Stockholm city guide: what to do plus the best bars, restaurants and hotels

What to do

Modern art
If you want an authentic modern art experience in Stockholm, plan for two stops outside the city centre. First up is Färgfabriken, in a former paint and soap factory. This is an exhibition space and platform for experimental art and architecture and also offers talks and workshops. The building itself, dating from 1902, is beautiful; make sure to take it all in while enjoying a traditional Swedish fika in the cafe. The second stop is Marabouparken, to the north of Stockholm. It is named after the Marabou chocolate factory, which opened in 1916, partly inspired by the Cadbury factory in Bourneville, Birmingham. The former cocoa lab is now an exhibition space, showcasing works by a wide variety of both Swedish and international artists.
• Färgfabriken: Fargfabriken.se, adults 60 SEK (£5), under-18s free; Marabouparken: marabouparken.se, Löfströmsvägen 8, adults £4.30

Hornstulls street market

Browse through vintage clothes, antiques and furniture as well as food and flower stalls. Located just next to the water in the central Södermalm district, this is the perfect outdoor Sunday activity. Stockholmers come en masse and spend hours browsing the stalls. There are plenty of options for a quick bite along the way, as well as restaurants that serve Sunday brunch – the Mexican restaurant Calexico, just next to the market, is a favourite.
• Sundays 11am-5pm, Hornstulls strand, hornstullsmarknad.se

Kayaking

The best way to get an overview of Stockholm and all the city’s separate islands is from lake Mälaren. If you’re up for breaking some sweat at the same time, you should rent a kayak. Join one of many guided tours where an instructor will teach you the proper techniques before heading off to paddle to islands including Kungsholmen (9km) and Långholmen (6km). Take in tourist attractions such as City Hall, but don’t miss more local hangouts, like the newly built beach walk, Hornsbergs strand, on the north-west side of Kungsholmen.
• Guided kayak tours from £25pp. See kajakkompaniet.se and langholmenkajak.se for information

Swimming, Liljeholmsbadet
Stockholmers swim all year round at the floating bath on lake Mälaren in Hornstull on Södermalm. The public bath has been enjoyed by all ages since it opened in the 1930s and has kept its traditional white and green colour scheme inside. It is right on the water, so you can enjoy a traditional sauna and then a dip in the lake.
• Look out for the white wooden pontoon on Hornstulls strand adult £5, child 4-19 £1.70

And don’t miss …
Launched as an alternative to mainstream tourist guides, Underverk is a platform and initiator of convivial art and design events taking place in Stockholm. This includes supperclubs, talks and exhibitions that are hard to come by for visitors.
• underverk.in has daily updates

Where to eat

Yolo
This newly opened restaurant in the north of Stockholm is one of many recent examples of high-end Stockholm chefs, in this case Jonas Lundgren, deciding to open an affordable restaurant. The focus here is on Swedish seasonal ingredients, including carrots of various colours from the island of Gotland, roe from the river Kalix in the far north, and chicken from the Hagby organic farm close to Stockholm.
• Set five-course dinner from £50pp mains from £17, Vendevägen 14, Djursholm, +46 87550200, yolo.se

Food Trucks
Thanks to a change in street food regulations, Stockholm has experienced a surge in food trucks over the past year. Follow their schedule online and make tracking down the best ones part of your city tour. Look out for the Bun Bun truck, which sells herby, spicy French-Vietnamese bánh mì baguettes, or Fred’s Food Truck for an authentic take on American fast food, including excellent pulled pork or Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.
• Meals from £6, Stockholmfoodtrucks.nu, or download the Streetkäk app

Pärlans Konfektyr
Watch the founders of this sweet shop in the trendy area of Sofo (South of Folkunggatan) on Södermalm making artisanal toffee and fudge. Everything has a retro vibe, the wrapping paper and decor – even the shop assistants’ curls. Don’t be surprised to see the owners dancing away to swinging 1930s jazz. Besides classic chocolate and butter fudge, they make flavours including coconut and lime, salted liquorice and vanilla and sea salt.
• Nytorgsgatan 38, parlanskonfektyr.se

Landet
If you want to get down with the locals, a visit to Landet is a must. The name means “countryside”, and this restaurant in the south of Stockholm was once a post office in an area built to house workers at the nearby Ericsson factory. It remains a social hub. The Konstfack art school is just over the road and has turned the area into a breeding ground for hipsters. Enjoy a fusion of Swedish seasonal and French cuisine. Options include sea bass, chanterelle risotto and fish stew.
• Three-course set dinner £34, main courses from £14, Lm Ericssons väg 27, +46 841019320, Landet.nu

