Your guide to Stockholm’s best neighborhoods

Even though its core is scattered across some 14 islands, Stockholm is a compact, accessible city – and it’s easy to wander between its distinctive neighborhoods even on a short trip.

But since you won’t want to be on the move all the time, use our guide to Stockholm’s best neighborhoods to work out where you’d most like to linger.

1. Östermalm

Best neighborhood for luxury

Though Swedes tend to be more understated than many Europeans, you can get a taste of opulence in Östermalm. Its hub, in around Stureplan square, brims with high-end designer fashion outlets, award-winning bistros and champagne-popping clubs.

Close by, moored yachts and outdoor bars line one side of waterfront Strandvägen, with elaborate 19th-century buildings on the other. Most are apartment blocks containing some of the priciest pieces of real estate in the city; others are occupied by hotels, restaurants, interior design stores and foreign embassies.

2. Djurgården

Best neighborhood for family outings

Once a royal hunting ground, Djurgården is a verdant pleasure district as beloved by Stockholmers as it is by tourists. The largely pedestrianized island offers ample spaces in which to picnic, walk or cycle. Many of Stockholm’s most popular family attractions are also based here, from Gröna Lund amusement park and its high-speed rollercoasters, to the open-air museum Skansen, which is home to brown bears, wolves and moose as well as (human) historical reenactors.

Dedicated to Sweden’s most successful music export ever, ABBA the Museum is another (campy) highlight. On the other side of the island, the greenhouses and flower beds of Rosendals Trädgård, a popular biodynamic farm and restaurant, draw crowds on the weekend. This is a particularly gorgeous spot in the fall, when the landscape bursts into a color palette of rich autumnal tones.

3. Gamla Stan

Best neighborhood for history

While a contemporary buzz infuses every neighborhood of Stockholm, the city’s historic center, Gamla Stan, offers an unmissable opportunity to soak up its impressive past. Dating back more than 750 years, the meandering cobbled streets here are steeped in history, having witnessed witnessed everything from medieval markets and bloody battles to labor demonstrations in the 20th century.

Taking in Gamla Stan’s brightly colored facades, scattered statues, royal buildings and well-organized museums is likely to be on most visitors’ must-do lists. Yet while the district’s charm is undeniable, it’s rarely frequented by locals. Don’t miss it – then be sure to venture further afield to get a true sense of how Stockholmers live.

4. Hägersten-Liljeholmen

Best neighborhood for local secrets

To the southwest of Stockholm, this sprawling city borough is home to fashion-forward students studying at the Konstfack art school, as well as hip young couples and families priced out of Södermalm. These populations mean the neighborhood is scattered with hidden gems. Cozy pubs, homeware stores and a single-screen cinema are highlights of the Midsommarkransen district, while Telefonplan is home to several intimate live-music venues.

There’s also Färgfabriken, a cultural center close to Trekanten tram stop that hosts contemporary art exhibitions, vintage clothing sales and food events. The surrounding area is poised to be redeveloped into an area called Lövholmen, with new apartment buildings and restaurants to come on the former industrial shoreline.

5. Norrmalm

Best neighborhood for hotels

In the busy commercial heart of Stockholm and near Stockholm Central Station, functionalist concrete office buildings and chain stores predominate. Yet what the area lacks in charm it makes up for in convenience, with a plethora of hotels within easy walking distance of Stockholm’s main attractions and neighborhoods, including Gamla Stan and Östermalm. The classy hotels and rooftop bars around recently revitalized Brunkebergstorg square are popular after-work hangouts for well-heeled Stockholmers.

6. SoFo, Södermalm

Best neighborhood for a fika coffee break

A magnet for bearded media types and vintage-clad craft ale drinkers, this gentrified area in Södermalm (Stockholm’s southern district) draws visitors who enjoy browsing independent boutiques and sourcing international goodies from organic delicatessens.

The micro-neighborhood is ideal for people-watching during an extended fika coffee session. We recommend settling in at one of the many restaurants and top-notch cafes around Nytorget square, which buzzes starting at 5pm on weeknights, as locals leave work and pack the curbside terraces.

7. Kungsholmen

Best neighborhood for getting active

What the island of Kungsholmen doesn’t have in terms of nightlife or tourist attractions, the largely residential area largely makes up for in playgrounds, parks and sports facilities. Rålambshovs Park is a beloved picnic spot and workout zone, drawing folks interested in beach volleyball, bouldering, skateboarding and more.

The 10km (6-mile) loop around the island is popular with runners and hikers thanks to its views over some of the prettiest sections of Stockholm’s cityscape. You can also rent kayaks or bikes to get around, work up a sweat at one of the free outdoor gyms or even jump off the jetties at Hornsbergs strand and go for a swim.

8. Vasastan

Best neighborhood for independent restaurants

A primarily residential area, Vasastan is home to well-to-do Stockholmers shunning the more in-your-face glitz of Östermalm. Many of the apartment blocks here date back to the turn of the 20th century, with art nouveau influences and landscaped inner courtyards. For visitors, the main draw are the neighborhood’s independent bars and restaurants, especially on the strip along Rörstrandsgatan.

You’ll find an international flavor here, with Indian, Iranian and Japanese restaurants alongside Swedish bakeries and cafes where you can pick up top-notch cinnamon buns. Elsewhere, high-quality threads and homeware can be found in the second-hand stores around Odenplan, and there’s a stunning circular reading room in Stadsbiblioteket, the city’s bright-orange flagship public library.