Södermalm heights tour

A walk along Södermalm's northern hills, Söders höjder, is a 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) showcase of vernacular buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, and several art & craft galleries, as well as an astounding view of Stockholm and its harbour.

The historical buildings with the amazing backdrop provide many spots for travel photography and urban sketching.

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Understand

Until the 19th century, Södermalm's northern shoreline below the steep hills was used for docks and factories, and the hills housed the workers. The rest of the island was a farmland which supplied Stockholm.

As the rectangular city plan was laid out over Södermalm in the 1880s, the hills were exempted, in a manner similar to Montmartre in Paris. The preserved houses are from the 18th and 19th centuries. Many are built from wood in a vernacular style with the iconic red paint; see Nordic folk culture.

Being a centrally located low-end neighbourhood (at times a slum) overlooking the more affluent districts, Södermalm has been romanticized more than any other part of Stockholm. Many of Stockholm's most famous artists and writers have lived on the hills, and there are many art galleries today. In the 1960s the buildings were modernized; today they are gentrified, and among the city's most expensive properties.

Södermalm's heights came to world fame in the 2000s with Stieg Larsson's Millennium book series and its film adaptation; see Millennium Tour.

The Stockholm quay palace tour visits the city's institutional buildings close up, and many of the city's public sculptures.

While drones are prohibited over Gamla Stan, Norrmalm and most of Kungsholmen including surrounding water, they are legal on Södermalm, including this route.

Get around

The whole tour can be walked within an hour on fast feet, more time if the venues are visited. Some of the roads are steep and narrow, and can get slippery from rain, snow and ice. Good shoes and decent walking ability are needed. Bicycles, electric scooters, strollers and wheelchairs can only access the paved road sections.

Destinations

Panoramic view from Skinnarviksberget.

Mariaberget

Mariaberget is a ridge on northern Södermalm, at the shore of Mälaren, inhabited at least since the 14th century.

• 1 Zinkensdamm metro station. The beginning of the tour. The art is more sparse than other stations of the Stockholm metro, but the walls at the end of the platforms have paintings.  
• 1 Hornsgatan. From Zinkensdamm to Slussen, this thoroughfare has a cluster of second-hand fashion stores. 
• 2 Yttersta Tvärgränd. A street with buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. 
• 3 Skinnarviksberget. Stockholm's tallest hill, at 53 metres above sea level. Until 8,000 years BCE, Stockholm was covered by ice. The ice pushed down and eroded the bedrock, creating the blocks and scars visible today. Since the ice melted, the land began to rise again today around 1 metre for every 200 years (see Ice Age traces). Around 2500 years BCE, the hill you stand on surfaced through the sea; the scenery looked pretty much like the outer parts of Stockholm archipelago. Skinnarviken literally means "the tanners' bay"; the smelly craft was usually located outside the city.  
• 4 Lundagatan (Gamla Lundagatan). While these houses were typical dwellings for Stockholm's poorest, they were modernized in the 1960s. 
• 5 Lundabron. A cast iron bridge built in 1889.  
• 6 Münchenbryggeriet. A brewery built in the 1890s, today used as a conference centre. Since 2018, the building has a microbrewery, and makes beer again.  
• 1 M/S Patricia, Söder Mälarstrand. Launched in 1938 as a British representation ship, in service both for the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation and the 1944 landing in Normandy (see D-Day beaches). One of Stockholm's oldest gay nightclubs, still having gay Sunday nights (onto Monday mornings) with a more mainstream crowd on Fridays and Saturdays.  
• 7 Monteliusvägen. A scenic trail which opened in 1998, with seating at the viewpoints.  
• 8 Ivar Lo-museet, Bastugatan 21. A museum for Swedish writer and labour activist Ivar Lo-Johansson, famous for depicting the harsh conditions of Swedish farm workers, statare, until the system was abolished in 1945. The museum contains a small exhibition and Lo-Johansson's apartment, and requires advance booking. A scrapbook of Lo-Johansson's life is on display in the window. Across the street is Ivar Los park, a park with a playground styled as an early 20th century farm, and a bust of Lo-Johansson.  
• 9 Bellmansgatan. The street is named for the ballad writer Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795). The bridge to the defunct elevator Mariahissen is famous from Stieg Larsson's Millennium series.  
• 10 Hornsgatspuckeln. A hump in the road, with many art and craft galleries. 
• 11 Maria Magdalena Church (Maria Magdalena kyrka). Inaugurated in 1634, and thereby Södermalm's oldest church. Architects Nikodemus Tessin Sr and Jr gave the church a Baroque appearance. Among notable people buried in the cemetery are singer Evert Taube and poet Erik Johan Stagnelius.  
• 2 Freyja, Hornsgatan 18. A rooftop restaurant with an outdoor bar, providing an astounding view of Stockholm. Established 2023. 
• 12 Stockholm City Museum (Stockholms stadsmuseum), Ryssgården. Displays the history of Stockholm from 1523 to present day, with special attention to construction, architecture, and interior design.  

