Stockholm City Hall (Stadshuset): Tours, Tower and Nobel Banquet
How to see Stockholm City Hall in 2026: guided tour times and prices, the Blue Hall and Golden Hall room by room, the tower's closure for renovation, the Nobel banquet, and honest advice on booking.
Stockholm City Hall is the red-brick palace with the tall square tower on the tip of Kungsholmen, the building on half the postcards of the city. It stands with its feet in Lake Mälaren, three gilded crowns on the top of its tower, and every December it hosts the Nobel banquet in its Blue Hall. It is also a working building, the seat of the city council, and it can only be visited on a guided tour. That tour is one of the best-value 45 minutes in Stockholm, provided you know when the tours run, how the tickets work and what you will and will not get to see.
This guide covers the lot: the building and its story, the tour room by room, the tower and its renovation, the Nobel banquet, the free courtyard and waterfront garden, how to book in 2026, and an honest verdict on whether it is worth your time. Prices and tour times were checked in October 2026 against the City Hall’s own visitor pages. Tour schedules change with the season and rooms sometimes close for official events at short notice, so check the day before you go.
Where: Hantverkargatan 1, on the waterfront at the eastern tip of Kungsholmen. From Stockholm Central, walk along Vasagatan and across Tegelbacken.
How to visit: guided tour only, about 45 minutes, in English or Swedish.
Price (2026): adults SEK 150, seniors and students SEK 130, ages 7–18 SEK 60, under-7s free.
English tours: times vary by date. On 26–31 October 2026 they run hourly from 10:00 to 15:00; the City Hall’s tour calendar lists the departures for each day.
Tickets: online, released one week in advance, or on the day at the ticket office, which opens at 08:30.
The tower: 106 metres and about 365 steps, but closed for renovation and expected to reopen in 2029.
Watch out for: the Prince’s Gallery is closed on Saturdays for weddings, and rooms can close for official events.
Allow: an hour for the tour and the courtyard.
The building and its story
Stockholm’s City Hall, Stadshuset in Swedish, was designed by the architect Ragnar Östberg and built between 1911 and 1923, from almost eight million dark red bricks. It was inaugurated on Midsummer Eve, 23 June 1923, to commemorate Gustav Vasa’s entry into Stockholm in 1523, and it was meant to be read as a national monument as much as an office building. It is the high point of Swedish National Romanticism: Venetian palazzo, medieval Swedish castle, Byzantine church and Arts and Crafts workshop all at once, and somehow it works.
The tower, 106 metres high, is topped by the Three Crowns, the gilded emblem of Sweden, and it is visible from much of central Stockholm; from the water, the building seems to float. Inside, it is still the city’s political heart. The 101 members of Stockholm’s city council meet in the Council Chamber, civil weddings take place here most Saturdays, and the great halls are used for official receptions all year. That is why you cannot simply wander in, and why tours are occasionally cut short or rerouted.
Because it is not a museum, the tour is the only way to see the interiors, and the guides are good: expect a brisk, entertaining 45 minutes with plenty of stories and a strong line in Swedish self-deprecation. Our main guide to the city’s collections, Best Museums in Stockholm: 20 Must-See Attractions, puts it in context with everything else.
The guided tour, room by room
The public tour takes in four main rooms: the Blue Hall, the Council Chamber, the Prince’s Gallery and the Golden Hall. The order varies with what is happening in the building that day, and on busy days you may pass through smaller rooms along the way.
The Blue Hall, which is not blue
The tour usually starts in the Blue Hall, the vast arcaded courtyard-under-a-roof where the Nobel banquet is held. The first thing everyone asks is why it is called the Blue Hall when every wall is red brick. The answer is that Östberg planned to plaster and paint the walls blue, then fell for the hand-finished brickwork once it was up and left it bare. The name had already stuck.
It is a huge room, built to feel like an Italian piazza, with a monumental stone staircase sweeping down into it. High on one wall is the organ, with more than 10,000 pipes. On an ordinary weekday the hall is bare, echoing and surprisingly moving; it is hard not to picture the tables laid for 1,300 people.
