Södermalm heights tour

A walk along Södermalm's northern hills, Söders höjder, is a 2.5 km showcase of vernacular buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries, and several art & craft galleries, as well as an astounding view of Stockholm and its harbour.

The historical buildings with the amazing backdrop provide many spots for travel photography and urban sketching.

Understand
Until the 19th century, Södermalm's northern shoreline below the steep hills was used for docks and factories, and the hills housed the workers. The rest of the island was a farmland which supplied Stockholm.

As the rectangular city plan was laid out over Södermalm in the 1880s, the hills were exempted, in a manner similar to Montmartre in Paris. The preserved houses are from the 18th and 19th centuries. Many are built from wood in a vernacular style with the iconic red paint; see Nordic folk culture.

Being a centrally located low-end neighbourhood (at times a slum) overlooking the more affluent districts, Södermalm has been romanticized more than any other part of Stockholm. Many of Stockholm's most famous artists and writers have lived on the hills, and there are many art galleries today. In the 1960s the buildings were modernized; today they are gentrified, and among the city's most expensive properties.

Södermalm's heights came to world fame in the 2000s with Stieg Larsson's Millennium book series and its film adaptation; see Millennium Tour.

The Stockholm quay palace tour visits the city's institutional buildings close up, and many of the city's public sculptures.

While drones are prohibited over Gamla Stan, Norrmalm and most of Kungsholmen including surrounding water, they are legal on Södermalm, including this route.

Get around
The whole tour can be walked within an hour on fast feet, more time if the venues are visited. Some of the roads are steep and narrow, and can get slippery from rain, snow and ice. Good shoes and decent walking ability are needed. Bicycles, electric scooters, strollers and wheelchairs can only access the paved road sections.

Mariaberget
Mariaberget is a ridge on northern Södermalm, at the shore of Mälaren, inhabited at least since the 14th century.

Landmarks visible from Mariaberget




Katarinaberget




Landmarks visible from Katarinaberget




Vita bergen
A hilltop park with several 19th century buildings, and a southward slope great for picnics.