2 Best Sights in Stockholm, Sweden

This market square and its neighboring streets represent old, established Stockholm. At the southwestern corner of the square, Östermalms Saluhall looks more like a collection of boutiques than the indoor food market it is; the fish displays can be especially intriguing. From 2016 to 2018, the historic market hall will be undergoing renovation. During this time vendors will operate out of a custom-built temporary hall in the square itself. At the eastern end of the square, Hedvig Eleonora Kyrka, a church with characteristically Swedish faux-marble painting throughout its wooden interior, is the site of frequent lunchtime concerts in spring and summer.

Here, in 1520, the Danish King Christian II ordered a massacre of Swedish noblemen, known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. The slaughter paved the way for a national revolt against foreign rule and the founding of Sweden as a sovereign state under King Gustav Vasa, who ruled from 1523 to 1560. One legend holds that if it rains heavily enough on the anniversary of the massacre, the old stones still run red. Nowadays, the square is lined with cafés where you can enjoy fantastic people-watching over lunch or a coffee break. During the month before Christmas, the square fills with a market selling handicrafts, glögg (hot mulled wine), and other seasonal foods and gifts.