Gamla Stan in Stockholm: the free streets, the SEK 120 to 220 sights and the church that is shut in winter

💡 The Short Version: Walking Gamla Stan costs nothing. Inside it: the Royal Palace is SEK 220, the Royal Armoury SEK 180 (closed Mondays), the Nobel Prize Museum SEK 160 (closed Mondays from September to May, tickets at the desk only) and Storkyrkan, the cathedral, SEK 120. Riddarholmen Church is open in summer only, and the Medieval Museum is closed while it moves to Stortorget. The changing of the guard is free at 12:15, or 13:15 on Sundays. The Old Town was founded sometime in the 13th century. Prices are in Swedish kronor. Or book a tour: the Old Town walking tourad is from SEK 150 (GetYourGuide).

What costs money

Prices are the adult rate from each operator.

Tours worth paying for

Gamla Stan is small, and a guide adds the history of the streets. GetYourGuide’s Old Town walks run from SEK 143 to SEK 435. Prices are the lowest “from” prices, per person.

Old Town walking tour with a local guide

From SEK 150 · 2 to 2.5 hours · 4.7 stars from 2,646 reviews

Stockholm Gamla Stan: Old Town Walking Tour with Local Guidead is run by Nordic Freedom Tours Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Walking tour of Gamla Stan

From SEK 167 · 2.5 hours · 4.8 stars from 617 reviews

Stockholm: Walking tour of Gamla Stan, the Old Townad is a 2.5-hour walk. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Secrets of Gamla Stan with an optional fika

From SEK 143 · 2 hours · 4.7 stars from 329 reviews

Stockholm: Secrets of Gamla Stan Guided Tour w/ Fika Optionad has the lowest price of the four Old Town walks here and adds a fika if you choose the option. A small-group Old Town walkad is SEK 435. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

What to see

Visit Stockholm says the Old Town was founded sometime during the 13th century. The sights cluster round the Royal Palace, and the district association’s site, visitgamlastan.se, lists the shops and restaurants.

The gabled houses round Stortorget, the square in the middle of Gamla Stan. Photo: Øyvind Holmstad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

1. The Royal Palace and the guard. The Outer Courtyard holds the changing of the guard, and the palace is on a single ticket. See Royal Palace tickets.
2. The Royal Armoury. Under the palace, entered at the start of Slottsbacken from Skeppsbron. It holds ceremonial equipment, weapons and costumes, among them Gustav III’s masquerade costume with the bullet hole.
3. Storkyrkan. The cathedral has stood since the 1300s, between the palace and the Nobel Prize Museum. Its sights include the wooden sculpture St George and the Dragon and the Parhelion painting. English Holy Communion is held every Sunday except the first of the month at 18:00.
4. Stortorget and the Nobel Prize Museum. The museum is at Stortorget 2, in the old Stock Exchange building. The ticket includes a guided tour. The museum will move to the Nobel Center at Slussen, with construction due to start in 2027 and opening set for 2031.
5. Riddarholmen Church. The burial church of the Swedish kings, and Stockholm’s only preserved medieval abbey. It is open in the summer months, and at concerts the rest of the year, and the Royal Court says it is closed for the 2026 season.
6. The Medieval Museum. Closed. Its pop-up, Medieval Hub, in the courtyard of Storkyrkan, was open Wednesday to Saturday from 3 June to 29 August 2026.

The order that works: the guard at 12:15, the palace after it, then Storkyrkan and the Nobel Prize Museum on Stortorget, which are a few minutes apart. What to skip: Riddarholmen Church outside the summer, and the Armoury on a Monday.

Storkyrkan, the cathedral in Gamla Stan. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Hours, rules and getting there

• Storkyrkan: 14 September to 31 December 2026, daily 9:30 to 17:00. It can close for funerals and other events. Large bags, suitcases and backpacks are not allowed. The audio guide runs on your phone, so bring headphones.
• Getting there: Gamla stan metro station is on the red and green lines, and the cathedral is a short walk from it and from T-Centralen and Kungsträdgården. Buses 2, 57 and 76 stop at Slottsbacken. Stockholm public transport has the fares.
• The one thing that ruins a visit: planning a Monday inside the museums. The Armoury and, from September to May, the Nobel Prize Museum are closed, and only the palace and the cathedral stay open.

What to book in Stockholm has the closed days for every sight. The City Hall tour is across the water, and best museums in Stockholm covers the Armoury and the Nobel Prize Museum in full. To walk it yourself, the Gamla Stan walk puts these sights in order from Gamla stan station to Slussen. Stockholm walking tours compare every guided walk, and cruise ships dock at Skeppsbron beside the palace: cruise port to the city. Free things to do in Stockholm lists the guard and the other free sights, and Stockholm food tours includes a tour of the Old Town’s tastings. 3 days in Stockholm puts the Old Town on the first day. For a bed in the Old Town, see where to stay in Stockholm.