In this guide
💡 The Short Version: May to August are the best months for weather: July is the warmest and sunniest, with a mean high of 23.6°C and 280 hours of sun, May and June have 277 hours each, and June has 18 h 33 of daylight on the 15th. December is cold, at a mean high of 2.5°C, with 6 hours of daylight, and holds Christmas, Lucia on 13 December and the Nobel week. January and February are the coldest, at 1°C. Midsummer Eve is Friday 25 June 2027, when the city empties. Or book a walk: the Gamla Stan walking tourad is from SEK 150.
Stockholm month by month
Highs and lows are the mean daily maximum and minimum in °C, rain is the monthly total in mm with the number of days with 1 mm or more, and sun is the hours in the month. The figures are averages for 1991 to 2020 calculated from open data of the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI): temperature and rain from Stockholm-Observatoriekullen and sun from Stockholm Sol. They are not a table SMHI publishes. Daylight is the length of the day on the 15th, calculated for Stockholm’s coordinates.
| Month | High / low | Rain | Sun | Daylight | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 5.4 / 1.9 | 48 mm, 10.7 days | 45 h | 7 h 45 | Julbord restaurants open from 12 November, and Skansen’s Christmas market from 27 November. Dark by 15:25 |
| December 2026 | 2.5 / -1.2 | 48 mm, 10.8 days | 33 h | 6 h 09 | Nobel Week Lights 5 to 13 December, Lucia on the 13th, the markets end on the 20th. Closures on 24, 25 and 26 December |
| January 2027 | 1.0 / -2.9 | 37 mm, 8.7 days | 44 h | 6 h 50 | Christmas at Skansen ends on 6 January, an Epiphany holiday |
| February 2027 | 1.2 / -3.2 | 29 mm, 7.6 days | 75 h | 9 h 12 | Stockholm Design Week from 8 to 14 February. Fettisdagen, the semla day, is Tuesday 9 February |
| March 2027 | 4.7 / -1.1 | 27 mm, 6.8 days | 151 h | 11 h 40 | Easter from Good Friday 26 March to Easter Monday 29 March. The clocks go forward on 28 March |
| April 2027 | 10.7 / 2.6 | 29 mm, 6.0 days | 216 h | 14 h 25 | Fewest rain days. Walpurgis Night on 30 April. Strömma’s boats to Grinda and Sandhamn start |
| May 2027 | 16.5 / 7.1 | 34 mm, 6.5 days | 277 h | 16 h 55 | Ascension on 6 May. The Stockholm Marathon on Saturday 29 May |
| June 2027 | 20.8 / 11.6 | 62 mm, 8.8 days | 277 h | 18 h 33 | National Day on Sunday 6 June. Midsummer Eve on 25 June |
| July 2027 | 23.6 / 14.8 | 62 mm, 8.5 days | 280 h | 17 h 56 | The warmest and sunniest month |
| August 2027 | 22.1 / 14.2 | 66 mm, 9.0 days | 234 h | 15 h 39 | The wettest month by volume. The Stockholm Culture Festival is in the middle of the month, free |
| September 2027 | 16.6 / 10.2 | 53 mm, 7.9 days | 170 h | 12 h 58 | Skansen is open 10:00 to 17:00 until 3 October |
| October 2027 | 10.1 / 5.5 | 51 mm, 9.3 days | 96 h | 10 h 21 | The clocks go back on 31 October |
The weather in numbers
- Warm months. June, July and August have mean highs of 20.8°C, 23.6°C and 22.1°C. July is the warmest.
- Rain is spread through the year. The year adds up to about 546 mm over about 100 rain days. August (66 mm) is the wettest month by volume, March (27 mm) the driest, and December has the most rain days, 10.8.
- Sunshine. About 1,900 hours a year: 280 in July and 277 in May and June, against 44 in January and 33 in December.
- Cold. January and February have mean highs of about 1°C and lows of about minus 3°C.
- Daylight. From 6 h 05 on 21 December to 18 h 38 on 21 June. On 21 December the sun rises at 08:43 and sets at 14:48. On 21 June it rises at 03:30 and sets at 22:08.
- Clocks. Sweden changes on the last Sunday of October and of March: 25 October 2026, 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027.
Långholmens klippbad. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Dates that shape a visit
Christmas and New Year
Skansen’s Christmas market runs on Fridays to Sundays from 27 November to 20 December 2026, and the julbord restaurants open from 12 November. See Stockholm Christmas markets 2026 and Stockholm on New Year’s Eve 2026.
