Stockholm in Winter: Skating, Saunas, Snow and Ferries

The days are short. The list of things to do is not.

Stockholm in winter is dark, cold and quiet. It is also the season when the city goes outside on purpose. People skate in the middle of town, ski in city parks, sit in a hot sauna and then climb into a hole in the ice. Then they go for fika.

I have lived in Stockholm since 2008. This guide covers the winter activities you can do as a visitor, with prices, opening times and safety tips. Most of them work even if you have never stood on skates before.

What winter in Stockholm is like

Winter here runs from late November to March. In mid-December, the city gets about six hours of daylight. The sun rises around 08:45 and sets before 15:00. By the end of February you get about ten hours, and the light comes back fast.

Temperatures usually stay between about +2 and −5 °C, with colder spells in January and February. Snow comes and goes. Some winters it stays for weeks. Other winters it rains. Plan for both, and check the forecast before any outdoor activity.

Back to contents

Ice skating in the city

You do not need natural ice to skate in Stockholm. The city floods and freezes outdoor rinks every winter, and two of them are right in the center.

Kungsträdgården

The rink in Kungsträdgården is the classic one. You skate in the middle of the city, between the old trees, with Gamla Stan a short walk away. The rink usually opens around the autumn school break at the end of October or in early November, if the weather allows. It stays open until about March.

Vasaparken

Vasaparken in Vasastan has the other popular central rink. It is a good choice if you stay north of the city center.

Back to contents

Skating on natural ice

This Swedish winter activity often surprises visitors. When the lakes and bays freeze, people skate for kilometers on long Nordic skates, out among the islands. In Swedish it is called långfärdsskridsko, long-distance skating.

The season usually starts in mid to late January, and earlier if December is very cold. When the ice is thick enough, the city plows skating tracks on several lakes. The closest to the center is Trekanten in Liljeholmen. Further south you find Drevviken, Magelungen and Långsjön.

Go with a guide if you are new. Natural ice is not supervised, and its thickness changes from place to place. Guided tours include skates, safety gear, transport from the city and lunch by a fire. Operators include Stockholm Adventures, Green Trails, Lake Life and True Nature. An introduction tour lasts up to six hours and costs from about USD 170 per person on international booking sites. No experience is needed, and the minimum age is 15.

People also walk on the ice of Riddarfjärden in the middle of the city in a cold winter. That does not make it safe.

Back to contents

Sledding

Sledding (pulka) is the easiest winter activity of all. You need snow, warm clothes and a sled. You can buy a simple plastic sled in most toy and sports shops in winter. Swedes bring a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate.

Popular slopes

• On Södermalm: Tantolunden and Ivar Los park.
• North of the center: Vasaparken, Observatorielunden and Humlegården.
• Further out: Stora Blecktornsparken, Kronobergsparken and Hagaparken.
• Outside the city: Hellasgården and Lida friluftsgård.

Vitabergsparken on Södermalm is also a classic slope, but it was closed in winter 2025/2026 for renovation. Check the status before you go.

Back to contents

Skiing in Stockholm

You do not have to travel north to ski in Sweden. Stockholm has a downhill slope and cross-country tracks you can reach by public transport.

Downhill: Hammarbybacken

Hammarbybacken, in Hammarby sjöstad, is Stockholm’s own ski slope. It has lifts and equipment rental, and you ski with a view over the city. It opens when it is cold enough to make snow, and you reach it by subway and bus. Check opening hours and ski passes on the SkiStar website before you go.

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country tracks with artificial snow are the most reliable:

• Gärdet: tracks in the city, a short trip from Östermalm.
• Ågesta, in Huddinge: tracks with artificial snow next to a nature reserve. I wrote about my winter hike in Ågesta nature reserve.
• Lida friluftsgård: tracks with both artificial and natural snow.
• Hellasgården: tracks on natural snow when there is enough.

For the current track status, check Skidspår.se.

If you would rather walk than ski, my private Nature Escape Tour near Stockholm runs in winter too, on forest paths close to the city.

Back to contents

Sauna and cold-water dips

I have used the sauna for more than 40 years, especially in winter. I go to my sauna club once or twice a week. I wrote about why in my article on dry sauna and longevity.

In Stockholm, the winter version comes with a cold dip. You sit in the heat, walk out to a jetty, climb down a ladder into the lake through a hole in the ice, and go back into the heat. Many people say they feel calm and clear-headed after.

Where to try it

• Hellasgården:
  • A sauna in the Nacka nature reserve, about 20 minutes from Slussen. The staff keep an ice hole open all winter with a pump.
  • A visit is 90 minutes, and you book online. It costs SEK 110 on weekday daytimes, SEK 140 on weekday afternoons and evenings from 13:45, and SEK 180 at weekends.
  • You can also rent long-distance skates there, for a plowed track of about 2.5 km on Källtorpssjön when the ice allows.
• Hornstullsbastun: a public sauna at Bergsund Strand on Södermalm, with 90-minute sessions for men, women and mixed groups. Swimsuits are required here.
• Tanto bastu: a non-profit sauna club on Årstaviken, with public hours.
• Bastubryggan: a new floating sauna at Söder Mälarstrand, planned to open in December 2026.

