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Island and urban district in Stockholm, Sweden
Photo: Bengt Oberger, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Södermalm [sødərˈmalm] (or just Söder) is the southern borough of central Stockholm, consisting of the island of Södermalm proper, two smaller islands connected to it from the west (Långholmen [ˈlɔŋˈhɔlmən] and Reimersholme [rejməʂˈhɔlmə]), as well as the neighbourhood of Hammarby Sjöstad on the opposite bank of the Hammarby Sjö in the east, which is a redeveloped former industrial area that was transformed into a model sustainable residential community.
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Walking eastwards from Slussen up Katarinavägen you will reach the picturesque street Fjällgatan, with a view of Gamla Stan from the east.
A walking path that you reach from Bastugatan (north of T Mariatorget) offers a similar view from the west. Benches and tables offer picnic possibilities.
A hill further west, close to the Zinkensdamm metro station, is a good option if you prefer cliffs to streets. When exiting the station turn back and head to the north. Walk up a small street to the right and climb the hill. Look for the "Kattenvägen" sign. A great alternative to watch the sun set in summertime.
Gamla Lundagatan
Preserved wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Katarina kyrka
Katarina kyrka ("Church of Catherine"), named after Princess Catherine, mother of King Charles X of Sweden, can be seen from many parts of central Stockholm from its location on a Södermalm hill. The church was built 1656–1695 and has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires. After the first fire in 1723, the church was given a larger, octagonal tower. Following a new fire in May 1990 which left almost nothing but the external walls, the church was faithfully reconstructed and reopened in 1995. Several notable Swedes are buried in the cemetery. The most well-known is former Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, who was assassinated in 2003.
Maria Magdalena kyrka
Inaugurated in 1634.
Sofia kyrka
This 1902 Romanesque parish church is on the top of a hill, which is a great viewpoint in its own right. Vita Bergen is a calm park, sloping southwards.
Saint Eric's Cathedral
Built in 1892 for the Church of Sweden. Since 1953, it serves as a cathedral for the Stockholm Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church (including all of Sweden). Most Catholics in Sweden are recent immigrants from countries such as Poland and Chile.
Part of the Ersta hospital complex.
Stadsmuseet i Stockholm
This building was finished in the 1660s, as Stockholm's Southern City Hall. Over the centuries, it has been used as a courthouse, a jail, an anatomic theatre, and a school. Since 1942 it is a museum, displaying Stockholm's history from 1523 to present day, with special attention to construction and architecture, and activities for children. The museum organizes walking tours.
The Swedish Museum of Photography
A private museum opened in 2010, in an industrial building from 1906. Besides the exhibitions, they have a diner with a great waterfront view.
Slussen Showroom
A showroom for the redevelopment of Slussen (due to finish in 2025) with a scale model, multimedia, and some archaeological artifacts.
A museum for Swedish writer and labour activist Ivar Lo-Johansson, famous for depicting Swedish farm workers' harsh conditions. The museum contains a small exhibition and Lo-Johansson's apartment, and requires advance booking. A scrapbook of Lo-Johansson's life is on display in the window. Across the street is Ivar Los park, a public park with a playground, and a bust of Lo-Johansson.
A hospital and nurse academy opened in 1851.
A museum apartment in mid-19th century bourgeois style. Available to let for events.
Headquarters of Swedish video game developer studio, best known for developing the sandbox and survival game Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time.
An original 19th century silk factory. The original machinery is preserved, and some manufacturing still goes on today. A museum displays the history of silk, from its origin in China, to the factory itself.
Ceramics and glassware gallery.
The Swedish Printmakers' Association.
An exhibition hall in Liljeholmen housed in an old paint factory from 1889 (the name translates to "the paint factory"), calling itself "laboratory of the contemporary". It is perhaps one of Sweden's most interesting scenes for contemporary art. Unfortunately, it is closed for most of the summer.
