Södermalm walk: from Slussen up to Katarina Church, Fjällgatan and Monteliusvägen, with what is open each day

One of 2 self-guided walks in Stockholm. See every walk.

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Start at Slussen metro station and finish at Zinkensdamm, two stops along the red line: 4.1 km, about 70 minutes of walking and half a day with the stops. Go Tuesday to Thursday, and start by midday, because Monteliusvägen is best at sunrise and sunset and the sun sets at 14:48 on the shortest day. Katarina Church is open every day, Fjällgatan, Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget are free and outdoors with no opening hours, and the Stockholm City Museum at Slussen is free but shut on Mondays. Monteliusvägen can be slippery in winter. Fotografiska, off the line, is SEK 195 and open to 23:00. Or book a tour: the Bohemian walk through SoFo and the viewpointsad is from SEK 210 for two and a half hours.

The route

Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order

Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.

The route climbs from Slussen to the church and the cliff-top street of Fjällgatan on Södermalm’s north-east edge, turns west along Götgatan and Hornsgatan to Mariatorget, and ends along the northern cliff on Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget, which look across Riddarfjärden to the City Hall. Stockholm’s viewpoints compares the views; this page strings them into a walk.

Walk it with a guide

A guide adds the stories, and neither of these includes a museum entry. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

• Stockholm: Bohemian Walking tour Södermalm. Sofo&Viewpointsad: from SEK 210, 4.8 stars from 68 reviews, 2.5 hours.
• Stockholm: Guided Swedish Food Walking Tour in Södermalmad: from SEK 1,295, 4.8 stars from 41 reviews, 3.5 hours, with tastings. Stockholm food tours compares it with the others.

1. Slussen

City Museum free · Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, Wednesday 11:00 to 20:00 · shut Mondays until 16 December

Slussen is where Södermalm meets the Old Town, and the walk starts at its metro station, on the red and green lines. The Stockholm City Museum stands beside it, with free admission to its exhibitions and all its texts in English. From 17 December to 12 January it is open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, and it is closed 24 to 28 December, 31 December to 1 January and 4 to 6 January.

• Katarinahissen: a public lift 38 metres high joins Katarinavägen at Slussen to Mosebacke torg. At the top is Gondolen, a restaurant, reached over the Katarina footbridge.
• The Gamla Stan walk: the Gamla Stan walk ends here, so the two join at Slussen.

Walk up Katarinavägen to the church: 510 m.

2. Katarina Church

Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday 8:30 to 17:00 · Högbergsgatan 13

Katarina Church was built from 1656 to 1695 to the drawings of Jean de la Vallée, the royal architect. It is a baroque church on a Greek cross plan, which the parish says made it the first central church in the Nordic countries. It survived serious fires in 1723 and 1990, and it is visible far around as part of Södermalm’s skyline. The parish publishes a guide to the church and churchyard in English to download.

Katarina Church seen from its churchyard. Photo: Arild Vågen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• Hours: the parish lists the church open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 8:30 to 17:00. A funeral service is often held between 14:00 and 15:00.
• The exhibition: Elden och skatterna (Fire and Treasures) runs in the church until 15 November 2026. It shows church silver, vestments and textiles, some of them saved from the 1990 fire, and the witch trials of 1676, when some of Södermalm’s accused were questioned in the church.

Walk on along Högbergsgatan to Fjällgatan: 410 m.

3. Fjällgatan

Free · outdoors, no opening hours

Fjällgatan is the cliff-top street on the north-east edge of Södermalm. Visit Stockholm lists its view of Saltsjön, Gamla Stan, Norrmalm, Skeppsholmen and Djurgården among the free viewpoints on Södermalm, a short walk from Slussen metro station.

The view across the water from Fjällgatan. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Walk west along Götgatan and Hornsgatan to Mariatorget: 1.4 km.

Detour: Fotografiska

SEK 195 · daily 10:00 to 23:00 · Stadsgårdshamnen 22

Fotografiska, the museum of photography, stands on the waterfront below Fjällgatan. It is open every day from 10:00 to 23:00, and an adult ticket is SEK 195. Best museums in Stockholm has the prices and the other late nights.

4. Hornsgatan and Mariatorget

Free · outdoors · Mariatorget metro station, red line

Hornsgatan is Södermalm’s main street. Its eastern end rises over Hornsgatspuckeln, the Hornsgatan Hump, which Visit Stockholm names for its concentration of art galleries. Mariatorget, 1.4 km from Fjällgatan, has its own station on the red line, so the walk can end here.

• Drop Coffee: the roaster’s café is at Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 10, by the station. See Where to eat.

Walk north to the east end of Monteliusvägen: 350 m.

5. Monteliusvägen

Free · outdoors, no opening hours · a 500-metre path

Monteliusvägen is a walking path with houses on one side and the view on the other: Lake Mälaren, Stockholm City Hall and Riddarholmen, which Visit Stockholm says are best at sunrise and sunset. There is a safety rail. Take care in winter, when parts of the path can be slippery.

