48 Hours in Stockholm- 2 Day Itinerary

Are you tight for time but want to enjoy Stockholm even for just 48 hours? It might be difficult, but that does not mean it’s impossible. Plus, there are several ways to enjoy the city even for a short span of time – you just need a well-planned 2 Day Itinerary for Stockholm.

Stockholm is Sweden’s capital and the largest urban area in Scandinavia. It is renowned for its healthy and utopian lifestyle, being a city built on water and 14 islands; 57 bridges connect the islands. 

While it is famous for its island Cityscape where you’ll find various waterfront promenades, harbours, and beaches, Stockholm is one of the most underrated cities in Europe. But it should not be!

Stockholm is home to many picturesque cobblestone streets and fascinating pieces of architecture. It has several century Baroque buildings, historical wooden cottages, and minimalistic structures. 

The city can project its rich cultural and historical heritage through these structures. In fact, Stockholm is famed for its iconic city hall, the world’s first open-air museum, and the royal palace. 

While its unique aesthetic attracts several tourists yearly, many food enthusiasts also visit and enjoy the Nordic cuisine Stockholm offers.

Among many others that the city boasts of is its Fika or Swedish Coffee Culture – fika is that time of the day when locals believe you should pause and slow down as you enjoy your strong cup of coffee.

Aside from what has been mentioned above, there’s much to see and do within two days in Stockholm. But don’t forget to plan ahead and visit when it’s convenient for you. So if you decide when to visit, there’s no bad timing. 

But, if you enjoy being outdoors, you should come from June to August. Meanwhile, September to October or April to May would be the best choice to avoid the crowd. 

Of course, it’s also essential you stay somewhere convenient. Staying in Gamla Stan (or the Old Town) is highly suggested in Stockholm. This is Stockholm’s central neighbourhood where you can find almost all of the city’s famous landmarks. 

That being said, this 2 day itinerary for Stockholm will break down more of what you can do in Stockholm in 2 days, including things to do, what to eat, tours to join, and places to visit. 

2-Day Itinerary for Stockholm 

Overview of 2 Days in Stockholm Itinerary

Here’s a glance at what you’ll see and do in two days in Stockholm:

Day 1:

• Have breakfast at Pom & Flora
• Explore the Gamla Stan and Strotorget
• Visit the Stockholm City Hall 
• Learn about history at the Drottningholm Palace
• Have Fika at Kaffekoppen & chokladkoppen
• Visit the Vasa Museum 
• End the night with some beer at Akkurat

Day 2: 

• Get on a Hop-on-Hop Off Boat 
• Picnic Brunch at Kungstrafgarden
• Have fun at the Stockholm Amusement Park
• Get on a Subway Tour
• Shop at Drottninggatan District
• Eat Swedish Meatballs for Dinner 

Day 1 in Stockholm

Have breakfast at Pom & Flora

Before starting your day in Stockholm, it’s only right that you get your energy fueled up. Since the city is known to have a pretty established cafe culture, you won’t have any problem finding one around the neighbourhood.

But one place that has been a go-to for many visitors (and locals too) is the Pom & Flora. This is one of the city’s best breakfast places, known to serve various kinds of meals. 

Aside from the excellent food, the place is trendy and hip, with every corner perfect for that travel photo. While the cafe is not so big, the area is spacious enough to house hungry locals and tourists in the morning. 

Make sure to try their famous fresh fruit juices and baked pastries. But, if you want something heavier for your meal, you can always enjoy a plate of omelets or a fruit bowl. 

Additionally, Pom & Flora is conveniently located near your first stop of the day, so it would be a great cafe to kickstart your adventure. 

Explore the Gamla Stan and Strotorget

As mentioned earlier, Gamla Stan, known as the Old Town, is Stockholm’s center. You can almost find everything here; if not, it is easy to get to other places if you start your tour here.

Gamla Stan is the city’s first Viking settlement and one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval city centres. 

One of the best ways to explore the area is to take it slow, wander around, and check out local restaurants, cafes, bars, and museums for a few hours. You can spend most of your morning here and maybe a lot, 1 or 2 hours just strolling around the area. 

Some highlight you can check out is Stockholm’s narrowest street Marten Tortzigs Grand, which is only 90 centimetres wide. It is also home to the Stockholm Cathedral and Nobel Prize Museum. 

