If you’re visiting Stockholm, a tour around Gamla Stan (Old Town in Swedish) is a must. This charming island in the heart of Sweden’s capital is more than just a photogenic cluster of ochre-hued buildings and cobbled alleys. You’ll find here traces of Stockholm’s very birth, cozy wrapped around a myriad of colorful old buildings. Plus an ancient rune, yes, there’s one here. In this guide, I’ll take you on a delightful walk through Gamla Stan’s most iconic sights, hidden corners, and intriguing stories—including this 1,000-year-old rune and the bloody history of the beginnings of Stockholm.
Before flying to Stockholm you should install their SL transport app and get an SL transport ticket that you’ll keep in the app (yay no paper!). You can get one for 24 hs, 72 hs, 7 days, 30 days and more. With this you have access to all transportation methods in Stockholm: bus, train, tram, ferry and the Tunnelbana, such is the name of their metro system. I like that they have a characteristic name for it, like the tube in London, or the Hochbahn in Hamburg. Also, some of them are particularly beautiful but that’s a story for an upcoming post.
Another perk of the SL card, is that you can use relatively long distance trains and buses. Like for example, you can get to Sigtuna, the oldest Swedish town, using a combination of the train 41 to Marsha and then the bus 570 towards Sigtuna. Or you can use the ferry all the way to Vaxholm, and then return with the bus 670 to Stockholm.
It’s really handy to get it, and relieves you from thinking about paying every time. The public transport in Stockholm is normally very efficient, although one of the days there, exactly when I was visiting Sigtuna, there was no train back from Märsta because of a railway traffic sign failure and had to go to the airport and return by bus from there.
How to get to Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town
The old town is easily accessible via the lines of the Tunnelbana. In my case, I took the lines 17 or 18, and I got off at the Gamla Stan station. When you arrive, do not immediately go out towards the town. Instead, head towards the water and visit the artificial beach, with sand and umbrellas included, where you can relax in a Solstol that you’ll find here, these long chairs to sunbath. The name itself refers to it: Sol means sun and Stol means chair. So it’s a Sun Chair.
From here, you have a prime spot to appreciate the Östra Gymnasiehuset, a building that’s nowadays a national monument and keeps its current form since the 1640s. Last chance to relax before going to Gamla Stan so breathe and head back into the station and go towards the town.
The sun kissed alleys
Begin your exploration by diving into the winding alleys of Stockholm’s old town, where every turn reveals another sunlit façade in shades of ochre, terracotta, and mustard. Coming from Germany, and having visited Copenhagen once, I was honestly very surprised at the usage of colors in Stockholm, and not just in the old town but in general all over the city. They really give a very friendly vibe, at at times, it feels like you’re wandering around not one of the northmost cold countries but a neighborhood in Rome like Regola or Trastevere.
One of the best things to do here is to simply wander & wonder. Don’t worry about a fixed itinerary; let your curiosity guide you. Look up to admire the medieval windows and wrought iron signs; look down to spot cobblestones worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. It’s the very definition of the Swedish word mysigt—that cozy, warm, charming vibe that makes you feel at peace with the world.
When you walk around here, look carefully at the edges of the walls, because you could find something that might be a bit forgotten but definitely not lost…
Ancient rune in the middle of Gamla Stan
If you have been looking carefully, you might have found a Viking runestone embedded in the wall of a building on Prästgatan. It’s one of the few remaining in the city, officially listed as Upplands runinskrifter 53. This middle age 11th-century rune stone bears an inscription carved by a couple in memory of their son:
Transliteration of the rune line: þor–ain · auk · fraykun ‘ þau …- · stain ‘ iftiʀ -… sun sin
Normalization into runic Swedish: Þor[st]æinn ok Frøygunn þau … stæin æftiʀ …, sun sinn.
Translation into modern Swedish: Torsten och Frögunn de (lät resa) stenen efter …, sin son.
Torsten and Frögunn had this stone raised after their son.
What makes it especially intriguing is the name of the mother: Frögunn. She was most likely a pagan woman, since Christian women in that era rarely bore that name. That a family more than a millennium ago wanted to preserve their love and grief in stone, and that this very stone now supports a house in Gamla Stan… I don’t know about you, but I found it very lovely.
