Overview

You will walk on narrow streets and admire the decorations at doors and doorways. You will explore a mix of private houses and great public palaces. You will learn about the people who are living in Old Town today. Learn about the Royal Palace and the Royal family. Listen to our fascinating history from the medieval days til today. Get off Stortorget and Västerlånggatan and experience the genuine atmosphere of Old Town Stockholm. From this season we have included a last stop with Swedish Fika (coffe and cinnamon bun) in a café at the very center of Old Town. It gives you the possibility to sit down, relax and just enjoy the Swedish tradition.

Description

Stop At: Järntorget, Järntorget, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden

Järntorget (Swedish for '"The Iron Square"') is a small public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. Located in the southernmost corner of the old town, the square connects the thoroughfares Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan, while the two alleys, Södra Bankogränd and Norra Bankogränd, stretches east to connect the square to Skeppsbron, and two other alleys, Järntorgsgatan and Triewaldsgränd, leads south to Slussplan and Kornhamnstorg respectively.

The second oldest square in Stockholm, slightly younger than Stortorget, Järntorget dates back to around 1300 and remained the city's most important trade centre for centuries — constantly busy and crowded, scents and noise intermixing while goods were transported from shore to shore across the square and up and down the attics of the surrounding building

Duration: 5 minutes

Pass By: Österlånggatan, Österlånggatan, Stockholm, Sweden

Österlånggatan, follows outside the city's defense wall and was one of the main streets of the Old Town. The street is already mentioned in the 15th century under the name Långa gatan. In 1558 the name Østra long gatan is used and in 1593 Østralånggatenn. In the 17th century, Skeppsbron was built, which then became the easternmost main street. Thus, "Östra långgatan" lost its importance as a main street. Today Österlånggatan plays a more hidden role as a tourist street than Västerlånggatan. Here, the pace is somewhat slower and the shops less souvenir-oriented. The portal at Österlånggatan 37 originates from the 17th century and was probably created by the master stonemason Johan Wendelstam from Germany. Above the gate is an inscription with the Dutch text GAET. HOT. WELL. BUT. BOOKLET. A LOT. THE TWIST. CERT. HOT. LUCK. WHO. MAY. SEE. THE WIND (roughly: If things go well, you have many friends. Fortune turns - then where to find them?).

Stop At: Pelikansgränd, Pelikansgränd, Stockholm, Sweden

The alley got its name from the cellar Pelikan (not to be confused with the cellar Pelikan on Södermalm), a small pub, which was located in the basement of the house that still stands at Österlånggatan 39. The house was built in 1664 for the wine cellar Hans Georg Cron, who also ran Pelican. Before that, the alley was called Lilla St. Johannes alley. The northern side of the alley is made up of the Callisto neighborhood and the southern side of the Glaucus neighborhood. During the second half of the 18th century, Pehr Hilleström had a weaving workshop at Pelikansgränd 5. Standing here in the alley you have good possibilities to understand the life of the city and the locals during medieval periods

Duration: 5 minutes

Pass By: Skeppsbron, Skeppsbron, 111 30 Stockholm, Sweden

Skeppsbron is a street and originally a quay ("bro" used to be a synonym for wharf in Old Town in Stockholm. It runs along Stadsholmen's eastern side, by the Salt Lake, from Strömbron in the north past the Royal Palace down to Slussen in the south. Skeppsbron is one of the main traffic routes in Old Town and is also Stockholm's oldest wharf. As early as the beginning of the 17th century, large and deep-draft ships docked at Skeppsbron. Gustav II Adolf wanted to turn the quay into a parade street despite its character as a workplace. Skeppsbron remained Stockholm's most important port during the 18th century. Skeppsbrokajen is the harbor and quay area east of the Skeppsbron street. Skeppsbrokajen came into being in 1854 through Nils Ericson and got its current name in 1961.

Stop At: Stora Hoparegränd, Stora Hoparegränd, Stockholm, Sweden

Stora Hoparegränd is another alley in Old Town and it got its name from Michel Hopare (or Hoper), after whom an alley in the eastern part of the city was named as early as 1550. The same man's widow is mentioned in 1566 when she was in a house in "blessed Michel Hopare's alley". As there are two alleys with almost the same name, Lilla Hoparegränd and Stora Hoparegränd, it is uncertain which one applies. Hopare was a family name of Dutch origin. Hopare was also an occupational designation, probably with the meaning "twin binder" or "manufacturer of thin bands". At Stora Hoparegränd 6, in Pollux 11 is the Vindragarlaget's house. The building, which is a state building monument, was built between 1585 and 1601, rebuilt around 1640 and modernized in 1747. The house still has Stockholm's only preserved gable with elevator and loading opening.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Köpmantorget, Köpmantorget, 111 31 Stockholm, Sweden

Köpmantorget (Swedish: "Merchant's Square") is a small public square in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is located between the street Köpmangatan to the west and between two slopes collectively named Köpmanbrinken, both of which lead down to the street Österlånggatan. On its western side, two streets lead north and south: Bollhusgränd and Baggensgatan respectively.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Obelisk at Slottsbacken, Slottsbacken, 1, Stockholm 11130

Slottsbacken (Swedish: [ˈslɔ̂tːsˌbakːɛn], "Castle Slope") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.

It stretches east from the Stockholm Cathedral and the Royal Palace down to the street Skeppsbron which passes along the eastern waterfront of the old town. In the western end, the alley Källargränd leads south to the square Stortorget, while Storkyrkobrinken extends Slottsbacken west beyond the cathedral and Högvaktsterrassen, down to the square Riddarhustorget. On the southern side of Slottsbacken, three alleys connect to the interior throng of the old town: On either side of the Tessin Palace are Finska Kyrkogränd and Bollhusgränd, while Österlånggatan begins in the low-lying eastern part of the slope.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Royal Palace, Slottsbacken 1, Old Town, Stockholm 11130

The Royal Palace is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (king Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm as their usual residence. The offices of the King, the other members of the Swedish royal family, and the Royal Court of Sweden are here. The palace is used for representative purposes by the King whilst performing his duties as the head of state. This royal residence has been in the same location since the middle of the 13th century when the Tre Kronor Castle was built. In modern times the name relates to the building called Kungliga Slottet.
The palace was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the younger and erected on the same place as the medieval Tre Kronor Castle which was destroyed in a fire on 7 May 1697. Due to the costly war which started in 1700, construction of the palace was halted in 1709, and not recommenced until 1727—six years after the end of the war. When Tessin the Younger died in 1728, the palace was completed by Carl Hårleman.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Prästgatan, Prästgatan, Stockholm, Sweden

Prästgatan (Swedish: "The Priest's Street") is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, stretching from a cul-de-sac west of the Royal Palace to the street Österlånggatan in the southern corner of the old town. Prästgatan forms a parallel street to Västerlånggatan, Trångsund, Skomakargatan, and Svartmangatan. It is intercepted by Storkyrkobrinken, Ankargränd, Spektens Gränd, Solgränd, Kåkbrinken, Tyska Brinken, Tyska Stallplan, Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, and Norra Benickebrinken.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Stortorget, Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Stortorget (Swedish: [ˈstûːˌʈɔrjɛt], "the Grand Square") is a public square in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is the oldest square in Stockholm, the historical centre on which the medieval urban conglomeration gradually came into being.[1] Today, the square is frequented by tens of thousands of tourists annually, and is occasionally the scene for demonstrations and performances. It is traditionally renowned for its annual Christmas market offering traditional handicrafts and food.

Duration: 10 minutes

Pass By: Trångsund, Trångsund, Stockholm, Sweden

Trångsund is a street in the Old Town in Stockholm that leads from Storkyrkobrinken 1 to Stortorget 2-14 past Storkyrkan. The street got its name as early as the 16th century.

Until 1816, there was a cemetery around the Great Church, surrounded by a wall. Trångsund was then a very narrow alley, and it was very difficult to pass here.

Stop At: Storkyrkan, 1 Trangsund, Gamla Stan, Stockholm 11129

Storkyrkan (Swedish: 'The Great Church'), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and Stortorget, the old main square of Stockholm. It was consecrated to Saint Nicholas in 1306 but construction of the church probably started in the 13th century. Inside, Storkyrkan still maintains much of its late medieval appearance in the form of a hall church with a vaulted ceiling supported by brick pillars. The exterior of the church is however uniformly Baroque in appearance, the result of extensive changes made in the 18th century. The church played an important role during the Reformation in Sweden as the place where Mass was celebrated in Swedish for the first time. It currently serves as the seat of the Bishop of Stockholm within the Church of Sweden.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Grillska Huset, Stortorget 3, 111 29 Stockholm, Sweden

To end the tour properly we invite you to have a Swedish Fika. Let’s start off with the semantics. Grammatically, fika is both a verb and noun. Therefore, you can just as well say that you are currently “fiking” or “taking a fika” in Swedish. But etymologically is where it gets really exciting. The word is enveloped in several myths regarding its’ origin, of which one is that it’s an anagram for “coffee” (“kaffe” in Swedish). It’s also said that it comes from the nowadays not very used adjective “fiken”, which means to have a craving or be in the mood for something.

When Swedes talk about fika, what they generally mean is a coffee break. The coffee can be switched out for tea or even lemonade, but some kind of non-alcoholic and preferably hot beverage is always a part of the deal. Swedish fika almost always includes coffee with almost always a sweet treat.
Toilets are available too.

Duration: 15 minutes