City guide · Sweden

Stockholm

Fourteen islands, at the point where Lake Mälaren empties into the Baltic — that is the whole plan of Stockholm, and it is why getting anywhere here means crossing a bridge. Over 30% of the city is water and roughly another 30% is park and green space, which leaves far less built ground than 996,264 residents (2025) across 188 km² would suggest. The medieval core, Gamla stan, stands on the central island and was built up from the mid-13th century onward. Beyond the municipality the urban area holds 1,617,407 people and the metropolitan area 2,480,063.