Stortorget: Beauty with a Bloody Past
Your stroll will inevitably lead to Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm. Nowadays, it’s a peaceful spot with outdoor cafés, surrounded by elegant townhouses, including the iconic red and yellow buildings that often appear on postcards. That said, behind its colorful charm lies a dark tale. And when I say behind, we have to go way behind in time.
Among tensions between the danish kingdom who controlled Sweden and the Sweden themselves, the danish king Christian II, later known as the tyrant, was anointed on November 4th, 1520. He had invited nearly a hundred Swedish nobles and clerics. During three days of festivities it seems everything was going well and his promise of an amnesty seemed real. On the 8th though, all these guests were imprisoned and their executions started the next day and continued until the 19th until all were executed. The event outraged the Swedish people and led directly to the uprising that culminated in Sweden’s independence from Denmark. Gustav Vasa, son of one of the nobles executed, led the rebellion with support from the people of Dalarna in the north. Three years later, in 1523, Sweden became a sovereign nation with Vasa as new Sweden’s king and national hero.
Today, you can find a stone plaque marking the event, and legend has it that the red paint on some of the buildings symbolizes the blood spilled here.
The German Church: A Gothic Gem
Leaving behind the colorful square with the dark past and heading towards more peaceful sights, you’ll find the Tyska Kyrkan a short walk away, the German Church. In Swedish, Germans are referred as Tysker, and Church is Kyrkan. This is a Lutheran church in honor of Sankta Gertruds, considered the patron saint of travelers. It was originally built in the 14th century to cater to the to the German merchants of the Hanseatic League who once had a strong presence in Stockholm. Not surprising, the predecessor of today’s church was the guild house of the German merchants’ guild of St. Gertrude.
If you have visited any Hansestadt in Germany, like Hamburg, Lübeck, Bremen, Flensburg, and others, you’ll instantly recognize the familiar style of the church’s exterior.
The highest point in Stockholm’s old town is the spire of the German Church tower, rising 96 meters above the sea level.
The Dala Horse
Make sure to pop into one of the many souvenir and artisan shops where you’ll spot the iconic Dala horse or in Swedish, Dalahäst. This is the traditional Swedish wooden horse hand-painted and decorated with intricate patterns. Touristic pieces are often painted in very vibrant colors but this is not a particular trait and you can find a wide variety of tones and shades, some that are less striking and more soothing like these from an antiquarian shop.
The Dalahäst didn’t actually began in Dalarna, but in some villages in central Sweden around the 1700, like Bergkarlås, Risa, Vattnäs and Nusnäs. However, tradition has it that it came to be known as Dalahäst because a painter in Dalarna first decorated a wooden horse, which until then were painted in a single flat color. The name of this particular decoration styles was Kurbits, with its typical ornaments, flowers and leaves from Dalarna. The horse has since then become like a symbol of Sweden.
Gustavus III and the Equestrian Statue
As you reach towards the other end of the island on the water’s edge, you’ll go by the statue of Gustavus III near the Royal Palace. This column marks the spot where the king returned to Stockholm from the Russo-Swedish War. Interestingly, Gustavus III is remembered as a patron of the arts and for founding the Swedish Academy.
Nearby, another monument catches the eye: the equestrian statue of King Karl XIV Johan, the former French Marshal who became the founder of the Bernadotte dynasty that still reigns in Sweden today.
That’s a wrap! It’s now Fika Time
Every Swedish experience needs fika: the cherished tradition of coffee and a sweet treat. You’ll find plenty of cozy cafés in Gamla Stan where you can sit down, enjoy a pastry, and watch the world go by. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the delicious “Solkyss”, or Sun Kiss, a delicate pastry that lives up to its name in flavor and feeling. There are many sights in Gamla Stan so I always enjoyed a pause with Fika.
Whether you’re a history lover, an avid photographer, or just a curious wanderer, Gamla Stan is a place that offers something for you. It’s one of those neighborhoods where every brick seems to whisper a tale. Put on your walking shoes, grab your camera, and let Stockholm’s past charm you.
2 thoughts on “Exploring the colorful Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town”
Loving this travel journal, Elio. Glad to see you’re doing well!
Hey Jeff, thanks a lot! It means a lot coming from you, who I consider the one who got me into the amazing path of photography! Hope you’re doing well too!
Loving this travel journal, Elio. Glad to see you’re doing well!
Hey Jeff, thanks a lot! It means a lot coming from you, who I consider the one who got me into the amazing path of photography! Hope you’re doing well too!