The Council Chamber
Upstairs, the Council Chamber is where Stockholm’s 101 elected councillors meet. The room is designed to recall the great halls of the Viking age: the ceiling is open to the painted roof timbers, like the smoke hole of a longhouse. Like all Swedish council meetings, the sessions held here are open to the public, who watch from the gallery at the back of the room.
The Prince’s Gallery
The Prince’s Gallery is a long, calm reception room overlooking the water, named after Prince Eugen, the painter prince, who painted the frescoes along its inner wall. They show the shores of the water around Stockholm, seen from the building, so the painted view on one side echoes the real one through the windows on the other. It is the loveliest room in the building and the one most often missing from the tour: it is closed on Saturdays because of weddings, and it is used for receptions at other times too. If you care about seeing it, go on a weekday.
The Golden Hall
The tour saves the best for last. The Golden Hall is covered, walls and all, in more than 18 million pieces of glass and gold-leaf mosaic by the artist Einar Forseth, telling the history of Sweden in a style borrowed from Byzantine mosaics. It is overwhelming in the good sense, and it is where the dancing takes place after the Nobel banquet.
The end wall is dominated by the Queen of Lake Mälaren, a huge seated figure representing Stockholm, holding the City Hall in her lap while East and West pay homage around her. She was controversial from the start; some Stockholmers still find her faintly ridiculous, which is part of her charm. Guides also like to point out the figures that did not quite fit, including a saint above one of the doors who lost the top of his head to a miscalculation in the design. Take your time in here: it is the one room everyone remembers.
The City Hall tower
The tower, 106 metres tall under the Three Crowns, is closed for renovation and is expected to reopen in 2029. Until then there are no tower visits. It is one of the best viewpoints in Stockholm, with a panorama across the centre of the city, and on a clear evening in June the view from the top was one of the great sights of the city.
When it reopens, the practical points matter more than usual:
- No tickets for now. With the tower shut for renovation there are no time slots to book; the City Hall’s tower page will carry news of the reopening.
- It is a climb. There are about 365 steps to the top, some of them narrow and steep, and the upper stretches are tight. It is only partly accessible for wheelchair users, and it is hard work for anyone with a fear of heights or small spaces.
- Allow about 40 minutes for the visit once it reopens.
While the tower is shut, the view of the City Hall is almost as good as the view from it. The best spot is Monteliusvägen, the cliff-top path on Södermalm, and our guide to Stockholm’s best viewpoints has the others.
Tour times, tickets and booking for 2026
The City Hall sells its own tickets, and there is no reason to pay a reseller more for the same tour. The tour schedule changes through the year; the times below come from the City Hall’s official page and apply to 2026.
| Season | English tours | Swedish tours |
|---|---|---|
| Summer | More frequent departures through the day | More departures |
| Late October onwards | Varies by date; hourly 10:00–15:00 on 26–31 October | Varies by date; check the City Hall’s calendar |
| Ticket | Price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Adult | SEK 150 |
| Senior or student | SEK 130 |
| Youth, 7–18 | SEK 60 |
| Child, 0–6 | Free |
| Tower | Closed for renovation, expected to reopen in 2029 |
How the tickets work. Tour tickets go on sale online one week in advance. You can also buy same-day tickets at the City Hall Shop, where the ticket office opens at 08:30.
Tips for booking. Take the first tour of the day if you can: the rooms are quieter and you are less likely to be caught out by a reception being set up later on. Arrive ten minutes early to find the meeting point. Book a weekday if you want to be sure of the Prince’s Gallery. And in early December, expect the Blue Hall and Golden Hall to be affected by preparations for the Nobel banquet.
If you have a sightseeing pass, check whether it covers the tour before you pay; our comparison of the Stockholm Pass and Go City explains when a pass actually saves money. Private tours for groups can be booked through the City Hall as well.
The Nobel banquet
On 10 December every year, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, the Nobel Prizes (except the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo) are handed out, and in the evening around 1,300 guests sit down to dinner in the Blue Hall. It is the most famous meal in Sweden. The laureates and the royal family descend the staircase to a fanfare, the menu is a closely guarded secret until the night, the courses arrive in choreographed waves of waiters down the stairs, and afterwards the guests move up to the Golden Hall to dance.