The "glass house" in Hammarby Sjöstad showcases the innovative technologies and solutions in use in the neighbourhood and is itself a very innovative building, heated and provided with energy by a selection of "green" technologies. Inside, you will find various exhibits and presentations about Hammarby Sjöstad. While most of the explanations and descriptions are in Swedish only, the staff may help you translate this to your language. You may also order a tour for a larger group for 2500 kr.
An island with several good spots for swimming, including a small sandy beach.
[ˈtantuˈlɵndən]
A big park, known for its quaint allotment gardens, and its beach. Crowded during summer. Good for outdoor games. Also contains a miniature golf course.
A public gym and swimming facility with both indoor and outdoor Olympic-size swimming pools.
A soccer pitch, frozen for Hammarby's bandy games during winter. Home ground of Stockholm Mean Machines, an American football team.
A 10-km night-time running event held annually in mid-August on the streets of Södermalm. There is plenty of live music and other entertainment along the course, creating a party vibe that draws huge numbers of spectators.
On the lively Götgatan street, this beautiful 1930s theatre screens a broad variety of Hollywood blockbusters and classic movies ranging from the birth of cinema and onwards.
Amidst the bars of the Hornstull district, this charming independent theatre, neighbouring the LGBT-friendly café Copacabana, arranges screenings of films of all sorts - from 3D-features to festivals of low-budget shorts.
Stockholm's second opera house, usually staging classics sung in Swedish, to a modernized arrangement.
One of the main features of the Liljeholmen borough is this lake, which allows swimming at summertime and ice-skating in the winter. The 2½-km walk around the lake is magnificent. At the half-grass half-sand beach, the water temperatures are quite high in the summers, when many are bathing in the safe, clear water. If you are visiting in winter, don't miss the hill about half way through the walk which allows sledding, when the snow is thick. At summer, you can also do some fishing with the locals, if you ask the fishing club for permission. There are two ice-cream shops, one at the beach and one at the entrance of the lake. A small café serving hot food is located about a quarter of the way round the lake.
Hosts alpine skiing in case of freezing weather (usually January-February). The view from the summit is great around the year.
The Diesel Workshop
A community centre with several attractions, including a theatre, a climbing gym and a cinema.
An experimental mine, dug out by mining equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco. Guided tours are available.
Avicii Arena
Located just south of Södermalm, and claiming to be the world's largest hemispheric building with 110 metres across, the Globe has been one of the most eye-catching features of the Stockholm skyline since its inauguration in 1989. It was officially renamed in memory of late Swedish superstar DJ Avicii in 2021, but locals still generally call it Globen. It is frequently used for ice hockey games but also for other sporting events, as well as concerts and galas. The Globe also represents the Sun in the Sweden Solar System; Mercury is at Stockholms Stadsmuseum, Venus and Earth on Östermalm, and the outer planets are north of Stockholm.
(T Globen/Skärmarbrink) A 30,000-seat stadium opened in July, 2013, featuring football (soccer) rivals Djurgårdens IF and Hammarby, as well as concerts and other sport events.
A major international indoor equestrian event, held annually in the Stockholm Globe Arena, featuring the World Cup in dressage, show jumping and World Cup Four in Hand driving.
An elevator at the outside of the arena, to the very top, with a panoramic view of Stockholm. The ride lasts 20 minutes, and costs 130 kr for adults, and 100 kr for children and seniors.
A nice café, which like the hotel next door is owned by Benny Andersson of ABBA fame. (You won't find any traces of ABBA in the place, though.)
[ˈfoːˈfɛŋan]
A café and restaurant close to the eastern tip of Södermalm with a good view of the city. Music some days during lunchtime.
Copacabana brands itself a queer feminist café and draws a LGBT crowd from all over the city, as well as locals both gay and straight. Friendly atmosphere and afternoon sun on a few outdoor tables.
Also on Kungsholmen and in Vasastan.
WiFi access.
Astounding view over Stockholm.
A 1950s style Swedish café with novelty dishes.