Landmarks visible from Mariaberget

The Sun Dog Painting, Vädersolstavlan, illustrates the 16th century view from Mariaberget. The Stockholm Cathedral is the only major building that remains today.

• 1 Västerbron. This 1935 arch bridge became Stockholm's first north-south bridge outside of Slussen. On 8 August 1993, thousands of people watched the first public exhibition of the new Swedish military aircraft Saab 39 Gripen, known for its advanced control system. As of a miracle, the plane crashed a few metres from the crowded bridge in a nearby park; the only injured person got burns from touching the wreck.  
• 2 Norra tornen. Residential skyscrapers finished in 2020. Between Wenner-Gren Center and Norra tornen, a new campus district named Hagastaden is being built during the 2020s, around the Karolinska Institute (famous for handing out the Nobel Prize for medicine), with the intention to develop Stockholm as a science cluster for the future. 

• 3 Stockholm Court House (Stockholms Rådhus) (Kungsholmen). The courthouse from 1915 with its massive tower is regarded as one of the foremost examples of Swedish national romanticism architecture, with a successful 2000s restoration.  
• 4 Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset) (Kungsholmen). The 1923 city hall with the iconic Three Crowns spire, where the Nobel Prize Banquet takes place every year.  
• 5 Hötorget skyscrapers. The postwar economic expansion brought the 1950s and 60s redevelopment of Norrmalm, visible through the five Hötorget skyscrapers in international style.  
• 6 Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) (next to the Royal Palace). The oldest church in Gamla stan. Built in the 13th century in the Gothic style, the exterior was remodelled in Baroque style around 1740. The church is the seat of the Church of Sweden bishop of Stockholm.  
• 7 German Church (Tyska Kyrkan). Officially named Sankta Gertrud, this church is the home of the first German-speaking parish outside Germany, giving some clue to the importance of German merchants in the history of Stockholm. On the site of the church, a German merchants' guild was founded in the 14th century. In the 16th century, the headquarters was converted into a church, which was later expanded. The interior is baroque in style, with large windows and white vaults.  
• 8 Globen (Avicii Arena). Located just south of Södermalm, and claiming to be the world's largest hemispheric building with 110 metres across, the Globe has been one of the most eye-catching features of the Stockholm skyline since its inauguration in 1989. It is frequently used for ice hockey games but also for other sporting events, as well as concerts and galas. The Globe also represents the Sun in the Sweden Solar System; Mercury is at Stockholms Stadsmuseum, Venus and Earth on Östermalm, and the outer planets are north of Stockholm.  

Katarinaberget

• 13 Slussen Showroom (Slussenrummet), Södermalmstorg 4. Slussen literally means "the sluice"; referring to the lock between lake Mälaren, around 70 centimetres above the brackish Baltic Sea. Over the centuries, Slussen has developed to a complex transportation hub for boats, road and rail, with a current redevelopment set to be complete in the late 2020s. The showroom has archaeological artifacts, posters and a scale model present the history and future of the canal. Open daily. 
• 14 Södermalmstorg. A town square which has been used at least since the 15th century. The site will open to the public in 2025.  
• 15 Humor. A 1967 statue by Karl Göte Bejemark, of a man lifting a manhole cover. The man depicted is comedian Hans Alfredson.  
• 1 Katarina elevator (Katarinahissen). A 1936 elevator renovated in 2023 leads to an outdoor skybridge with an astounding view of Stockholm.  
• 3 Gondolen (Katarinahissen). A panorama restaurant with a bar.  
• 16 Almgrens sidenväveri, Repslagargatan 15. A silk workshop, still operating 19th-century machinery. 
• 17 Konsthantverkarna, Södermalms torg 4. Art gallery. (updated Aug 2015)
• 18 Grafiska Sällskapet, Hornsgatan 6. Gallery run by the Swedish Printmakers' Association. (updated Aug 2015)

