Stockholm Travel Guide

This page is the map: how the city fits together, which of our Stockholm guides answers which question, and the city-wide points that no single guide covers — congestion tax, the Slussen rebuild, and what is closed or newly reopened this autumn.

When you need this

You’re planning a first visit and want the shape of the city before the detail. Or you already know the question — the airport, a ticket, a museum, a ferry — and want the right guide. Two groups need the practical points below most: anyone driving in, and anyone working from a guidebook or blog that is a few years old.

How Stockholm fits together

Stockholm is a city on water. Visit Stockholm, the city’s official visitor site, describes it as built on 14 islands, with an archipelago of more than 30,000 islands just beyond. Bridges, the metro and small ferries tie the islands together, so the nearest station or pier matters more than the distance on the map.

The names you’ll see on signs, addresses and metro stations are the old neighborhoods:

The city’s own administration draws the lines differently. Norrmalm, Vasastaden, Östermalm, Skeppsholmen and Djurgården form one district, Norra innerstaden (the northern inner city); Gamla stan is run together with Södermalm; Kungsholmen is a third district. You only need this when reading a city notice. For choosing a base, see where to stay in Stockholm.

Which guide answers what

Each subject has its own checked page. Here’s where to go next, and the one thing to know before you click.

Getting around

All three metro lines meet at T-Centralen, next to Stockholm Central station. The red and green lines run on south through Gamla stan and Slussen, the gateway to Södermalm, so most of the center is one or two stops apart. On weekends the metro runs all night.

One SL ticket, with no zones, covers the metro, commuter trains, trams, buses and city ferries across Stockholm County. Tap a contactless card at the gate or reader and you have a 75-minute single. For Djurgården, take tram 7 from T-Centralen or the line 82 ferry — both on the same ticket.

Two exceptions catch visitors:

• Arlanda’s commuter-train station charges adults a 157 kr passage fee on top of the SL ticket; under-18s pass free.
• The archipelago boats accept any SL ticket only between Strömkajen and Vaxholm. Further out you need a Waxholmsbolaget ticket, except from 14 September to 29 April if your SL ticket is valid 30 days or longer.

Tyresta National Park, by bus 834 to the main entrance, is inside the SL area too. You don’t need a car for any sight on this page.

Driving and congestion tax

If you do drive, Stockholm charges trängselskatt (congestion tax) on cars passing control points around the inner city and on Essingeleden, the E4 through the city — on weekdays 06:00–18:29. Through traffic on Essingeleden pays even if it never enters the center. There are no booths: cameras read the number plate and the owner is billed afterwards.

• Each passage is charged, 11–45 kr depending on time and season, up to a daily cap per car.
• High season runs 1 March to the day before Midsummer Eve and 15 August to 30 November; low season, with a lower peak rate and cap, starts 1 December 2026.
• No charge on weekends, public holidays, or in July — except the first five weekdays of July. Gothenburg’s free July does not apply here.
• Foreign-registered cars pay. Transportstyrelsen’s notification partner finds the owner and sends the invoice via EPASS24. Paying late adds a 500 kr fee per car.
• Rental cars: the company is billed and charges you later, usually with an administrative fee and VAT. Ask at the desk how it works.

Cheapest crossings are 09:30–14:59, at 11 kr each. The full rate table lives in our congestion charges guide.

Slussen: still a building site

Slussen, the junction between Gamla stan and Södermalm, is being rebuilt, and in autumn 2026 older maps are wrong there.

Don’t wait for the Djurgården ferry at the old Slussen quay. And check bus stops on the day rather than trusting a saved route.

Closed and reopened in 2026

Older lists of Stockholm sights are out of date in three places:

• The Medieval Museum (Medeltidsmuseet) under Norrbro has closed for relocation. It now offers city walks and talks in Gamla stan instead.
• The City Library (Stadsbiblioteket) is closed for renovation, with reopening planned for early 2028. A temporary library runs at Odengatan 59.
• Östasiatiska museet (Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities) is open again. It reopened on 19 September 2026 after more than two years closed, so lists that call it closed are now wrong.

Museum costs changed earlier: most state museums have charged adults since 2023. Free options remain — Stadsmuseet always, Nationalmuseum on Thursdays 17:00–20:00, and Moderna Museet on Fridays 18:00–20:00 until 18 December 2026. Children often go free: Skansen admits 0–15s free, the Vasa Museum everyone 18 and under. Our free museums guide has the full list.

Seasons at a glance

Book ABBA The Museum ahead: entry is by a 30-minute time slot chosen online. Sailing your own or a chartered boat, you may moor at the same natural spot for an occasional night; longer needs the landowner’s permission.

Practical information

FAQ

What is Stockholm built on?

Stockholm is built on 14 islands, and an archipelago of more than 30,000 islands starts just beyond the city, according to Visit Stockholm. Gamla stan, the old town, is an island in the middle of the city; Djurgården, with the big museums, is another. Bridges, the metro, tram 7 and small ferries tie them together.

Which area of Stockholm should I explore first?

Most first visits start in Gamla stan and Norrmalm, one metro stop apart on the red and green lines, and spend a full day on Djurgården, where Skansen, the Vasa Museum, ABBA The Museum and Junibacken stand. Södermalm, across Slussen, is the nightlife district. Our where-to-stay guide compares the areas.

Do I have to pay congestion tax driving in Stockholm?

Yes, on weekdays 06:00–18:29 at the inner-city and Essingeleden control points, with no booths: cameras read the plate. Each passage costs 11–45 kr, capped at 135 kr a day in high season. Foreign cars are invoiced via EPASS24; rental firms charge the renter, usually with a fee.

What is going on at Slussen?

Slussen, the junction between Gamla stan and Södermalm, is being rebuilt. The new bus terminal is due to open during autumn 2026 with no fixed date, the Djurgården ferry uses a temporary pier on Skeppsbron about 100 m towards the palace, and Saltsjöbanan returns to Slussen only at the end of 2028.

Which Stockholm museums are closed in 2026?

The Medieval Museum under Norrbro has closed for relocation, and the City Library is closed for renovation until early 2028, with a temporary branch at Odengatan 59. Östasiatiska museet, closed for two years, reopened on 19 September 2026, so older lists calling it closed are out of date.

Do I need a car in Stockholm?

No. One SL ticket with no zones covers the metro, commuter trains, trams, buses and city ferries, and a tap of a contactless card buys a 75-minute single. The archipelago boats as far as Vaxholm and Tyresta National Park by bus 834 are on the same ticket. A car adds congestion tax.

Related guides

• Where to stay in Stockholm — the districts compared for a base.
• How many days in Stockholm — what fits in one, two, three or five days.
• Stockholm public transport — tickets, tapping and the ferries in detail.
• Congestion charges in Stockholm and Gothenburg — the full rate table and how the invoice works.
• One week in Sweden — Stockholm as part of a longer trip, with Gothenburg and Gotland.

Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Visit Stockholm, Stockholms stad, Region Stockholm/SL, Waxholmsbolaget, Transportstyrelsen, Sveriges riksdag and the attractions’ own sites — full register in this topic’s source file. Opening hours and dates are the 2026 tables. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.