Visit Stockholm on a Budget With These 11 Easy Tips

Written By: ThePlanetD Team

Stockholm is absolutely beautiful, it’s historical and cultural, offers a great variety of things to do, delicious food and cozy bars. But it’s also known for being a very expensive place to visit.

Most people don’t choose to visit Stockholm if you have a very tight budget or need a lot of cheap options. It’s too expensive, at least that’s what most people would say.

But there are ways to visit Stockholm on a Budget and I’m going to tell you how.

Visit Stockholm on a Budget

Now I don’t mean to imply that Stockholm isn’t expensive, it is.

But that’s no reason why you should take it off you travel list, there are plenty of ways to visit Stockholm without breaking your bank. I would know, it just happens to be my hometown.

I grew up in Stockholm, meaning I learned how to cope on a student budget (and on no budget before I even got a student one). Let me share some tips and tricks with you!

Budget Accommodation in Stockholm

street in stockholm
Accommodation in Stockholm

Accommodation in Stockholm is quite expensive, and there’s not an overload of cheap hostels around.

There are many ways to find affordable accommodation these days. See if you can stay with friends or friends of friends, or use one of the many sites out there like Couchsurfing, Air BnB or HomeAway to avoid the cost.

Another option in Stockholm Interhostel, it’s not the finest hostel in the world, but it is cheap, prices start from 149 SEK.

Drinking and partying on a Budget in Stockholm

stockholm on a budget alleys
Downtown Stockholm

Stockholm has some great night clubs, we don’t claim to be the best partiers in the world, but we still know how to party.

Most nightclubs are located in the area called Östermalm, it’s the most expensive area in Stockholm (Plus it’s really beautiful, so make sure to head out here and take a walk around).

My favourite club is Trädgården and Under Bron, located at Hammarby Slussväg 2. It’s got a more hipster vibe, great music, a photobooth, and plenty of nice people.

Drinking at nightclubs and bars is quite expensive, so to save some money, make sure to pre-drink! Sweden has alcohol monopoly, so head to a Systembolaget (make sure to check opening times) and get all that you need.

If you do want to drink out, there are some cheap places, Soft Kök och Bar is located right by T-Centralen and it’s not the most fancy place or anything, but you can get cheap beer.

Cheap Eating in Stockholm

stockholm on a budget cafe
Eating out in Stockholm

Eating out can quickly ruin your budget, so eating at home is a hot tip. If you stay in an Airbnb or do some Couchsurfing, you can most likely cook in your kitchen.

Södermalm (the south part of Stockholm) has some really nice options and it’s cheaper there than around Östermalm.

Another tip is the leave the city centre all together, there are plenty of nice restaurants outside of the city and the prices are not as high.

There are a lot of places 10 to 20 minutes away by Subway. I explain transportation and areas to visit in my tips to visit Stockholm on a budget below.

Suggested Places to Eat on a Budget

That being said, Italiano Papa, located at Riddargatan 9 in central Stockholm, is a great Italian restaurant with not the cheapest but also not the most expensive prices.

If you like tapas you really should try Basso Tapas Bar at Råsundavägen 110 in Solna.

It’s one of my favourite tapas restaurants, It’s a pretty small but has really friendly staff, amazing sangria, and delicious tapas. A must try if you like tapas!

Another popular choice is the Stockholm food halls and food trucks. Anywhere you don’t have to sit down to eat will save you money. Stockholm is known for serving gourmet street food.

Tips to Visit Stockholm on a Budget

waterfront of Stockholm | budget travel
Stockholm’s waterfront

There are plenty of things to do that won’t bankrupt you, Stockholm is really beautiful (especially during summer time) and really walking friendly, so just walking around and hanging out at parks isn’t a terrible way to spend your day.

An affordable European destination is Bulgaria, check out these reason to visit it. 

stockholm on a budget buildings
Stockholm street cafés

Tips for Budget Stockholm Travel

Take a free walking tour

If you don’t want to walk around aimlessly, take a walking tour! Learn about the history and the different areas of the city.

Leave central Stockholm

As soon as you get out of the city centre, prices drop. There are plenty of pretty areas 10-20 minutes away on the subway. A good place to visit would be Solna, you can find Mall of Scandinavia, Friends Arena, beautiful parks like Hagaparken and Ulriksdals Slott, and it’s only 7 minutes from central with the subway.

Take advantage of the free parks

Stockholm has some beautiful parks worth a visit. Check out Rålambshovsparken, Gärdet, tantolunden or if you take the subway 10 minutes on the blue line, to Solna, you can find Ulriksdals Slott or Hagaparken.

See the city from above

downtown stockholm how to visit on a budget
Stockholm skyline

If you want to get a good view of the city, it’s much better to do it for free than paying for it.