Two things surprise visitors. The first is that the prize ceremony itself does not happen at the City Hall at all: it takes place earlier in the day at the Stockholm Concert Hall, Konserthuset, on Hötorget, and only the banquet is at the City Hall. The second is that both are invitation-only. You cannot buy a ticket. What you can do is watch the whole evening live on Swedish television, where SVT covers it in loving detail, and walk around the building on a tour a few days before or after, standing on the spot where it all happens.
For more of the Nobel story, the Nobel Prize Museum in Gamla Stan is the place to go. In 2026 Nobel Week Lights, the free light-art festival, runs from 5 to 13 December. Our guides to Stockholm in December and Stockholm’s events and festivals have the rest of the month.
The courtyard and the waterfront garden: free
You do not need a ticket to enjoy the outside of the building. The inner courtyard, reached through the arches from Hantverkargatan, and the garden terrace along the water are open to the public, and they are among the best free things to do in the city. The terrace looks straight across Riddarfjärden to Riddarholmen and the cliffs of Södermalm, with bronze sculptures along the balustrade and the tower rising behind you. It is a beautiful place at any hour, and sublime at sunset in summer, when half of Stockholm seems to come here to sit on the steps.
Look out, too, for the tomb of Birger Jarl, the 13th-century statesman traditionally credited with founding Stockholm, near the water’s edge. It is empty: the plan was to bring his remains here, but they stayed where they were, at Varnhem Abbey in western Sweden.
For photographers, the arcades of the courtyard, the gilded crowns against a winter sky and the reflections of the tower in the water are the classic shots; our guide to the most photogenic places in Stockholm has more. And for the other free sights, see free things to do in Stockholm.
Getting there, and what is nearby
The City Hall is an easy ten-minute walk from Stockholm Central and T-Centralen: walk down to Tegelbacken by the water and cross Stadshusbron, the short bridge onto Kungsholmen. The nearest metro station is Rådhuset on the blue line, within a ten-minute walk, and a word of warning: Rådhuset means the courthouse, not the City Hall. Tourists regularly get off there expecting to find the tower above them. For the metro and buses, see our Stockholm metro guide.
The quay beside the building, Stadshusbron, is also a boat terminal. In season, the boats for Drottningholm Palace and for the Viking town of Birka leave from here, as does the steamship to Mariefred and Gripsholm Castle, so a City Hall tour pairs naturally with a day on Lake Mälaren. See our guides to Drottningholm Palace, Birka and Mariefred and Gripsholm.
On foot, the classic route is a morning tour of the City Hall, then a walk across the bridges to Riddarholmen and on into Gamla Stan for lunch and the Royal Palace. Alternatively, head west along Norr Mälarstrand, the waterfront promenade, into the residential streets of Kungsholmen, where the lunch is cheaper and the tourists fewer.
Accessibility
The City Hall is largely accessible. There is a ramp in the courtyard and lifts inside the building, so wheelchair users can join the guided tour. The tower is only partly accessible. Tell the ticket office if you need assistance, and see our Stockholm accessibility guide for the rest of the city.
The City Hall through the year
Summer is the full experience: the tours run more often, the boats leave from the quay beside the building, and the waterfront garden is at its best on long light evenings. Book your tour for the date you want; the tower stays shut until the renovation ends.
September and early October are the sweet spot. There are still six English tours a day, the crowds have thinned, and the autumn light on the brick is lovely.
From late October through the winter, English tour times shift from date to date (the last week of October has six, on the hour from 10:00 to 15:00), so look up your day before you go. The upside is that the rooms are quieter, and the building looks magnificent with frost on the terrace and the lamps lit by mid-afternoon.
December is special and a little unpredictable. Nobel Week Lights and the banquet on the 10th make it the building’s most glamorous month, but preparations can close the main halls for days at a time. If the tour matters to you, go in the first days of the month or after the banquet, and check the day before.
City Hall or the Royal Palace?
They are Stockholm’s two great ceremonial interiors, a ten-minute walk apart, and they could hardly be more different. The Royal Palace is baroque, vast and royal, a museum you explore at your own pace, with the state apartments, the Treasury and the Royal Armoury. The City Hall is 20th-century, civic and compact, and seen only with a guide. The palace takes half a day to do properly; the City Hall takes an hour. If you have time for both, do the City Hall at 10:00 and walk across to the palace for the afternoon. If you only have time for one, the City Hall’s Golden Hall is the more unforgettable room, and the palace is the bigger day out.