A very simple kebab bar, with great value for small money.
Offers a choice of vegan dishes for 88 kr. Self-service salad, water, fruit tea and chutneys are free. Often quite packed but it's normal to share a table with strangers here.
A kebab diner. The buffet (open 11:00-19:00) is great, 69 kr.
Another kebab diner in the same chain.
Authentic French-speaking crêpes/galettes place. The place is often crowded and the service can be very French, in all senses of the word, but the food is excellent. Booking recommended. Mains 70-92 kr.
An Italian restaurant in the metro station serving pizzas.
Serves traditional Swedish food, located about one quarter around the Trekanten lake.
The Swedish hamburger chain which has run several McDonald's out of competition. In 2019 they opened in the middle of Södermalm, with a terrace overlooking Medborgarplatsen, as well as a vegan menu offered only here.
Russian cuisine and a meetup point for Stockholm's Slavic community.
Offers a small selection of Swedish dishes (including the famous köttbullar (meatballs)). The selection changes according to the season. The food is excellent and very good value for the money.
On the cheap end of mid-range, this friendly, cosy and unpretentious Czech restaurant serves Central European fare and a wide selection of Czech beer. Great value for money.
While Stockholm has a fair number of cheap Chinese restaurants, most serve a rather bland and watered-down version of the most popular "westernized" staple dishes. While the competition is not all that fierce, Ho's stand out as a quality choice, with a wide selection of dishes with more spice and taste.
Authentic Thai restaurant with great food. Booking recommended.
Sumptuous weekend vegetarian buffet (theme changes weekly) followed by delicious coffees, teas, and desserts (140-190 kr depending on beverage/dessert choice). The view over Stockholm is amazing, go there at sunset and sit on the back terrace. They sometimes have live entertainment.
A friendly restaurant serving delicious Thai food.
Excellent and decently authentic Vietnamese food. Cheap lunch offers. Booking recommended.
An 18th-century palace, mainly used as a conference centre. Lunch is served 11:00-14:00, and a classical julbord (Christmas buffet) during December.
Built in 2013. Krogen is a classical diner, while Torget is more casual. Enzo's, on the top floor, is an Italian restaurant with international association football.
A restaurant for meatballs, both in classical and luxury servings.
A rooftop restaurant with an outdoor bar, providing an astounding view of Stockholm. Established 2023.
[gɔnˈdoːlən]
A fancy and expensive restaurant run by the famous chef Erik Lallerstedt, in the peculiar 1930s elevator building Katarinahissen. There is an inexpensive branch named Köket in the same premises where you can eat the best of Swedish cuisine for considerably less than in the main dining room, although you'll miss out on the fabulous view of the city. Dress code may apply! Mains in main dining room 185-300 kr, tasting menu 650 kr.
In contrast to restaurants with a great view, this diner puts guests in a pitch dark room. Waiters are blind. Reservations only.
Luxury dining with a waterfront view.
Friendly English-style pub offering good food, real ale, plenty of beers from all over the world as well as 450 different whiskies. A place where younger and older drinkers meet.
A really small bar with an eclectic colour scheme, usually drawing a rather young crowd. This is a good place to start the evening.
Warm and cozy English-style pub offering good food, real ale, and other beers from around the world.
As one of the few nightclubs open to 05:00, they have a harsh (but arbitrary) entrance policy. Dominated by gays on Sunday nights.
Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, this very relaxed and stylish bar offers a marvellous view of Stockholm from its lounge. Be sure to come before 23:00 to get seats offering the best view.
In the same building as the Södra Teatern theatre and bar, this is a laid-back restaurant, bar and music venue. In the summer, its large beer garden with a panoramic view is extremely popular with Stockholmers and tourists alike. Indoors, you will find lots of clubs and live music in a wealth of genres, including brunches with live jazz on weekends 10:30-03:00.