Back to contents

Ferry trips with lunch or dinner

Stockholm is built on islands, and the boats run in winter too. Some of the old archipelago ships turn into floating restaurants.

With food on board (Strömma, prices for 2026)

• Christmas Dining Cruise. A traditional Swedish Christmas buffet (julbord) with glögg, from late November. Lunch from SEK 795, dinner from SEK 995. It lasts 2–3 hours and leaves from Strandvägen/Nybrokajen. There are also cruises on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Christmas buffet at Vaxholms Kastell. A boat trip to the old fortress in Vaxholm and a Christmas buffet in its brick vaults, served from 25 November to 22 December. From SEK 795, or SEK 1,030 in the evening.
• Archipelago Tour with Lunch. A guided 2.5-hour trip on M/S Östanå I, built in 1906, with lunch included. From 7 January to 29 March it runs Thursday to Sunday at 10:30 and 14:00. From SEK 555.
• Brunch Cruise on S/S Stockholm. Three hours with a brunch buffet, from Strandvägen on Saturdays and Sundays all year. From SEK 645.

Without food

• Winter Boat Tour with Guide. A 1 hour 15 minute trip from Strömkajen around Fjäderholmarna, the closest island in the archipelago. It runs every day from 1 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, at 10:30, 12:00 and 13:45, from SEK 410. If the water is frozen, the boat may break some ice, but Strömma does not promise it. There is a café on board, and you can borrow blankets.
• The local ferries. You can also go on your own. The Djurgården ferry runs all year from Slussen. Waxholmsbolaget’s boats run from Strömkajen to Vaxholm all year, and a normal SL ticket is valid on that trip. Have lunch in Vaxholm and take the boat back.

If you want to see more of the islands, read Möja, where the archipelago runs out of words and why Sweden has more islands than any country on earth.

Back to contents

Christmas and winter events

• The Christmas market on Stortorget, Gamla Stan. From 21 November to 23 December 2026. Read my Gamla Stan walking tour by season for the route around it.
• The Christmas market at Skansen. Since 1903. In 2026 it is open Friday to Sunday from 27 November to 20 December.
• Nobel Week Lights, 5–13 December 2026. Free light art in the city center from 16:00 to 22:00. Read why Nobel Week Lights is the best week for a winter visit.
• Lucia, 13 December. Candlelit concerts in churches all over the city, and saffron buns in every café.
• Semla season. In late winter, the bakeries fill with semlor, cardamom buns with almond paste and whipped cream. Fettisdagen (Shrove Tuesday), the official semla day, is 9 February 2027.
• Dark skies. Northern lights are rare over the city, but they do happen. My guide to the best time and places for northern lights in Sweden explains where your chances are better. For more ideas after dark, read Stockholm winter nights and noctourism.

Back to contents

Museums for the coldest days

When the wind blows off the water, go inside. Sweden has more museums per person than any other country, and many of the museums in Stockholm are free. I wrote about why Sweden has more museums per person than any country on earth. For Stockholm, start with my guide to museums in Stockholm.

On Skeppsholmen, the colorful sculptures outside Moderna Museet look even brighter in the snow. I wrote about Moderna Museet and ArkDes, two museums in one building.

Back to contents

Prices and times at a glance

Checked on 11 October 2026. Prices and opening dates change with the weather, so check before you go.

Back to contents

Practical tips for winter in Stockholm

Clothes. Dress in layers. Wool closest to the skin, a warm middle layer, and a windproof jacket. Bring a hat, gloves and warm socks. Wind off the water makes zero degrees feel much colder.

Shoes. Sidewalks get icy. Swedes put broddar, ice grips, on their shoes. You can buy them in pharmacies and sports shops.

Light. Plan outdoor activities for the middle of the day, and museums and fika for the dark afternoons.

Getting around. The subway, buses and the local ferries run all winter. See my guide to SL tickets and day passes. If you plan to drive, read the rules for renting a car and driving in Sweden in all seasons.

Weather. Snow and ice decide almost everything here. Check each place’s website on the day you go.

Back to contents

Back to contents

Explore winter Stockholm with me

All my tours run all year, also in winter. They are private, for up to eight people, in English, German or Swedish.

• The Nature Escape Tour: forest and lake country near the city, in the snow if we are lucky.
• The Island Tour: by ferry out to the archipelago.
• Stockholm Old Town Tour: Gamla Stan in the winter light, with a fika to warm up.

You find all my tours on my page of private tours in Stockholm. Send me your dates, group size and language, and I answer within 24 hours.

Back to contents

Winter in Stockholm asks you to go outside when every part of you wants to stay in. Go anyway. Then come back in, and have a cinnamon bun.