Meanwhile, Strotorget is just a few walks away from Gamla Stan. You can already include this in your 2-hour walking tour and maybe spend time taking pictures and capturing memories here.

Strotorget is the city’s oldest and central gathering place and is surrounded by famous landmarks like the Royal Palace and Stockhol City Hall (which you will be visiting next). 

Learn about history at the Drottningholm Palace

After strolling the whole of Gamla and Strotorget, it’s time to immerse yourself in the cultural and historical heritage of the city.

Just a few minutes away, you will now reach the Drottningholm Palace, mostly known as Stockholm’s Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace is built in an 18th-century Baroque style, making the interior and architecture look one of a kind.  It does not currently serve as a home for the royal family, but it has over 600 rooms inside and is used as an office. 

When touring the place, you can enter and visit the five museums of the palace, as well as its grand reception rooms, the Armory, and the silver throne.

If you’re lucky, you can also catch the changing of guards that happens daily, taking place are 12:15 PM on weekdays and 1:15 PM on weekends. 

Visit the Stockholm City Hall 

Stockholm City Hall is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city and has been an iconic landmark for many tourists and travellers from around the world.

You can easily characterize the building with its three golden crowns, even from afar. 

If you want to enjoy and explore the city hall inside, you’ll need to book a guided tour to be allowed to enter.

However, you can always wander around its grounds, admire the architecture of the building and mauve take great pictures from the outside. You’ll even catch great views from the outside, all of which you can enjoy for free!

Have Fika at Kaffekoppen & Chokladkoppen

Fika is one of the most practice traditions of the locals in Stockholm. This is where you must make time to have a coffee break with friends and family while sipping a good cup of joe.

Unlike in other countries, fika involves slowing down, taking time, and enjoying a sweet treat. 

This is perfect after roaming Stockholm streets the whole morning and early afternoon. Most probably, you might have run out of energy and might need a little time to rest and fuel up on some sugar.  

One of the best places to enjoy Fika in Stockholm is Kaffekoppen & Chokladkoppen. This a cosy, warm, and cute cafe that serves great beverages (most especially hot chocolate).

They also have available pastries, cakes, and lots of other sweets to pair with your hot drink. 

Visit the Vasa Museum 

Vasa Museum, short for Vasamuseet, is one of the most visited museums in the city. We have included this in your 2 days in Stockholm itinerary. 

For a bit of background, Vasa was named after a grand warship built in 1628 by King Gustavus Adolphus of the house Vasa.

The ship took 2 years to be built, but apparently, it sunk after a few minutes, which is why it became one of the most controversial warships in Stockholm. 

If you visit Vasa Museum, you will learn more about why the warship sank and how they salvaged it from underwater (now displayed in the museum).

You’ll be amazed how they preserved the ship’s remnants until now, and even get to see the Vasa Ship yourself. 

End the night with some beer 

Now that your first day in Stockholm is over, what better way to cap the night off than with some local beer? Of course, that is after having your dinner. 

If you stay in the Old Town, there will be plenty of restaurants and bars surrounding the neighbourhood where you can get some good gold craft beer. One place you can check is at the Wirstroms Pub and Bryggeri Munkbron.

Meanwhile, if you want to enjoy more of your night and hop from one pub to another, you can always book a Swedish Craft Beer Tasting Tour, which gives you ample of time to enjoy each kind of local beer with the help of a local guide. 

Day 2 in Stockholm

Get on a Hop-on-Hop Off Boat 

For your second day in Stockholm, it’s time to experience more outdoor adventures. To start off your day, you should be able to enjoy a Hop-on-Hop Off boat tour around the city.

Since Stockholm is an archipelago and a city built on water, it will be a shame if you cannot enjoy going around from the water. 

Hopping on a boat gives you more opportunities to see the city from a unique perspective. There are also many city boat tours so you won’t have a problem looking for one. 

Either you go on an Under Bridges Tour that will take you to a one-hour sightseeing at some of Stockholm’s bridges which connect one island to another. During this tour, you’ll also see iconic spots like the Old Town and Sodermalm. 