[ˈʃøːˈgrɛːs]
Next door to a decent, if a bit expensive, restaurant by the name 'Sjögräs' (Seaweed), specialising in Caribbean fare, this small bar offers a wide selection of rum brands. The standard European beers are still the most popular choices for the young and rather trendy clientele, however.
A bar for Swedish craft gin.
Cheap beer, pub grub, and a lot of young broke hipsters at this Södermalm bar.
[grøːnə ˈjɛːˈgaɳ]
A sport and karaoke bar with history back to 1692. There are several other places in the hood and you will probably find a seat.
Cheap beer, cider and shots for as little as 24 kr each. Minimum age of 23 to enter. Hard rock music and poor acoustics. You will blend in well if you wear black leather and tattoos.
A beer hall with old traditions. Popular with fans of the football club Hammarby IF. This place has expanded, adding more modern, trendy bars in adjoining rooms. Has a wide selection of beers and food at decent prices. Some scenes of the Millennium series were shot here.
Once upon a time, the landmark skyscraper on Götgatan housed the offices of the Swedish Tax Agency. After major renovations, the building reopened in 2008, transformed into the unlikely combination of a small shopping mall, student apartments and, on the 25th and 26th floors, an exclusive-looking sky bar and restaurant offering visitors one of the most spectacular panoramas over the city. Enter from inside the Skrapan shopping center.
A hotel bar with several rooms, good for large groups.
Cheap beer and reggae music.
Stockholm Comedy Club
Except a restaurant and a bar, the venue hosts Sweden's most active stand-up comedy club. Showtime Monday-Saturday at 20:00. Monday shows are in English.
An old style working-class beer hall with a very authentic feeling, for those traditionalists who think Kvarnen has sold out. High noise level but quite a friendly crowd. Also offers simple and authentic Swedish food at a reasonable price.
An outdoor boat bar, for fans of Thailand.
[ˈtregˈoɖˌən] or [ˈtregoɳ]
A popular summer-only nightclub, probably owing much to the fact that half of the club (including one dance floor) is situated outdoors, since Swedes love to spend as much of their brief summers as possible outdoors.
The winter equivalent, with alternative electronic music.
Sthlm 01
A restaurant on the 28th floor with an astounding view of Stockholm.
Stereotypical English pub, best known for its stand-up comedy club, with free-entrance shows in English every Thursday on 20:00. Live music at weekend nights.
A two-part establishment at the waterfront, with a free-of-charge bar, and a nightclub that usually stages alternative concerts.
In Slakthusområdet ("the meatpacking district") is, with inspiration from the New York counterpart, a nightclub for alternative dance music. With very casual furnishing, the livestock blood has barely been washed off the walls.
Free bed linen and towels, free access to computers with Internet connection in the lobby, free WiFi access in all rooms, free access to washing machine and dryer, free tea and coffee, free luggage storage room, 24/7 security observation.
In this quiet neighbourhood of traditional working-class houses a welcoming lady rents 3 units for bed and breakfast. Two of the units are separate buildings, which are well equipped. The breakfast consists of several fresh things like bread, fruits and drinks. The cabins are cosy and great value. The metro is a 5 minute walk and from there 10 minutes to the main attractions. Short, the location is fine. The units have their own kitchenettes, so you can cook yourself. The supermarket is a 10-minute walk. Discounts apply if you stay longer. 1200 kr for a weekend from Friday evening to Sunday. 3500 kr for a week and less if you stay longer.
Spectacular hostel built in an old prison where you actually stay in the old cells (making them limited to the size). The place is clean, and the staff is nice and friendly. The atmosphere is really one of a kind. It is also a hotel and the breakfast buffet holds top-standard and costs 75 kr. They have a guest kitchen, internet terminals, washing machine/dryer, and there are a lot of green areas and bathing opportunities around. The Hornstull Metro station is about 800 m away.
Den röda båten
A boat-hostel. The boat was launched in 1914.
