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Stockholm · Mysteries & legends

White ladies, runes and executioners: dark Stockholm

A route for dusk that starts at the foot of the Royal Palace, winds through the most curious corners of Gamla stan and crosses to Södermalm to end where the pyres of 1520 burned. The legends are told as what they are, traditions, and always alongside what the documents say.

  • 6 stops
  • 2.1 km
  • 1 h 45 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Old painting of Stockholm under a sky with several suns and rings of light

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 The ghosts of the Royal PalaceA white lady who foretells royal deaths and a little grey man living in the cellars of the burned castle.
  2. 2 Storkyrkan: suns in the sky and a dragonA painting of six suns over Stockholm in 1535, and a knight slaying a dragon with relics in his chest.
  3. 3 The Kåkbrinken runestoneA Viking stone almost a thousand years old, built into the corner of a house in Gamla stan.
  4. 4 Järnpojken, the boy who looks at the moonSweden's smallest statue is fifteen centimetres tall and receives coins, pats and even scarves.
  5. 5 Mäster Mikaels gata and the gallows hillA street of little wooden houses named after an executioner who was himself executed.
  6. 6 Katarina Church, the church of the prophecyBuilt where the victims of the Bloodbath were burned, its tower has collapsed twice.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

White ladies, runes and executioners: dark Stockholm

Royal ghosts

The white lady and the grey old man who, tradition says, haunt the palace.

Signs and runes

Six suns in the sky of 1535 and a Viking stone hidden on a street corner.

Södermalm at nightfall

The street of the executed executioner and the church whose tower fell twice.

Keep exploring

More routes in Stockholm

Back to Stockholm
HistoryCrowns, blood and power: Swedish history in Gamla stan MixedStockholm highlights: from City Hall to the Mariaberget viewpoint

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Stockholm?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Stockholm in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Stockholm in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Stockholm in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary