13+ BEST Things to do in Stockholm in Winter

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From warming up over fika to exploring the Vasa Museum, these are the best things to do in Stockholm in winter for that perfect city break!

While chasing the winter sun can be great, I think there’s something so magical about embracing the cold for a properly wintry getaway. And Stockholm in winter definitely delivers that and so much more!

There are exciting ways to spend time outdoors and warm up afterwards in cosy Scandi surroundings. One day you might be skiing at the Hammarbybacken resort or seeing the sights on a boat tour. The next, wandering around the museums and spending some downtime in the saunas. Oh, and then there’s fika, the art of chillaxing with cake and a coffee. I mean, that all sounds like bliss, doesn’t it?

Another reason winter is an amazing time to visit is that Christmas in Stockholm is a festive dream. Markets, mulled wine, sprinklings of snow. I mean, what’s not to love?

As well as stacks of seasonal things to see and do, a bonus of visiting Stockholm when it’s cold and snowy is that there are fewer tourists around too. It might still be busy in places, but not frantic, and you can get the most reasonable prices on accommodation.

Carry on reading for my recommendations of the best things to do in Stockholm in winter. I think you’ll find this city really does make for the perfect winter break away!

While you’re here, have a look at my guide to the coolest hotels in Stockholm for luxury, mid-range and budget picks, plus the best areas to base yourself. And if you’ve got a spare day, my day trips from Stockholm guide has some lovely spots just outside the city that are well worth the trip.

Quick glance at Stockholm

Best month: December for the markets and lights, February for longer days and semlor
Temperature: around 0°C from December to February, down to -10°C in a cold snap
Daylight: about 6 hours in December, closer to 9 by mid-February
Snow: likely, but not guaranteed. Some winters are grey and wet instead
From the airport: Arlanda Express to Central Station in under 20 minutes, 340 SEK single
Getting around: SL single ticket 43 SEK, valid 75 minutes, tap contactless at the gate
Typical costs: Fotografiska 225 SEK, Vasa Museum 240 SEK, Skansen around 195 SEK
How long: three days for the city, four if you want a day trip

What’s the weather like in winter?

In a nutshell: winters are cold. Between December and February, the coldest months of the year in Sweden, you’re looking at an average of 0°C. There can be days when it’s much much colder, dropping down to -15˚C or even lower.

Don’t be put off by this. As long as you’re well prepared with the right clothes (more on that below), you’ll do just fine. I find the cold in Stockholm quite a dry cold (if that makes sense). As long as you’re wrapped up, it really isn’t too bad and I think the UK in winter feels colder.

Snow is very likely in December, so if you’re chasing a white Christmas, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find it here.

What clothes to pack for winter?

Layers, layers and more layers, starting with thermals. Over these, a choice of t-shirts and long sleeved shirts, jumpers and hoodies, trousers and jeans, all to build up protection against the cold.

Most importantly, you need a decent coat. I’m talking your biggest, baddest winter coat – if you haven’t got one, it’s an investment worth making before visiting Stockholm in winter.

Don’t forget a hat, scarf and gloves, and some sturdy shoes for walking around in. A pair of walking boots is always a reliable option, as they keep your feet warm too. I took all of the above in my usual backpack, which worked out much better than a suitcase, as it meant no dragging it along through ice and snow.

Christmas in Stockholm

Let me say this now, Christmas in Stockholm does not disappoint. Although this time of year has as little as six daylight hours in the city, it’s anything but dull and dreary. Fairy lights and candles light up the evenings, and a glass (or many) of glögg is the ideal way to warm up your hands.

Three main Christmas markets, called julmarknad in Swedish, spring up in the city centre with handcrafted gifts and a cracking atmosphere. I loved sampling the local delicacies on offer, like saffron buns, ginger snaps and coal buns. They’re what most remind me of Christmas in Stockholm! 

The whole of Stockholm generally has a festive atmosphere. You’d have to be a serious grinch for it not to rub off on you. You can even go on a Christmas tour of Stockholm where you take in some of the best sights in Old Town all by lantern light. It’s so romantic!

Right, let’s move onto what to do in Stockholm in winter. It’s time to start planning your trip here!

Things to do in Stockholm in winter

Ice skating in Stockholm

Think winter activities and ice skating is always one of the first to come to mind. You can do plenty of it in Stockholm, as a mix of natural ice and manmade skating rinks pop up in all corners of the city.

One of the most popular is in one of the main parks, Kungsträdgården. As well as braving the ice, it’s also just a great place to hang out with bars, music and food on offer off the rink.