You don't require a STF card at Skanstulls vandrarhem but the prices are still cheap and the standard is higher than the STF hostels. And compared to the STF hostels, this is more flexible. Skanstulls hostel opened in May 2007 and is a clean and central hostel. Very close to popular SoFo. Book in advance since it is almost always fully booked.
Very nice and fairly big youth hostel and hotel. It is very clean, the staff is helpful and friendly, however the rooms are rather small. Features a fairly big guest kitchen, a nice garden, Internet terminals, and laundry machine/dryer.
A boat-hostel with bunks and cabins.
In Nacka, a four-star waterfront hotel, with central Stockholm within sight and reach.
A decommissioned diesel passenger ship, transformed to a hostel/hotel, with rooms at different price levels.
A hotel opened in 2015 in a calm neighbourhood, two tram stops from the Globe arenas.
International business hotel with an excellent view of the Old Town and the City Hall. Sleek and modern hotel, with professional, English speaking staff. Tremendous amount of choice from fresh fruit, to cereals, fresh waffles, pancakes, pastries for breakfast. Be sure to check out the interesting wood work displayed all around the hotel, various wood types are entwined with interesting room features.
Owned by a former member of ABBA, Benny Andersson, who has restored a 1930s Art Deco red velvet cinema into a hip, elegant, and comfortable hotel. Personable staff abound, and patrons enjoy tasteful decor and bright, albeit small rooms with comfortable beds and good linens. Lobby and restaurant are trendy without being overbearing and the hotel faces a very charming city square with garden and fountain.
Ideal location, with lots of restaurants, a walkway along the water, and a laid-back vibe all just outside the hotel's door. Huge hotel with over 500 rooms, but the friendly staff ensure that guests feel welcomed, and there's personalized touches to be had, such as automatic checkout via email and free internet.
Hotel J overlooks the Nacka Strand, a haven in the far east of Nacka that is accessible e.g. using the Sjovagen ferry (line 80). Despite the closeness to the city, this area has resort-like qualities and, thanks to its steep hill rising immediately next to the lakeside, may be said to have a Monte-Carlo-like feel.
A 15-story hotel in 2000s neighbourhood Hammarby Sjöstad, with a short tram trip to the Globe Arena, and a ferry to central Stockholm.
Next door to the Globe arena.
Second hand store.
Large assortment of the popular Swedish jeans Cheap Monday, which, surprisingly, is rather cheap.
A design store specializing in smaller items, ranging from the beautiful to the useful to the downright eccentric.
Denim and some inventive young fashion.
Laid-back minimalistic designs in low-key colors, often with some interesting details.
Passionate about sneakers, this store has a huge assortment of contemporary and classic designs, including limited-range models.
Sophisticated young fashion in low-key colors.
Second-hand store.
Second-hand store.
Second-hand store.
[ˈmyːˌruɳa]
A second-hand store run by the Salvation Army.
Second-hand store.
Second-hand store.
A record store with independent pop, alternative rock and other genres of music with more cred than chart placements. A real institution among Stockholm's music fans.
A small but well-stocked music store specialising in the genres popularly called "world music", with welcoming and knowledgeable staff.
Two rather eccentric sister stores with a collection of colourful household items and other stuff. Good for small gifts.
The other location of Cocktail.
Fashion, home decor, restaurants and more.
A rather small shopping centre, opened in 2007, with a number of fashion stores and a rather diverse collection of other shops, in part geared towards the students living in the skyscraper on top.
A very small indoor shopping centre with a handful of fashion stores focusing on street wear.
An enormous shopping centre dominated by major firms.
T Globen
Next to the Avicii Arena, Globen.
Stockholms södra station is a commuter railway station. Several metro stations and bus lines, with Slussen [ˈslɵsən] being the busiest station, as well as several bus lines.
Read in the guideMost of Södermalm is walkable, and well served by public transportation. Until 2025, the traffic hub at Slussen is being rebuilt, with rerouting of traffic, including pedestrians.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
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