Barbro
Under a bridge in the hip Hornstull area on Södermalm, Barbro is locals’ top choice for Asian fusion food. The restaurant has an industrial chic feel, and a great atmosphere any day of the week. Downstairs you’ll find Sweden’s first cinema bar. Be sure to order the spicy tuna roll – and a ginger doll cocktail to go with it.
• Set dinner £56, Hornstulls Strand 13, +46 8 55060266, bar-bro.se

Adam & Albin Matstudio
This “food studio” in central Stockholm is only open a few days a month. However, the duo have just started serving a noodle lunch on weekdays between 12am-2pm. The home-like environment is definitely worth a visit!
• Small dishes from £7, mains from £25, Rådmansgatan 16, +46 8 411 55 35, adamalbin.se

Where to drink

Erlands
Gustaf Forsberg realised his dream in 2013, when he opened Erlands, a cocktail and coffee bar named after his grandfather, in the relaxed Vasastan district. Everything here stays true to the 1950s and 1960s look, including the cocktail glasses, the upstairs lounge with its teak furniture, the soft jazz in the background, and even Gustaf’s vintage outfit. But the cocktails take centre stage and are like drinkable pieces of art – try the margarita or the pisco sour.
• Cocktails from £12, Gästrikegatan 1, Erlands.nu

Mikkeller Stockholm

The opening of Danish brewhouse Mikkeller has created a buzz among Stockholm beer lovers. Choose from its 20 taps offering ales from Mikkeller and from breweries around the world. Complete the experience by ordering something to nibble, too, such as a delicious cheese and honey mustard open sandwich, or grab a hotdog next door at the German beer bar, Bierhaus.
• Döbelnsgatan 25, mikkeller.dk/mikkeller-stockholm

Häktet Vänster

With no website and few reviews, this bar’s fame is spread by word of mouth. Part of a former prison, Häktet Vänster is a hidden cocktail bar. You have to ring the bell before entering; when you’re buzzed in, you climb up the stairs to the prohibition-era bar. Lamps with old-fashioned shades spread a little light, leaving the interior dark but cosy. Locals come here to kick off their weekend with a few cocktails, such as the Luchador Belt and the Chocolate Sensual.
• Drinks about £12, Hornsgatan 82, Open Mon-Sat from 5pm, haktet.se

Where to stay

HTL
HTL is a new and affordable boutique hotel and a perfect choice if location – it’s bang in the city centre – is more important to you than space. The rooms are small, but cleverly designed, with plenty of under-bed storage. The pared-down colour scheme comes with some bright splashes (a purple bed cover, an orange side table and a pink storage unit in the bathroom, for example). You’ll be sure to stay well-connected, as each room includes free Wi-Fi and lets you connect your smartphone to an LED screen. The hotel has quickly turned into a cool hangout for locals too: they use it as a workspace during the day and for socialising in the evenings. Don’t miss the lounge that opens on to a secluded patio – when the weather is kind enough.
• Doubles from £69, +46 840920920, htlhotels.com

Miss Clara

A former girls’ school that has been transformed into a hotel, the Miss Clara is named after its most inspiring headmistress, one Clara Strömberg. The art nouveau building, which dates back to 1910, offers a great escape from the city buzz that surrounds it. There are 92 rooms, all of which are designed with great attention to detail, including dark fishbone parquet floors and limestone tiles that nod towards its Swedish heritage. Look out for the standard room deals, which compare well with budget hotels in this downtown area.
• Rooms from £96, +46 844 06700, missclarahotel.com

Motel L
Check into Motel L if you want to avoid the busy city centre entirely. It’s in the south-eastern Hammarby Sjöstad neighbourhood, which is quickly becoming one of Stockholm’s most sought-after areas to live and hang out in. If you find the typical minimal Scandinavian aesthetic a bore, this is for you: the rooms have bright pink and blue carpets, loud wallpaper by Swedish illustrator Lisa Bengtsson, and orange ceilings in the bathrooms. The hotel sits right on the waterfront, which gives it an incredible Stockholm-meets-Venice feel, complete with narrow canals. Another big plus is that the building is energy efficient.
• Rooms from £56, +46 840902600, Motel-l-se

Hellstens Malmgård

In the 18th century this hotel was Queen Christina’s hunting palace; today it is a popular city retreat that offers a taste of old Sweden. The rooms are decorated with antique furniture, fireplaces and original wooden flooring for an authentic country house feel. You still get to enjoy the delights of 21st century Stockholm though: the hotel is in the trendy Södermalm neighbourhood, close to some of the city’s most popular bars and restaurants, including the burger joint Marie Laveau, the Folkbaren bar (right next to people’s opera house Folkoperan) and the locals’ all-time favourite, Italian restaurant Pane Vino.
• Doubles from £77, +46 46505800, Hellstensmalmgard.se