• 4 Södra Teatern Bar, Mosebacke Torg 1-3. The theatre bar offers a marvellous view of Stockholm from its lounge. (updated Aug 2015)
• 19 Mural painting. Wall art. 
• 20 Katarina Church (Katarina kyrka), Högbergsgatan 13. Katarina kyrka ("Church of Catherine"), named after Princess Catherine, mother of King Charles X of Sweden, can be seen from many parts of central Stockholm from its location on a Södermalm hill. The church was built 1656–1695 and has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires. After the first fire in 1723, the church was given a larger, octagonal tower. Following a new fire in May 1990 which left almost nothing but the external walls, the church was faithfully reconstructed and reopened in 1995. Several notable Swedes are buried in the cemetery; among them singer Cornelis Vreeswijk, and former Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, who was assassinated in 2003.  
• 5 Hermans, Fjällgatan 23 (T Slussen). Sumptuous vegetarian buffet followed by delicious coffees, teas, and desserts. The view over Stockholm is amazing, go there at sunset and sit on the back terrace. 
• 21 Fotografiska (The Swedish Museum of Photography), Stadsgårdshamnen 22. A private museum opened in 2010, in an industrial building from 1906. Besides the exhibitions, they have a diner with a great waterfront view. As it is on the quay below the hill, this is a bit of a detour.  
• 22 Fjällgatan. Walking eastwards from Slussen up Katarinavägen you will reach the picturesque street Fjällgatan, with a view of Gamla Stan from the east. A statue commemorates politician Anna Lindhagen (1870-1941). 
• 23 Anna Lindhagens Museum. A museum apartment in mid-19th century bourgeois style. Available to let for events.  
• 6 Fjällgatans kaffestuga, Fjällgatan 37. Astounding view over Stockholm. (updated Sep 2020)
• 24 Ersta Museum. A hospital and nurse academy opened in 1851. 
• 25 Ersta Church. Part of the Ersta hospital complex.  
• 26 Åsöberget. A historic neighborhood with red houses.  

Landmarks visible from Katarinaberget

• 9 HMS af Chapman. A full-rigged ship launched in 1888 under the name Dunboyne, later G.D. Kennedy. She ran freight between Gothenburg and Australia. From 1915 to 1934 she was a training ship, and since 1949 she is used as a hostel.  
• 10 Kastellet. A citadel from the 17th century, which flies the naval flag, and is used for gun salutes. The building exploded in 1845 and was rebuilt in 1848.  

• 11 Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum), Djurgårdsvägen 6-16. A museum of cultural history from 1520 to our days, in an impressive 1907 cathedral-like building on Djurgården. Exhibitions focus on Swedish handicraft, customs and traditions.  
• 12 Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet). The Swedish Empire was at the height of its power in the 17th century. For the Thirty Years War, a warship named Vasa was built at Blasieholmen. In 1628 it sank outside Södermalm at its maiden voyage, was salvaged in 1961, and is since 1990 on display in a museum on Djurgården, as the only of its kind.  
• 13 Kaknästornet. A TV tower from 1967. The observatory deck is indefinitely closed for the public.  
• 14 Gröna Lund, Lilla Allmänna Gränd 9. Stockholm's only amusement park.  

Vita bergen

A hilltop park with several 19th century buildings, and a southward slope great for picnics.

• 27 Bergsprängargränd. An alley of wooden cabins.  
• 28 Sofia Church (Sofia kyrka). This 1902 Romanesque parish church is on the top of a hill, which is a great viewpoint in its own right.