Stockholm, the beautiful Swedish capital is just about an hour flight away from Helsinki, Finland. Swedish people would say that Stockholm is made up of one-third water, one-third parkland and one-third building. Despite being a modern city, the old town (Gamla Stan) still retains its medieval street layout and the houses are painted in their original colours.
Waiting for the Arlanda Express in Stockholm Arlanda Airport. The train departs every 15 minutes and the tickets can be bought from a ticket machine. If you buy return ticket (SEK 540), it’ll be cheaper than a one-way ticket (SEK 280). Children 0 – 17 years old who are accompanied can travel for free. https://www.arlandaexpress.com/
The train is clean and comfortable. The train ride from airport to city center only takes about 20 minutes.
On the next morning, after a hearty breakfast at Hotel Comfort, we set out to explore the city.
Our first destination is the city’s old town (Gamla Stan) which is within walking distance from the hotel.
This is the Stockholm Central Station.
Stockholm city hall.
Old town (Gamla Stan) is consists of Stads Island, Helgeands Island and Riddar Island.
Stromsborg.
I had to cross a bridge to get to Gamla Stan. Stads Island contains the Royal Palace, Storkyrkan, the House of Nobility, the Stock Exchange building and a number of other notable buildings.
The bridge that I used was Vasabron bridge. It was designed and engineered by Emil von Rothstein in 1878. Alterations were made in 1909 to allow trams to use the bridge.
This is the House of Nobility. It is a building and organization for the nobles in Sweden.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 11.00-12.00
Admission fee: 60 SEK adults/40 SEK students and retired citizens.
Holders of My Stockholm Pass/Stockholmskortet: free admission. Guided tour in English and German is also available but must be booked in advance.
The House of Nobility was erected during the period 1641-1672. North of the building is a park in which is a statue of Axel Oxenstierna.
The south end of House of Nobility holds a statue of Gustav Vasa. He was the first independent King of Sweden.
An interesting feature is that the houses in Gamla Stan are painted in their original colour. So many 17th century buildings are red, 18th century buildings are yellow.
In the background is Storkyrkan / Stockholm Cathedral. It is the oldest church in Gamla Stan.
It’s a pleasure to stroll along the medieval streets of Gamla Stan.
Built in 1279, Storkyrkan has been a Lutheran church since 1527. Entrance fee is SEK 40 per adult. Holders of My Stockholm Pass/Stockholmskortet: free admission. Its opening hours vary depending on when you visit.
Jan-Mar: Daily 9-16, Apr-May: Mon-Fri 9-17, Sat-Sun 9-16, June: Daily 9-17, Jul-Aug: Daily 9-18, Sep-Oct: Mon-Fri 9-17, Sat-Sun 9-16, Nov-Dec: Daily 9-16
The wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel took place in this church on 19 June 2010.
The central aisle of the church is dominated on either side by the Royal Pews.
Some church choir group members were rehearsing in the cathedral during my visit.
Royal Pews is a large royal crown forming a canopy above it, supported by two genii in flowing mantles.
The most famous of its treasure is St George and the Dragon wooden sculpture.
The Saint George is a symbolic representation of Sten Sture, the dragon is the Danish King Christian I, and the Princess is Sweden.
The Parchelion Painting. The original painting that was produced in 1535 is lost. This painting in the cathedral is a copy made in 1636.
This is how Storkyrkan looks like from the front.
Just beside Storkyrkan is the Royal Palace. I will write about the Royal Palace in the next posting.
Stortorget is a small square in the heart of Gamla Stan. Ironically, Stortorget means “Big Square” in Swedish, haha.
The colourful facades of the buildings behind me are the most photographed buildings in Stockholm.
Don’t ask me why my son made that face during the photo shoot. This is one of the perks of traveling with children. They are unpredictable.
He was having some fun photobombing a tourist at the fountain, haha.
Stock Exchange Building (1773-1776) houses the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Museum and the Nobel Library.
If you want to buy a Dala Horse as souvenir, there’s a shop at Stortorget selling authentic Dala Horse in every color and sizes.
Dala Horse is a traditionally carved, painted wooden horse originating from the Swedish province of Dalarna. The red horse is the most classic version. I bought one here.
Both of them had fun trying on a plastic Viking helmet.
Alice themed shop.
T-shirt with Viking prints.
A double scoop ice cream is what cheered up my son most, haha.
This fragment of a runestone is one of three runestones found in Gamla Stan. A runestone is often memorial to dead people. This one is decorated with an arabesque of winding loops and carries the commemorative message of "Torsten and Frögunn had the stone erected after their son".
Besides the runestone is a cute souvenir shop selling cute Viking family figurines. I bought a pair here.
Next, I headed to Riddar Island which is dominated by the Riddarholm Church.
Riddarholm Church is the memorial and burial church of the Swedish monarchs. You can purchase a combined ticket including Royal Palace for SEK 180 per adult. The entrance fee to see only the church cost SEK 50 and to see only the Royal Palace cost SEK 160. So it’s a bargain to buy a combined ticket if you plan to visit both.
The church was completed at the beginning of the 14th century.
The last regular service to be held in this church was in 1807. Today it is a memorial and burial church only.
The first king to be buried in this church was King Magnus Ladulas (1290). He is buried in front of the high altar and beside him lies another medieval king, Karl Knutsson Bonde (1470).
Facing away from the altar, on the left hand side is the Gustavian chapel. At the rear of the chapel stands Gustav II Adolf’s sarcophagus of Italian marble.
When a knight of the Order of the Seraphim dies, his coat of arms is hung in the church. The two dates mark the day he received the order and the day of his death. On the death of a knight, the bells of Riddarholm church rings, this is known as the Seraphim chimes.
The sarcophagus of Swedish kings and their family inside a vault in the church.
Ah, I need a rest after a long walking.
The streets of Gamla Stan is pretty empty at night.
With this, my visit to Gamla Stan ends. No visit to Stockholm will be complete without exploring Gamla Stan. Highly recommended.
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