Skating is free with your own skates, hire is 70 SEK an hour for adults and 30 SEK for children, and the rink runs November to March, 9:00–21:00 weekdays and 10:00–21:00 at weekends. Helmets are included for kids and are compulsory for them.

Ski at the Hammarbybacken ski resort

Even if you’re on a whistle-stop trip to Stockholm, you might be able to fit in some skiing thanks to Hammarbybacken ski resort. This is the city’s own ski slope, which you can easily reach using public transport. The resort has everything you need for a fun day out – equipment rental, restaurants and bars – and there’s runs to suit different levels of experience.

One thing to know before you build a day around it. Hammarbybacken makes its own snow but still needs proper cold to run, and it often doesn’t open until January. The 2026 season ran from mid-January to the end of March.

Check the SkiStar snow report before you head over, especially if you’re visiting in December. A day pass is around 338 SEK, or about 208 SEK for an hour, and you can hire everything on site.

Go on a food tour in Stockholm

I try to squeeze a food tour into every visit to a new city and Stockholm was no different. The food and walking tour I chose was four hours long and covered a little bit of everything. We had a taste of local cheeses and meats, speciality seafood, Swedish candies, cinnamon rolls and more. Everything was totally delicious!

As well as pigging out on the locally made food, this was a great way to explore the markets and learn a bit more about the history of the city.

Enjoy fika with a friend

Fika is a part of Swedish culture centred on taking time out to enjoy coffee and something to eat with friends each day. It’s a concept I could definitely get on board with and did so in Stockholm.

This would likely feature in your visit no matter what time of the year you were in town. But there’s something extra special about indulging in fika in wintertime, when a hot coffee is more welcome than ever.

Cosy cafes selling hot drinks and cinnamon rolls (aka kanelbullar) and other sweet treats are never far away. One of my favourites was Ritorno, which has been open since 1959 and has a cool 1950s feel. It’s regularly nominated for the best semla in Stockholm, so another reason to visit.

Watch an ice hockey game

Winter is ice hockey season, and since Sweden is one of the best nations in the world at the sport, it’s well worth catching a game. Stockholm has two clubs and both play at Hovet, so you’ve got a decent chance of a match falling on your dates. Djurgården are the bigger name, and they split their home games between Hovet and the Avicii Arena right next door. AIK play at Hovet too.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the first thing about ice hockey. I know next to nothing about the sport but still had a riot watching a game at Hovet. The atmosphere alone is enough to ensure you have a good time.

Hovet is in Johanneshov, south of the centre, and it’s easy to reach on the metro. Check both clubs’ fixture lists before you book, as between them there’s usually something on most weeks through the season.

If you’re looking at what to do in Stockholm in December, then this is a great time to go to a match. You can find out more on how to book a ticket here.

Visit the Fotografiska museum

The city’s museum of photography is more than just a place to view exhibitions. People flock to this cultural hub for the brilliant on-site cafe and bar, as well as drop-dead gorgeous views to the north.

That being said, the exhibitions are excellent, shining a spotlight on world-renowned and up-and-coming photographers. Any photography nerd like me will want to make this top of your list of things to do in Stockholm in winter or at any other time of year.

Fotografiska is open in the evenings too, making it a top spot for dinner and drinks before or after taking a look at the photography on show.

Tickets for Fotografiska cost around 225 SEK per person, and with the museum open until 11pm every day, it’s the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon in winter!

Spend an afternoon in a spa/sauna

Go from the chill of the Stockholm weather to the intense warmth of a traditional Swedish sauna. There’s a real mix here, from proper spas to local pools with a sauna attached, so there’s something whatever your budget. Centralbadet on Drottninggatan is the classic city-centre option, a 1904 art nouveau bathhouse with a pool, saunas and steam rooms. Sturebadet in Östermalm is the smarter, pricier version.

For something more Swedish, get out to Hellasgården in Nacka. It’s a lake in the woods about 20 minutes from Slussen on the 401 bus, with separate saunas for men and women and a hole cut in the ice out the back. Entry is around 110 to 180 SEK, which is a bargain by Stockholm standards.

There’s also a brand new option. In summer 2026 the city opened Hornstullsbastun on the Södermalm waterfront, its first publicly run sauna. Sessions are 90 minutes for 150 SEK, it’s open all year, and you can drop straight into the water between rounds. Book ahead, as slots are released 30 days out.

Apparently a lot of Swedes take a dip in the freezing water before thawing out in the sauna. I was more than happy to stick to the sauna-only experience!

Take in the infamous Vasa Museum

This is one of the city’s most-visited attractions, named after the incredibly well-preserved 17th century battleship that’s housed here. The story of the ship is fantastic. She was the most heavily armed warship in Europe when she launched in 1628, and she sank on her maiden voyage after sailing barely a kilometre. A gust of wind heeled her over, water poured in through the open gun ports, and down she went in front of the crowds watching from the shore.

