# Is Södermalm a Good Area to Stay in Stockholm? Map & Verdict

Verdict: Recommended. Book here without thinking about it.

Interactive map: https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/sodermalm
Every Stockholm district: https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm.md

The island south of the old town, and the best all-round base in Stockholm. Cheaper food, better bars, and a cliff between you and the ferry.

Facts: 18 min walk to Gamla stan; 30 min to the airport; 15 min to the beach; price €€€; best for first-timers, food, nightlife, couples, longer stays; lines 13, 14, 17, 18, 19.
Safety: 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.

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

Hotels in Södermalm: https://www.stay22.com/allez/booking?aid=stayzones&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Fsearchresults.html%3Fdest_id%3D1323%26dest_type%3Ddistrict%26group_adults%3D2%26no_rooms%3D1

## Other districts in Stockholm

- [Norrmalm](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/norrmalm): Recommended. Central Station, every metro line and most of the city's hotel rooms. You will never have to think about transport, and you will sleep in an office district at business rates.
- [Östermalm](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/ostermalm): Recommended. Stockholm's money: boulevards, embassies, the market hall, and streets that are quiet by 22:00. The easiest district to stay in with children and the hardest to eat in cheaply.
- [Vasastan](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/vasastan): Recommended. Sixty thousand people living in the same 1880s grid as the centre, ten minutes further out. The best value in the inner city, and nothing whatsoever to see.
- [Gamla stan](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/gamla-stan): Mixed. The postcard, and the least practical place in Stockholm to sleep. Seven thousand residents, cobbles you drag a suitcase over, and drinks priced for people who come once.
- [Kungsholmen](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/kungsholmen): Mixed. The City Hall, a swimmable waterfront and the cheapest beer in the inner city. Also barely any hotels and half an hour on foot from the old town.
- [Djurgården](https://stayzones.com/where-to-stay-in-stockholm/djurgarden): Avoid. Sweden's largest cluster of museums on a royal park island, and three hotels to sleep in. You are booking a day out, not a base.