A Photographer’s Guide to Stockholm: Where to Eat, Drink & Explore

Bullar & Bröd, Stockholm.

Stockholm is one of those cities that I think is best explored without too much of a plan. I’m a photographer based just outside Stockholm and I spend a lot of time in the city photographing restaurants, cafés, food and drinks. Which also means I spend quite a lot of time drinking coffee and finding excuses to stop somewhere for something to eat! So this isn’t really a list of every famous cafe or restaurant that you have to visit in Stockholm, It’s more of a photographer’s guide to Stockholm,  the places I love for good coffee, food, interesting streets, beautiful light and those little details that make Stockholm feel like Stockholm.

Start with coffee. Obviously.

Sweden takes coffee seriously. Fika is a big part of Swedish life, and one of my favourite things about Stockholm is just how easy it is to find a genuinely good coffee shop. If you like speciality coffee, Södermalm is a very good place to start. It’s one of my favourite parts of Stockholm to wander around with a camera too as it has so many independent shops, cafés, restaurants, older buildings and plenty going on. The area around Mariatorget is particularly good if coffee is high on your list. You will find places such as Drop Coffee (my absolute favourite)  and Johan & Nyström nearby, and there are plenty of other cafés within walking distance too. I would recommend getting a coffee and cardamom bun at Drop Coffee and sitting outside and partake in a spot of people watching! 

Walk through Gamla Stan — but leave the main streets

Yes, Gamla Stan is touristy. And yes, you should definitely still go. Stockholm's Old Town dates back to the Middle Ages and is full of narrow streets, colourful buildings and tiny alleyways. But my favourite thing to do here is get away from the busiest streets. Turn down the smaller lanes. Look through doorways. Look up. As a photographer, that's where it becomes much more interesting. Early morning is particularly lovely because you can experience it before the streets fill up. In winter, it's completely different again, darker, moodier and very Swedish. And if you happen to find a little café along the way, I think you are legally required to have another fika. I would definitely recommend Fabrique for fika in Gamla Stan.

Walk by the water

One of the things I love most about Stockholm is the water. The city is built across islands, so you're constantly crossing bridges or suddenly finding yourself beside the water. If you are visiting Stockholm for the first time, don't underestimate how nice it is just to walk. You don't necessarily need an itinerary for every hour. Walk from the city towards Skeppsholmen. Wander around Djurgården. Cross bridges. Stockholm can look completely different depending on the weather, which is probably one of the reasons I still enjoy photographing it.

Spend some time on Djurgården

If you want a break from streets and shops, head to Djurgården. It's green, surrounded by water and home to some of Stockholm's best known museums and attractions, but you don't actually have to visit anything to enjoy it. i love simply walking here. My absolute favourite place to walk and have fika is Rosendals Trädgård. The fika is incredible and so is the shop and gardens, you can quite easily spend a couple of hours here and be happy. It feels surprisingly removed from the centre of the city considering how close you actually are. If you are visiting Stockholm with children, there is plenty to do around Djurgården.

Visit Fotografiska

This probably won't come as a huge surprise considering I'm a photographer. But Fotografiska is always somewhere I would recommend. It's Stockholm's museum of photography and contemporary visual culture, located right by the water on Södermalm. The exhibitions change, so there is usually something new to see, It's also a good option if Stockholm decides to give you one of its spectacularly grey rainy days. Which it might! It also has best view of the city in Stockholm! it's huge square windows frame the city perfectly and it's worth visiting just for the view! 

Fika at Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden.

Get on a boat

This is probably my biggest recommendation if you have more than a day or two in Stockholm. The Stockholm archipelago begins surprisingly close to the city and stretches across thousands of islands, skerries and little communities. You don't need to organise an enormous expedition either. You can take a ferry and make a day of it, or choose somewhere closer to Stockholm if you are short on time. The further you travel from the centre, though, the more you start to understand a completely different side of Stockholm. Water, little red houses, pine trees, rocks, boats and tiny cafés appearing in places where you weren't expecting to find anything.

When is the best time to visit Stockholm?

Honestly, Stockholm is completely different depending on when you visit. Summer means long days, outdoor cafés, swimming, boats and evenings where the light seems to go on forever. Autumn brings beautiful colours and a much cosier feel. Winter is dark, very dark, but Stockholm with snow, candles glowing in café windows and Christmas lights is something else entirely. And then spring arrives and everyone collectively loses their minds the first time it's warm enough to sit outside with a coffee. If you are coming specifically to photograph Stockholm, I would probably choose late spring, summer or early autumn for the amount of daylight. But photographically, there really isn't a bad season.

I'm Rachel, the photographer behind Annie Lew Photography. I photograph food, drinks, restaurants, hotels and brands across Stockholm, Scandinavia and beyond. You can explore more of my commercial photography and Scandinavian stories Here