Meanwhile, if you choose to take the Royal Canal tour, you will be taken through the Djugarden Canal which was built under the orders of the late King Charles XIV.

Picnic Brunch at Kungstrafgarden

After your boat tour, it’s time to fuel up and enjoy Stockholm’s lush gardens and parks. Since almost every cafe and restaurant is accessible already, you should stop by one and get some food to go for you to enjoy at Kungstradgarden. 

Kungstradgarden, known as King’s Garden, is one of the city’s oldest parks and green oasis. It is near major areas, making it an accessible park for locals and tourists. Plus, no matter the time of the year, the Kungstradgarden is always worth visiting. 

Have fun at the Stockholm Amusement Park

If you’re up for more fun and adventure, you should add visiting the Stockholm Amusement Park to your Stockholm itinerary.

This amusement park has a mix of 31 rides and attractions, each giving you a different kind of experience. They have extreme rides, fun houses and many more rides that even children can enjoy. 

One of the most recommended rides that you might not have seen yet in any amusement park is the one that takes you up straight in the air!

The Admission here is also affordable and they ar open till 10 PM so you can spend at least 2 to 3 hours trying out specific rides. 

Get on a Subway Tour

While not many people know about this, it’s more of why you should try it out. Most of the subway stations in Stockholm are worth a visit. 

Not only because the subways are clean, safe and well-disconnected but also because you will be able to see lots of (90 to be exact) stations covered with paintings, carvings, mosaics, sculptures and a lot more!

The subway of Stockholm runs over 100km long and has been declared the longest art gallery in the world. Plus, if you’re already pressed on time, you can still do this while moving from one area and district to another. 

Eat Swedish Meatballs for Dinner 

Of course, you should not end your visit to 2 Days in Stockholm without having their world-renowned Swedish meatballs.

While you’ve probably already had it at your local Ikea, having meatballs in Stockholm Sweden is a different experience. 

One place that serves almost the best meatballs in the city is Bakfickan.

This is located near the city’s opera house and is a casual spot to end your last day in Stockholm. You’ll see many people lining up here, but it will be worth waiting! 

Tours in Stockholm

Kayak Tour

Stockholm is home to many beaches and is surrounded by many bodies of water, being an archipelago island. One thing you can enjoy about the geographical structure of the city is going on a short Kayak Tour! 

During this Kayak Tour, you will go around Stockholm’s island and see the city from the water. Other tour joiners will join you, and also a professional kayak guide to lead the way. 

Some areas you’ll get to see are Stockholm City Hall, Riddarholme Kyrka, Gamla Stan and Sodermalm. Plus, there’s no need to worry because even beginners can enjoy this tour without a hiccup.  

Fika Tour

Go on a Fika Tour in Stockholm to enjoy good coffee and learn more about this tradition of the locals.

Fika is a Swedish concept that has been practised for many years already, and during this tour, you’ll immerse yourself in this sweet and fun tradition. 

You will be taken to several cosy cafes and bakeries where you will sample local sweets and pastries. This is also a great chance to see daily life for those living in Stockholm. 

2-Day Itinerary for Stockholm Wrap-up

We have covered everything you need to know for your visit in this 48-hour itinerary for Stockholm. From the things to do, what to eat and places to visit, you’re now ready to visit the charming city of Stockholm.

All left is to book your plane ticket, get accommodation, ready your bags and then head straight to Stockholm! Spending a weekend in Stockholm will be worthwhile! 

Recommended tours in Stockholm

• Stockholm Top attractions all-inclusive Gran Tour
• The Nordic Food Walk Stockholm
• Stockholm Food Tour
• Viking History Full Day Tour from Stockholm including Sigtuna and Uppsala
• The Original Stockholm Ghost Walk and Historical Tour – Gamla Stan
• Stockholm Must Sees
• Full Day Viking Tour with Fika Swedish Coffee Break
• Stockholm Castle tour Drottningholm and Gripsholm Castle with Private guide
• 3h walking tour, small group max 10 people Stockholm
• Stockholm Bridges Sightseeing Cruise
• Stockholm Old Town and the Vasa Museum, a Small Group Walking Tour.
• Private Stockholm City Tour by VIP car Vasa and Skansen museum
• Best Stockholm Small Group Bike Tour. English,French or Spanish!

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