When you visit Stockholm you will undoubtedly spend time in the well-preserved and well-defined Old Town. Unlike most similar old towns in Europe the old town of Stockholm has strict boundaries due to that it's an island. In Swedish it's called "Gamla Stan", which has the same literal meaning as "Old Town". Many of the buildings here date to the 17th and 18th century, but some are much older than so and the Old Town as a whole are traced back to the 13th century and the foundation of Stockholm in 1252 by Birger Jarl. Since Sweden was not involved in any of the World Wars the old town is still intact in its original shape. Despite the many wars that Sweden fought in the years before the 20th century, Stockholm has never been razed even though it's been conquered by foreign powers a few times.

The best time to visit Stockholm is in the summer or late spring. At that time the streets are lined with cafés and the weather is mostly pleasant. The Old Town of Stockholm has the same problem as many other touristy places all over the world in that it's not somewhere locals usually go. So during the summers, the area sees the largest crowds and during the winter half of the year it's less busy, except for the Christmas season.

Stockholm Palace

Stockholms Slott (Swedish; Stockholm Palace), Kungliga Slottet (Swedish; The Royal Palace) or as it's called locally - Slottet (Swedish; The Palace). This building is located in the northern parts of Old Town and is a central point of the city.

The current palace was built in 1697 after the original palace from the 13th century, called Tre Kronor which is still today used as a symbol for the country, burned down in an accident. The building is currently under renovation so some facades might be covered if you decide to visit. It's been like that for a few years and the project is expected to continue for several more years.

The palace is built in Baroque architecture using brick and sandstone, giving it a brown-yellowish color. It's the official residence of the Swedish monarch but the building is open for visitors and the interior is more grandiose than the somewhat bland exterior.

Don't forget to visit Livrustkammaren (the entrance is found at the exterior south-eastern corner) which is a museum showcasing a large number of items with a connection to historical kings and queens.

Västerlånggatan

The main street of Old Town. The name is translated as "Western Long Street", and there's an equivalent "Eastern Long Street" in the area too. Västerlånggatan goes from Mynttorget (Coin Square), near the Swedish Parliament Building (which isn't part of Old Town), in the north to Järntorget (Iron Square) in the south. Österlånggatan (the Eastern counterpart) goes from Järntorget to the Royal Palace, near the Parliament in the north.

During the summers this street is packed with people. It's a thoroughfare between Södermalm and Norrmalm so on this particular street there are both tourists and locals passing by. Most of the stores are souvenir shops and the restaurants are typical for a tourist area. Historically the street was home to many stores selling coats, and some of them still exist today.

The street can be traced back to at least the 15th century. The storefronts have looked pretty much the same since the late 19th century while the buildings themselves were mostly built between 1600 - 1800 but due to the changes made in the late 19th century, it can today be hard to see exactly which buildings are older or newer.

Mårten Trotzigs Gränd

This is often cited as the narrowest street or alley in the city, and it's very narrow at only 90 centimeters (35 in) in width. The name, Mårten Trotzigs Gränd, is translated to "Alley of Mårten Trotzig". He was a German merchant, from Wittenberg in the Electorate of Saxony and part of present-day Saxony-Anhalt, who immigrated to Stockholm in 1581 at the age of 22. He bought several properties in the alley and eventually became one of the richest men in Stockholm at the time. The current name was adopted as late as 1949, shortly after the alley was re-opened after it had been closed for almost 100 years. Previous names include Trångsund (Narrow Strait) and Kungsgränden (The Kings Alley).

You find the alley from Västerlånggatan, near Järntorget. At the other end, you'll get out on Prästgatan. The alley is not advertised with signage and it's easy to miss it while walking by. It's easier finding it from the Prästgatan end, but as long as you're looking for it you'll find it from Västerlånggatan too. In truth, there's not much to see, it's just a very narrow street. It's one of those things that just have an interesting history but doesn't have any real value or beauty in itself.

Stortorget

The literal translation is "Grand Square" and it's the oldest square in Old Town. When Stockholm was founded and started to grow it did so with Stortorget as the centerpiece.

The Nobel Museum is located on Stortorget and every December there's a large Christmas market on the site. Another popular attraction of the square is the old water pump from 1778, Stortorgsbrunnen. On one of the buildings in the south-western corner of the square, there's a cannonball engraved in the facade. Tales have it that it was sent there during the liberation of Stockholm by Gustav Vasa in 1520, but the truth is that it was put there during renovations in 1795 (as a tribute to the liberation by Gustav Vasa).

There's a dark history attached to the square. It was the site of the "Stockholm Bloodbath" in November 1520. During the occupation of the Danish king Christian II, in Sweden remembered as Christian the Tyrant, a series of executions were conducted on the square shortly after his coronation as King of Sweden. Many of the city's most prominent figures were executed in the span of three days, mostly with the method of beheading. The total count is said to have been 82 people.

Tyska Kyrkan

Tyska Kyrkan (Swedish; German Church) is a prominent part of the skyline of Stockholm. The top of the church tower is the highest point in Old Town. The original church was built in 1642. Unfortunately, it was partly destroyed by a fire in 1878. The main building survived the fire but the tower and roof were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Due to this, the tower has distinct features of architectural ideas from the 19th century while the church itself and the interior are from the 17th century. The interior is built in Baroque style.

Officially the church is named St. Gertrude's Church and is dedicated to Belgian abbess Gertrude of Nivelles, a patron saint of travelers. It's located quite central in Old Town, about halfway between Stortorget and Järntorget. One can follow Prästgatan from either of those prominent squares to get to it. The name German Church comes from the fact that this part of Old Town had a large and significant German population at the time of construction.