Stockholm’s old town (Gamla Stan) was way more beautiful than we had expected. With a splendid entrance dominated by the Royal Palace, the most charming narrow side treets and old facades covered in warm colours, the medieval center of Stockholm has a wonderful fairy tale – like feeling to it.
The Royal Palace happens to be the biggest palace still used by a head of state. It combines Italian, French and Swedish influences and was originated as a 13th century fortress that evolved into a palace in the 16th century. We bumped into the changing of the guard and well, it was quite a show. There was even a speaker who, in perfect English, explained everything that was happening and talked about the history of the palace. Very entertaining!
There are two wonderful churches in the old town that truly deserve a visit. The Cathedral (Storkyrkan) was built in 1279 and is surprisingly beautiful. We use the term surprisingly because, if you have visited a few churches in the North of Europe, you’d know that they are very austere and cold. This cathedral, however, was beautifully embellished and had the most peaceful and welcoming atmosphere. We were amazed by the sculpture that represents St. George and the Dragon. It dates from 1489 and was made by an artisan from Lübeck! It was carved from oak and elk horn and, if you like photography, we are sure you will take aproximately 1000 pictures of it. Every angle is astonishing! Before leaving the church don’t forget to look for the Sun Dog Painting, the oldest portrayal of Stockholm painted in 1636.
The German church (Tyska Kyrkan), a five minute walk from the cathredal, was founded in 1571. You will recognise its pointed tower from almost every corner of the city. It’s surrounded by a lovely tiny garden and, once you enter the church, you will be mesmerized by the beautiful wooden walls and pulpit. It’s like a little wooden jewellery box. We loved it. Please don’t leave the old town without spending a few minutes in this church. For us, it felt kind of magical. 
But, of course, the best thing you can do is getting lost in the tiny streets, grab a coffe in Stortorget , the oldest square in Stockholm, and spend a few hours of pure leisure just wandering around. Maybe you will be surprised, like we were, by corners that remind you of Rome, roofs that bring Amsterdam to your mind and hidden alleys that invite you to dream about new adventures.
Everytime I see your Stockholm posts, I’m looking forward to my trip even more!
That makes us happy :D Do visit the German Church! It’s so pretty! And the changing of the guard is super fun because you have the speaker, the explanations… It could be quite long but you can always leave after a while. But the best thing is just walking, taking pictures, walking a little bit more, a few more pictures… and then go for meatballs!!! The place we talked about is just five minutes away (walking) from the old town!
I would love to go. Stockholm has been on my bucket list for a while now xx
We wanted to visit Stockholm for a while too and finally, last month, two unexpected ridiculously cheap flight tickets made it posible!
Wow, I can’t get over how clean it all looks. Is it as clean of a city as it seems from your photos?
What was the food like?
V
Life+1
The city was pretty clean, yes. We hadn’t thought about it but you are right, the city seems super clean in the pictures! It was :) The food was amazeballs! (pun intented… we made a whole post about the best place to eat meatballs ;)
I need to visit Stockholm asap! Such a nice photos!
http://jeansandroses.blogspot.com
Thank you Sabina! you will love it! You just have to love Stockholm… there is no other possibility!
Never visited Stockholm but it looks like an amazing place!
http://fashion-soup.com/
It is Carine! You should add it to your bucket list!
lovely pics. definitly on my bucket list
Check out my new post on my blog
http://carrieslifestyle.wordpress.com
Thank you Carrie!!
The old town look wonderful indeed, so medieval! Love the colours, Swedish definitely do it better!
x
Céline from Larry & Co.
Indeed! Thanks for your comment!
Oh my gosh, just look at the architecture and all the beauty. I wish I was there right now, but I love your photos. Stunning.
Kay of Pure & Complex
http://www.purecomplex.com
Thanks for your kind words! We really love we could be there too… Specially today… hard, hard Mondays…
I want to go there!
We sure would love to come back!
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