18 min
15 min
30 min
13 · 14 · 17 · 18 · 19
17.4 / km²
6
7
929
−5% vs city
Counted from OpenStreetMap and Inside Airbnb (CC BY 4.0)
Mixed after dark
Medborgarplatsen at closing time, 01:00 and 03:00, is the one rowdy corner of the island, and the square at Mariatorget draws a permanent group around the welfare services. Both are noise and nuisance rather than danger.
Staying in Södermalm
Södermalm is the big island below Gamla stan: Slussen and the heights at the north end, Götgatan running south through Medborgarplatsen to Skanstull, the SoFo blocks east of it, and Hornstull and the Långholmen bathing rocks at the far west. It was the working-class island until the industries left, and it has spent thirty years turning into the part of Stockholm people book on purpose.
The practical case is strong. From Slussen or Mariatorget you are 15 to 20 minutes on foot from Stortorget, every red and green line train stops at Slussen, and the Djurgården ferry leaves from the same place. Food and drink cost noticeably less than Norrmalm or Östermalm for the same quality, and the northern ridge - Monteliusvägen, Fjällgatan, Skinnarviksberget - has the views everyone else queues to pay for.
Two things to check before you book a street. Söders höjder is a genuine cliff, so a room 300 metres from Slussen can still mean a flight of stairs with a suitcase; and the island is four kilometres end to end, which makes Hornstull a 35-minute walk from Skanstull rather than the same neighbourhood. Götgatan and Medborgarplatsen are loud at weekends until the bars close at 03:00.
What works
- Fifteen to twenty minutes on foot to Gamla stan from Slussen or Mariatorget
- All red and green line trains plus the Djurgården ferry stop at Slussen
- Eating and drinking cost clearly less than Norrmalm or Östermalm
- Monteliusvägen, Fjällgatan and Skinnarviksberget are free and better than any paid viewpoint
What does not
- Söders höjder is a cliff - a central address can still mean stairs with luggage
- Götgatan and Medborgarplatsen are loud at weekends until closing at 03:00
- Four kilometres end to end, so Hornstull is nowhere near Skanstull
- Fotografiska aside, none of the museums people fly in for are on this island
Nightlife in Medborgarplatsen usually gets wild, and police presence is irregular. Closing time (01:00 and 03:00) are worst.The welfare services at Mariatorget attract homeless and disadvantaged people, some with mental illness or drug addiction. However, these people rarely cause trouble.