Is Stockholm City Hall worth visiting?
Yes, without much hesitation. For SEK 150 you get 45 minutes with a good guide in one of the finest early-20th-century buildings in Europe, and the Golden Hall alone is worth the price. It is also central, easy to fit into a morning, and pairs well with Gamla Stan and a boat trip. If you only do one interior in Stockholm besides the Vasa Museum, make it this one.
The catches are real, though. You cannot explore on your own. The tours run at fixed times, and the timetable changes from day to day. Rooms close at short notice for official business, and the Prince’s Gallery is off the tour every Saturday. The tower, the other half of the experience, is closed for renovation until an expected reopening in 2029. None of this is a reason to skip it; all of it is a reason to book ahead and go early on a weekday.
If you are building a day around it, our one-day Stockholm itinerary fits it in, and the full list of things to do in Stockholm has what else is nearby.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Stockholm City Hall without a tour?
Not the interiors. The Blue Hall, Council Chamber, Prince’s Gallery and Golden Hall can only be seen on a guided tour. The courtyard and the waterfront garden are free and open to everyone without a ticket.
How much is a Stockholm City Hall tour in 2026?
SEK 150 for adults, SEK 130 for seniors and students, SEK 60 for ages 7 to 18, and free for children under 7. The tower is closed for renovation, so there are no tower tickets until it reopens, expected in 2029.
What time are the English tours of Stockholm City Hall?
English tour times vary by date. From 26 to 31 October 2026 there are six a day, every hour from 10:00 to 15:00. Check the official calendar for the day you want.
How do I buy City Hall tickets?
Online, from the City Hall’s own website, where tickets are released one week in advance. Same-day tickets are also sold at the City Hall Shop; the ticket office opens at 08:30.
Is the City Hall tower open?
No. The 106-metre tower is closed for renovation and is expected to reopen in 2029, so there are no tower visits until then. When it reopens, the climb is about 365 steps.
How long does the City Hall tour take?
About 45 minutes. Allow an hour including the courtyard and garden.
Where is the Nobel banquet held?
In the Blue Hall of Stockholm City Hall, on 10 December, with dancing in the Golden Hall afterwards. The prize ceremony itself is held earlier the same day at the Stockholm Concert Hall on Hötorget. Both are invitation-only, but SVT broadcasts them live.
Why is it called the Blue Hall?
The architect, Ragnar Östberg, planned to plaster and paint its walls blue, but liked the red brick so much once it was built that he left it bare. The name from the plans stuck.
Is the Prince’s Gallery always on the tour?
No. It is closed on Saturdays because of weddings, and it is used for receptions at other times too. Go on a weekday if you want the best chance of seeing it.
How do I get to Stockholm City Hall?
Walk from Stockholm Central by way of Vasagatan and Tegelbacken. The closest metro stations are T-Centralen and Rådhuset; Rådhuset, on the blue line, is named after the courthouse, not the City Hall.
More Stockholm guides
- Best Museums in Stockholm: 20 Must-See Attractions: the full museums guide.
- Royal Palace Stockholm: the other great interior, across the water.
- Nobel Prize Museum: the story behind the banquet.
- Kungsholmen Guide: the island the City Hall stands on.
- Gamla Stan Guide: the old town across the bridges.
- Stockholm Viewpoints: where to see the City Hall from.
- Museums in Stockholm for Kids: if the tour is a family outing.
- Stockholm 2-Day Itinerary: two days, with the City Hall in them.
Photo credits
The Golden Hall (featured image): GH1 (2) Gyllene Salen by Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Blue Hall: Den blå hallen – the Blue Hall, Stockholm City Hall by Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Council Chamber: Rådsalen – Stockholms stadshus by Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Prince’s Gallery: Prinsens galleri Stadshuset 2012 by Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Queen of Lake Mälaren mosaic: GH2 (2) Gyllene Salen by Øyvind Holmstad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
City Hall from Monteliusvägen: Blick vom Monteliusvägen by Olaf Meister, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
