Under the Bridges Sightseeing Boat Tour Stockholm

The lock between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea

Stockholm sits exactly where the freshwater of Lake Mälaren meets the brackish water of the Baltic Sea, and the lock at Slussen in the city centre connects the two. Passing through it is the technical highlight of the trip, because the boat is raised or lowered to match the water level on the other side.

Your guide explains why the city grew here, on the islands where the lake drains into the sea, and how trade and defence shaped its history. If you are wondering what a Stockholm lock experience is like, it is calm and interesting, and it gives the cruise a real sense of place.

Gamla Stan and the Royal Palace

Gamla Stan, the old town, was founded in the thirteenth century and sits on a small island at the centre of the city. From the water you see its colourful buildings, church spires and the huge Royal Palace, one of the largest palaces in Europe still used by a head of state.

The cruise gives a different angle from the cobbled streets, and it is a good way to decide which parts of the old town to explore on foot afterwards. Riddarholmen, the neighbouring island, has a church with a distinctive cast-iron spire where many Swedish monarchs are buried.

Stockholm City Hall and Södermalm

Stockholm City Hall, the Stadshuset, is a red-brick building on the edge of Lake Mälaren completed in 1923. Its tall tower is topped with three golden crowns and the Nobel Prize banquet is held in its Blue Hall each year. It is best appreciated from the water, where its setting is clearest.

On the other side lies Södermalm, the hilly island of cafés, cliffs and artists' studios, with older neighbourhoods and viewpoints. The boat also passes several islands and bridges that show how Stockholm has been built across around fourteen islands.

Djurgården, the Vasa Museum and the waterfront

The tour also shows the eastern waterfront and the island of Djurgården, the green area with museums and Skansen open-air museum, and the Vasa Museum, which houses a seventeenth-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised in 1961.

From the water you see the buildings and get a sense of the space, but the cruise does not stop. If you would like to visit the Vasa Museum or the ABBA Museum, plan them for another day, and use the cruise to work out how to get there. The route ends back where it began.