Stockholm

Due to the post-glacial rebound, Stockholm is slowly rising from the sea. Mälaren was a bay of the Baltic Sea throughout the Viking Age of the 9th and 10th centuries; today's Stockholm was the waterway for the first Swedish cities; Birka, Uppsala, and Sigtuna. As Sigtuna was sacked by pirates in AD 1187, the Swedes needed to fortify the strait.

As the rising land cut off Mälaren from the sea in the 13th century, Stockholm became an important trading post. The city is said to be founded by Birger jarl (jarl is a title corresponding to British earl), who had a fortress built on an island later known as Gamla Stan. The first known written records that mention Stockholm date from 1252; this is the considered year of foundation. In the 15th century Stockholm replaced Uppsala as the effective capital. Stockholm was an associate of the Hanseatic League, and since its liberation from Denmark by King Gustav Vasa in 1523, Stockholm has remained Sweden's most important center of commerce, although Gothenburg later became the largest international port. During the 17th century, Stockholm was the base of the Swedish Empire, with a land area twice the country's current size, nearly encircling the Baltic Sea.

Much of the inner city plan was laid out in the 19th century, and the inner city still contains buildings from all ages since the 15th century. Like the rest of Sweden, Stockholm was largely untouched by the World Wars, but, particularly between 1955 and 1975, hundreds of old buildings in Norrmalm were demolished in a large-scale modernization process, emulating similar projects in other European cities.

By plane:

Stockholm (STO IATA) is served by several international airports; Stockholm-Arlanda Airport (ARN IATA; near Sigtuna) being the dominant one. Stockholm-Bromma (BMA IATA) is the only airport within the city. The airports in Skavsta (NYO IATA; near Nyköping) and Västerås (VST IATA) also receive some international flights.

Arlanda Airport:

1 Arlanda Airport (ARN IATA) 40 km north of the city is Sweden's largest airport, and the destination for most flights to Sweden.

There is a dedicated train every 15 minutes from the Arlanda terminals to Stockholm Central Station (20 min; 175–350 kr/person depending on group size, youth 160 kr). Also regular trains (270 kr; much cheaper fares can be had in advance) and SL commuter trains (180/90 kr) serve the airport.

The cheapest ride – unless you have an SL day card and don't use the airport's train stations – is by the FlixBus buses (45 min; 79–99 kr, cheaper in advance). With SL, you can take the commuter train or a bus to a station with more frequent services to the city. There are also airport coaches (45 min).

Taxis and rental cars are available.

Bromma Airport:

2 Bromma Airport, (BMA IATA) in Västerort is a smaller airport 8 km west of central Stockholm. Bromma has been under threat of closure for many years and as of 2025 the only remaining operator is NyxAir to Trollhättan–Vänersborg Airport near Göteborg.

From Bromma, it's easiest to take tram 31 from Bromma flygplats 31 to Alvik strand 30 31 . At Alvik 12 17 18 19 30 31 , you can change onto the green line of Stockholm's metro, which will connect you to T-Centralen, the central hub of Stockholm's public transit. Alternatively, to get to Sundbyberg and Solna, you can change trams at Norra Ulvsunda 30 31 heading towards Solna station with line 30. Getting to T-Centralen takes just shy of 30 minutes, with tramline 31 departing from Bromma every 20 minutes.

Skavsta Airport: