Royal Palace Drottningholm
The museum island
Djurgården is the city’s great green room. The Vasa Museum shows the warship that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628; Skansen, founded in 1891, is the world’s oldest open-air museum; ABBA The Museum, Nordiska museet and Junibacken stand along the shore, and further east the painter-prince’s Waldemarsudde and the Thiels’ gallery on Blockhusudden.
At the table
Stockholm eats at both ends of the scale. Frantzén holds Three MICHELIN Stars in the 2026 guide and AIRA, on the water at Djurgården, Two; Operakällaren, Ekstedt and Seafood Gastro are among the One-Star tables. And the classics remain: the Veranda’s smörgåsbord at the Grand Hôtel, Den Gyldene Freden in Gamla Stan, serving guests since 1722, and Pelikan’s Jugend rooms on Södermalm.
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Fika
Fika, the coffee break with something sweet, is the city’s ritual. Its emblem, the cinnamon bun, has its own day on 4 October; before Lent comes the semla, a cream-and-almond bun eaten since the 16th century, says Visit Sweden. Vete-Katten, Tössebageriet, founded in 1920, and Valhallabageriet are the places to start.
Islands and boats
More than 30,000 islands begin twenty minutes from the city. Waxholmsbolaget’s boats leave Strömkajen for Vaxholm and its fortress, and SL tickets are valid that far all year; Fjäderholmarna are a short hop; and Artipelag, on Värmdö, can be reached by boat from Strandvägen in summer.
The new Stockholm
The city is growing. Region Stockholm is building 30 kilometres of new metro and 18 new stations, all underground; Hagastaden, begun in 2010, is to be complete in 2030 with 7,000 homes and 50,000 workplaces; and Norra Djurgårdsstaden, the Royal Seaport, is rising on the north-eastern waterfront.
Opera, theatre and film
The Royal Swedish Opera was founded by Gustav III in 1773; Dramaten is the national stage for theatre; and Konserthuset, home of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, is celebrating 100 years. On screen, Stockholm has played itself in Let the Right One In, The Square and the Millennium films, as Visit Stockholm records.
Stockholm on film Arts & Culture
Questions and answers
When is the best time to visit Stockholm?
Summer for the archipelago and the long light; December for the Christmas markets and Lucia.
Do I need a car in Stockholm?
No: SL’s metro, trains, trams and boats cover the city and the inner archipelago.
Sources: grandhotel.se, diplomathotel.com, berns.se, etthem.se, kungahuset.se, kungligaslotten.se, vasamuseet.se, skansen.se, guide.michelin.com (2026), gyldenefreden.se, pelikan.se, tosse.se, visitsweden.com, visitstockholm.com, sl.se, nyatunnelbanan.se, hagastaden.se, operan.se, dramaten.se and konserthuset.se (checked 28 October 2026).