Go to Södermalm (take the subway to Slussen) and go up Katarina Hissen or simply walk up yourself.

You can go up to Mosebacke and from there find places with a perfect view of the city. Use google maps to find your way!

Visit museums

Stockholm has a lot of interesting museums to offer, and they´re free!

Get transportation passes – You can buy different types of transportation cards, see what fits you the best or ask at Pressbyrån and they will help you out. Friday – Sunday the subway run all night and it will save you money to avoid taking a taxi.

Skinnarviksberget

Another good place for a fantastic view of the city.

See the archipelago on the cheap

Tickets are 50 to 150 SEK ($8–23) depending on what island you visit.

Use Waxholmsbolaget for the most affordable tickets. From October to March, tickets are half off.

stockholm on a budget pin
How to Visit Stockholm on a Budget

This post was written by local writer Michelle Serra who was born in Stockholm, Sweden and used to write for wishesofwanderlust.com

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Book Your Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner. We have used them for years and have found that they have the best flight deals.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor.

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

  • Safety Wing - Occasional Travelers.
  • Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Book Your Activities: Looking for walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more? Then we recommend Get Your Guide.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

About ThePlanetD Team

Guest writers for The Planet D offer insider tips and information on destinations that they are experts in. We can't be everywhere at once, and it is important to have the highest level of travel information from local writers and experienced travelers.

Leave a Comment

36 thoughts on “Visit Stockholm on a Budget With These 11 Easy Tips”

  1. Before I visited Stockholm, I hadn’t fully appreciated how much the water plays a role in its layout and its atmosphere. There’s something incredibly soothing about almost always having water in sight and it means that it’s a truly beautiful city to explore on foot. It also means you can mix up your sightseeing with a boat trip, giving you a new perspective on Stockholm and its architecture.

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  2. Stockholm is one of the most beautiful cities! I’ve only been there for work so was in and out in 48 hours but feel in love with it! I am dying to go back. Will definitely use this post as a guide for what to see !

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  3. This is an expensive place but definitely worth a visit. I am planning to visit there in the coming future. Thank you for your insights.

    Reply
  4. This is an expensive place but definitely worth a visit. I am planning to visit there in the coming future. Thank you for your insights.

    Reply
  5. Pleasant article. Think so new type of elements have incorporated into your article. Sitting tight for your next article.

    Reply
  6. Great guide!! It’s been a dream of mine to visit Stockholm for quite some time. Might have to do it after reading this

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  7. This article is simple to see without departing out any specifics and enjoy. Excellent work! You finished particular factors that were trusted there try this web-site . I discovered almost all individuals may accept your site and did a research about them.

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  8. Hi, I think you’ve nailed many of the cheap things you can find in Stockholm. But I’d like to add one thing that you can really enjoy during summer!

    There are some lovely beaches you can visit without leaving the city! For example Långholmen, where there are severeal places where you can jump into the water. There is also a hostel at Långholmen, in the old prison, and while you’re there you can visit the prison museum.

    Another nice place to go swimming is Tantolunden, located on Södermalm. It’s been called the Copacabana of Stockholm 🙂

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  9. Hey thanks for nice article and very useful tips how to visit Stockholm without to break the bank. I will use some of these tips for sure. Thanks and keep up the good work.

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  10. Plus 1 to the great parks in Stockholm. We really enjoyed St. Johannes Kyrkogård with it’s beautiful old red tower. It felt like we’d stumbled upon a gem of a local park in the heart of the city.

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  11. Seeing these pictures makes me want to go back right now! Such a wonderful, huge city – with so much to offer. We have such magnificent memories from Stockholm. We love the North of Europe.

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  12. A very useful post. I always find that prices go down as soon as you get out of the central tourist area, and in expensive cities like Stockholm that’s doubly true. I spent a few days in Copenhagen, another expensive city, a few years ago and found that there were some reasonably priced places on the side streets. For drinking, it was best to buy a can or two of Tuborg and head to the park.

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  13. OMG I want so hard to visit Stockholm this year!

    Your tips are very helpful mate!

    Cheers!

    Reply
  14. Stockholm look Expensive, feels Expensive, is Expensive. But the tips that you have mentioned make me think that it won’t really be that expensive after all. Thank you sharing such a great post. One more thing, Why don’t you bring your adventure game to India someday? India is a really diverse place in all aspects. you would love indian festivals.

    Reply
  15. This is an expensive place but definitely worth a visit. I am planning to visit there in the coming future. Thank you for your insights.

    Reply
  16. Stockholm is definitely on my list, high prices or not. Lovely buildings, can’t wait to capture them in photos of my own!

    Reply