Lucia
Lucia is Sunday 13 December 2026, a white-robed procession with candles, saffron buns and glögg. Visit Stockholm lists these public events, with the dates and times the organisers print:
| Event | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Meet Lucia | Storkyrkan, Trångsund 1 | 6 December 15:00 and 17:00; 8 December 18:00 |
| Lucia on Water, a swim show | Forsgrenska badet, Medborgarplatsen 4 | 9 December 18:30 and 19:30; 12 December 18:30 |
| Lucia celebrations | Skansen | 9, 10 and 13 December |
| Lucia breakfast | Nalen, Regeringsgatan 74 | 11 December 07:30 to 09:00 |
| Lucia concert with Dalarnas Lussibrud | Nordic Museum, Djurgårdsvägen 6-16 | 12 December 19:30 to 22:30; 13 December 17:00 to 20:00 and 19:30 to 22:30 |
| Lucia in Engelbrekt Church | Östermalmsgatan 20 | 12 December 19:00; 13 December 16:00 and 18:00 |
| A Baroque Advent celebration | Confidencen, Ulriksdal, Solna | 12 December 15:00 and 17:00 |
The ice and the dark
January and February are cold and dark, with 6 h 50 of daylight on 15 January. Kungsträdgården’s ice rink is free and open in the winter season, weather permitting, and Vasaparken has a rink too. Natural-ice skating needs ice thick enough, on lakes such as Trekanten in Liljeholmen, Drevviken, Magelungen and Långsjön, according to Visit Stockholm. GetYourGuide sells winter kayaking with fika and a hot saunaad from SEK 1,251 (879 reviews, 5.0 stars) and Nordic ice skating for beginners on a frozen lakead from SEK 1,600 (113 reviews). Gröna Lund is shut until spring: see Gröna Lund tickets.
Walking on frozen Riddarfjärden. Photo: G och J, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Fettisdagen
Fettisdagen, Shrove Tuesday, is 9 February 2027, the day for the semla, a Lent bun filled with almond paste and cream: see fika in Stockholm.
Easter and Walpurgis Night
Good Friday is 26 March 2027, Easter Sunday 28 March, when the clocks go forward, and Easter Monday 29 March. Walpurgis Night is on 30 April, and Skansen is open until 21:00.
The Stockholm Marathon
On Saturday 29 May 2027, with a preliminary start at 12:00, according to the organiser.
National Day
6 June, a Sunday in 2027 and a public holiday. Skansen is open 10:00 to 20:00.
Midsummer
Midsummer Eve is Friday 25 June 2027. Most Stockholmers leave for the archipelago or the countryside, and many museums close. See Stockholm Midsummer 2027.
Stockholm Culture Festival
Five free days in week 33 of August each year. The 2026 edition ran from 12 to 16 August.
Public holidays
The public holidays that close places are set by law. In 2027 they fall on 1 January, 6 January, 26 March, 28 and 29 March, 1 May, 6 May, 16 May, 6 June, 26 June, 6 November and 25 and 26 December. Midsummer Eve, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not public holidays, but shops and museums treat them like one.
Which month for what
- Walking weather. May and June, or early September, with a mean high of 16.6°C and 12 h 58 of daylight on the 15th.
- Long evenings. June: the sun sets at about 22:04 on 15 June.
- Warmth. July and August, at a mean high of 23.6°C and 22.1°C. August is the wettest month by volume, so plan an indoor sight for the afternoon: the best museums in Stockholm have the Monday closures.
- The archipelago. Summer, when the Strömma boats run: the archipelago day trip has the winter boats too.
- Christmas. Mid-November to 6 January, with 6 to 8 hours of daylight and a mean high of 2.5°C in December: wear layers.
- Dark and cold. January and February, at a mean high of about 1°C.
- Fewest rain days. March to May, with 6.0 to 6.8 rain days a month.
Autumn at Lilla Sickla. Photo: Arild Vågen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Plan the rest
Where to stay in Stockholm compares the areas and hotels near Stockholm Central Station lists the closest. Once you have your dates, 3 days in Stockholm fits the sights round the closed days, and Stockholm with kids sorts them by age. Where to eat in Stockholm covers the meals, and what to book before you go to Stockholm has the hours for every sight. For the way in, see Arlanda to the city and Stockholm public transport.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Stockholm?
For weather, May to August. July is the warmest and sunniest month, with a mean high of 23.6°C and 280 hours of sun, May and June have 277 hours each, and June has 18 hours 33 minutes of daylight on the 15th. December has Christmas and Lucia, and 6 hours of daylight.
How cold is Stockholm in winter?
January's mean high is 1.0°C and its low minus 2.9°C, and February's high is 1.2°C. January has 44 hours of sun in the month and 6 hours 50 minutes of daylight on the 15th. December has the most rain days, 10.8, and the least sun, 33 hours.
When is Lucia in Stockholm in 2026?
Sunday 13 December. The white-robed procession with candles, saffron buns and glögg is held in churches and halls from 6 December, among them Storkyrkan, Skansen and the Nordic Museum.
When is Midsummer in Stockholm in 2027?
Midsummer Eve is Friday 25 June 2027 and Midsummer Day is Saturday 26 June. Most Stockholmers leave town, many museums close, and Skansen is open on the Eve from 10:00 to 22:00.
How long is the longest day in Stockholm?
18 hours 38 minutes on 21 June 2027, with sunrise at 03:30 and sunset at 22:08. The shortest day, 21 December 2026, is 6 hours 5 minutes, from 08:43 to 14:48. These times are calculated for Stockholm's coordinates.
Can you skate on natural ice in Stockholm?
Sometimes. Kungsträdgården's rink is free and open in the winter season, weather permitting. Natural-ice skating needs ice thick enough, on lakes such as Trekanten in Liljeholmen, Drevviken, Magelungen and Långsjön.
