Stockholm Amphibious Bus Land & Water Tour

Östermalm and Stureplan by Land

The tour begins in the city centre and heads past the Royal Dramatic Theatre, a gilded Art Nouveau building on Nybroplan, before driving up Birger Jarlsgatan to Stureplan, the fashionable square known for its mushroom-shaped rain shelter and designer shops. Nearby lies Norrmalmstorg, where a bank robbery in 1973 gave the world the term Stockholm syndrome.

From there the bus crosses Östermalm, the city's most elegant district, passing the Royal Library in Humlegården park and the brick Olympic Stadium built for the 1912 Summer Olympics and still in use. The land part of this Stockholm amphibious bus tour gives you a quick sense of how the city grew beyond its old island core.

The Splash: Cruising around Djurgården

At the edge of Djurgården the road suddenly turns to gravel, the music gets louder and the ten-tonne bus drives down a ramp into the water. After a big splash against the windows, the wheels lift and you are floating. It is the moment everyone waits for, and children usually cheer.

Now a boat, the bus cruises along the shore of Djurgården, the royal park island. You pass the Vasa Museum, which holds the 17th-century warship that sank on its first voyage in 1628, and Gröna Lund, Sweden's oldest amusement park, opened in 1883. Is the amphibious bus worth it? For families and first-timers, the mix of sightseeing and surprise makes it one of the most memorable ways to see Stockholm.

Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace from the Water

From the water you get one of the finest views of Gamla Stan, the Old Town, founded in the 13th century on a small island. Its tall ochre and red facades, many dating back to the 1500s and 1600s, rise above the quay, topped by the copper spire of the German Church.

In front of them stands the Royal Palace, one of the largest palaces in Europe with more than 600 rooms, still the official residence of the Swedish king. Your guide shares stories of the royal family and of how Sweden changed from one of Europe's poorer countries into a wealthy industrial and technology nation. Visiting the Royal Palace later requires a separate ticket.

Skeppsholmen, Strandvägen and the Return to Land

The route circles Skeppsholmen, the former naval island, where the white-hulled af Chapman, a sailing ship from 1888, is moored. You feel the current where fresh water from Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic Sea, and glide towards the grand stone facades of Strandvägen, one of the most prestigious addresses in Scandinavia.

Look out for the colourful ship linked to Pippi Longstocking, the famous children's book character, before the engine roars and the bus climbs back onto land. The last part drives past Kungsträdgården, the city's oldest park, once the royal kitchen garden. The best time for this tour is a sunny day between spring and autumn.