Discovering Stockholm’s Unique Gamla Stan/Old Town

Stockholm is a majestic city with beautiful grand buildings along its many breathtaking waterfronts. It’s easy to tell that it was once a grand imperial capital. But like many a grand city, it has an older, smaller part. In Stockholm, that bit is the Gamla Stan (=Old Town). It is the oldest settlement of Stockholm, founded in 1252. Even today it retains the feel of an earlier time. And there are some fantastic restaurants in beautiful old buildings, like Under Kastanjen, with a small but fabulous menu.

We’ve paid a number of visits to Gamla Stan, and we’ve found something new of interest each time. It is much more enjoyable during the week, either early or late: it is always a bit crowded, but tourists are everywhere during the weekend. And, as you can see from the pictures, the streets are pretty narrow, so it can be hard to navigate.

We moved quickly through the seemingly endless number of shops selling souvenirs. It seemed to us that they all offered the same thing. Even if we had seen something we couldn’t live without, we are not collectors (at the moment). So we found out of the way streets and just enjoyed walking around. We did one touristy thing, however: walk on the narrowest street in Stockholm, Mårten Trotzigs Gränd. It is less than a yard wide!

Which is not to say that there are not some grand sights in Gamla Stan. The Royal Palace, with over 600 rooms, is there, as is Stockholm Cathedral. The Cathedral, unfortunately, looks like a Christo installation these days, all wrapped up in white for the extensive renovations that are going on. So we didn’t see the famous medieval wooden statue of St George slaying the dragon inside the church. But we did get to see the bronze replica standing nearby; Otto Meyer made it early in the 20th century. It was unveiled on 10 October 1912, the anniversary of the Battle of Brunkeberg (1471), when the Swedes defeated the forces of King Christian I of Denmark. Legend has it that the Swedish leader, Sten Sture the Elder, prayed to St George before the battle.

The Nobel Prize Museum is also in Gamla Stan, in a charming square bordered by shops, cafés, and restaurants. We confess that we went to one of them, the Chocolate Café, rather than visit the museum. And that tells you everything you need to know about what kind of shockingly irresponsible meanderers we are. (We’re hoping to get to the museum before we leave town – and we’ll definitely get back to the café!)

On the adjacent island of Riddarholmen (not officially part of Gamla Stan) we discovered the surprisingly delicate Riddarholmskyrkan, originally the church of the Greyfriars monks. In 1527 during the Swedish reformation, the abbey was dissolved but the church remained. Most of the Swedish kings and queens’ tombs are here, and the church now mainly serves ceremonial purposes. Here we also found splendid views of the city. We relaxed in one of the waterside esplanades while a late summer sun smiled down on us.