She sat on the harbour bed for the next three centuries. Divers finally located her in 1956 and raised her in 1961, 333 years after she sank, and around 98% of what you see today is original.

Tickets are 240 SEK for adults and under-18s go free. In winter the museum is open 10am to 5pm daily, with a late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays. Note that it’s card payment only. You can book your tickets here – this includes a detailed guided tour with a knowledgeable guide.

Go on a Stockholm boat tour

Stockholm is actually a collection of islands that are part of a wider archipelago, so water is a big part of the city’s identity. For tourists, a boat tour is an awesome way to check out some well-known sights at the same time as admiring the scenery in the area.

Some routes do freeze over in winter, but a selection remain open year-round, meaning it’s still a great activity for this time of year. There’s also indoor areas on the boats, so you don’t need to worry about the chill of the air out on deck.

On a winter boat tour of Stockholm you can enjoy the magnificent views of the city as you cruise along. This tour is a great way of seeing a lot of the city and you can buy Swedish Glögg on board too.

Explore the Stockholm metro stations (underground art gallery)

Stockholm has one of the most beautiful metro systems I’ve ever seen. That’s because artists have created street art in 100 different stations, turning the whole thing into one city-wide gallery.

You can spot rainbow-coloured murals, installations, statues and more adorning the underground stations. Much of the art has a futuristic feel, which makes a cool contrast to the more traditional vibes in the city above ground.

See the city light up at Nobel Week Lights

Every December, during the week of the Nobel Prize ceremony, Stockholm puts on a free light art festival. Huge installations appear on the City Hall, the Royal Palace and squares across the centre, each one tied to the work of a Nobel laureate.

It runs for about a week in early December and the artworks are lit from around 4pm until 10pm, which works perfectly with the winter darkness.

If you’re planning a December trip, I’d build it around these dates. You spend the evening walking a dark city and turning corners into these enormous glowing pieces. Everything is free, and there are guided tours in English if you want the stories behind them. Check the exact dates on the Nobel Prize Museum website, as they shift slightly each year.

Watch Lucia on 13 December

Lucia is the big one in the Swedish winter calendar. On the morning of 13 December, choirs in white robes and candlelit crowns sing their way through churches, schools and public buildings across the country.

Skansen, the open-air museum on Djurgården, has been celebrating Lucia since 1892 and it’s the easiest place for a visitor to see it done properly. Get there early. Stockholm Cathedral in Gamla Stan holds concerts too.

Skansen is worth your time all winter, to be honest. The Christmas market runs on Fridays to Sundays from late November until just before Christmas, with bonfires, glögg and craft stalls. Then it opens again on New Year’s Eve from 8pm until midnight for the fireworks.

Winter entry is around 195 SEK for adults. Under-16s go free, but you still need to book their ticket in advance.

What’s new in Stockholm for 2027?

Stockholm has had a busy year, and a few of the new openings are made for a winter trip.

• Dinos Experience, Skeppsholmen. The most fun new thing in the city, and it opened in October 2026 in the old rock chamber under Skeppsholmen. There are 26 animatronic dinosaurs across 2,500 square metres, plus two complete skeletons and three skulls, built into an environment of sound, water, wind and around 2,000 plants. It’s from the team behind Fotografiska and the Paradox Museum, so it’s properly done. Best of all, it’s indoors and warm.
• Hornstullsbastun. Stockholm finally has a public sauna. The city opened this one on the Södermalm waterfront in summer 2026 and it runs all year. A 90-minute session costs 150 SEK, there are separate women’s, men’s and mixed slots, and you can get in the water between rounds. Sessions are released 30 days ahead and go fast.
• Östasiatiska museet is back. The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities on Skeppsholmen reopened in September 2026 after two years of renovation. New galleries, better access, and an exhibition on the Chinese artist Qi Baishi. Another good one for a dark afternoon.
• A new home for Stockholm hockey. In 2026 the city announced plans with Djurgården and AIK for a new 10,000-capacity arena in the Globen area to replace Hovet. Nothing changes for winter 2027, so you can still catch a game at Hovet. Worth seeing the old place while it’s still standing.
• Emberlin at Stureplan. Björn Frantzén opened this flame-grill restaurant in early 2026. Not cheap, but a proper night out if you’re marking an occasion.

Which of these activities do you like the sound of most? Are you planning a winter city break? Let me know in the comments!

Travelling to Copenhagen? Then read all about how to travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen. Also, check out my Copenhagen city guide for what to do while you’re there.

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