Follow the path west to its end: 400 m. Skinnarviksberget is a further 550 m.

6. Skinnarviksberget

Free · outdoors, no opening hours

Visit Stockholm names Skinnarviksberget the highest natural point in central Stockholm. The view runs across Kungsholmen, Gamla Stan and the City Hall, and locals come for picnics. The park beneath the hill has a small playground and an open-air café.

Walk down to Zinkensdamm station: 470 m.

7. Zinkensdamm station

Red line · two stops from Slussen

The walk ends at Zinkensdamm metro station on the red line, two stops from Slussen by way of Mariatorget.

Where to eat

Katarina Kök & Café

Högbergsgatan 15 A · Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 18:00, Friday 10:00 to 13:00, Sunday 8:30 to 14:00 · shut Saturdays

The parish café beside the church, between the second and third stops. It serves a weekday lunch buffet with bread baked each day and a soup that is usually vegan, a fish soup on Wednesdays, and a Sunday soup from 11:30 to 13:00. The café side serves coffee, tea, pastries and sandwiches.

Gondolen

Stadsgården 6 · Monday to Friday 11:30 to 01:00, Saturday and Sunday 12:00 to 01:00

The restaurant at the top of Katarinahissen, reached over the Katarina footbridge from Mosebacke torg, serving Swedish cooking with a modern touch. It serves seven Christmas servings from 19 November to 26 December 2026. Where to eat in Stockholm has the restaurants.

Drop Coffee

Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 10, by Mariatorget · Monday to Friday 8:00 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00

A roaster’s café with espresso and filter coffee, and pastries and sandwiches made with bread from Svedjan Bageri, at the fourth stop. Fika in Stockholm has the other cafés.

The best day to go

The timing that works, on a Tuesday to Thursday: start at Slussen by 11:00, see the City Museum if you want it, reach Katarina Church before 14:00 (a funeral service is often held from 14:00 to 15:00), lunch at Katarina Kök & Café, take Fjällgatan, then Drop Coffee at Mariatorget, and be on Monteliusvägen with an hour of daylight left. In December the sun sets at 14:48 at the earliest, so the walk is better started at 10:00.

What closes:

• Mondays: the Stockholm City Museum.
• Saturdays: Katarina Kök & Café. Fridays after 13:00: the same café.
• 24 to 28 December and 1 January: the City Museum.
• After 17:00: Katarina Church and the City Museum (Wednesdays 20:00).

What does not close: Fjällgatan, Hornsgatan, Monteliusvägen and Skinnarviksberget, which are outdoors, and Fotografiska, which is open every day to 23:00.

Getting there and back

• To the start: Slussen metro station is on the red and green lines. From the Old Town it is one stop from Gamla stan. Stockholm public transport has the zones and fares.
• From the end: Zinkensdamm station is on the red line, with Mariatorget between it and Slussen. Mariatorget is the better exit for a short day.
• In reverse: start at Zinkensdamm and finish at Slussen if you want the Old Town next, but Monteliusvägen is best at the end of the day.

What to do with the rest of the day

• The Old Town: the Gamla Stan walk ends at Slussen, where this one starts.
• The views: Stockholm’s viewpoints compares these three with the others.
• Free sights: free things to do in Stockholm lists the rest.
• Museums: the best museums in Stockholm covers Fotografiska and the late nights.
• The days: 3 days in Stockholm puts Monteliusvägen in the evening, and what to book before you go to Stockholm has the closed days for every sight.
• Guided walks: Stockholm walking tours lists the Södermalm walk with the others.
• Where to sleep: where to stay in Stockholm compares the areas.

Common questions

How long is the Södermalm walk?

4.1 km from Slussen to Zinkensdamm metro station, measured along the streets: about 70 minutes of walking, with a climb from Slussen to Katarina Church. Fotografiska is off the line, on the waterfront below Fjällgatan.

Which day is best for the Södermalm walk?

Tuesday to Thursday. The walk is mostly outdoors, but the Stockholm City Museum at Slussen is shut on Mondays, the parish café beside Katarina Church is shut on Saturdays and closes at 13:00 on Fridays, and Drop Coffee at Mariatorget closes at 17:00 on weekends. Start by midday to reach Monteliusvägen in daylight.

Is the Södermalm walk free?

The streets, the viewpoints and the Stockholm City Museum cost nothing. Fotografiska, off the route, is SEK 195.

When is the light best on Monteliusvägen?

At sunrise and sunset, Visit Stockholm says. On 21 December the sun rises at 08:43 and sets at 14:48, so in winter reach the path by about 14:00.

Is Monteliusvägen safe in winter?

The path has a safety rail, and Visit Stockholm warns that parts of it can be slippery in winter.

Where does the walk start and finish?

It starts at Slussen metro station, where the Gamla Stan walk ends, and finishes at Zinkensdamm metro station on the same red line, two stops from Slussen.