You can visit Stockholm all around the year, depending what you are looking for of course. I would say the best months in general are May, June, second half of August and first half of September. Below there is a general description of each month as well as a list of public holidays.

Public Holidays

Below you can find some information about our public holidays, with focus on the three big ones, Easter, Midsummer and Christmas as well as the National Day.

Easter

Easter is one of the three big holidays in Sweden, with always four days of Easter, starting with Good Friday this happens usually in April but can also be in late March or early May. Just as at Christmas and Midsummer plenty of herring and salmon are on most tables, as well as eggs both the regular ones and eggs filled with candy are a tradition. Try out the traditional brew “Påskmust”. Many will gather with their families at this holiday, so Stockholm is more quiet than usual during these days. Also the children have a week off from the schools.

National Day of Sweden

Celebrated on 6th June each year, while it’s only been a public holiday since 2005 and the National Day since 1983 the reason for the date itself are much older than so. On 6th June 1523 Gustav Vasa was crowned King and hence the reason for the date of the National Day. Come by the Royal Castle for special events or celebrate it traditionally at Skansen outdoor museum.

Midsummer

A holiday that combines Christian traditions as well as pre-Christian traditions, Midsummer is a highlight in the summer for many Swedes, food is quite similar to that eaten at Easter and Christmas with plenty of herring and salmon and the traditional “snaps”. People will gather and dance around the midsummer pole and is a holiday I can recommend to join in if you can, it may seem strange for visitors but is an important one for most Swedes.

Christmas

Celebrated just as in other Christian countries, in Sweden the big day is however Christmas Eve and not Christmas Day. Families will gather and share Christmas gifts, eat traditional food (herring, salmon, Christmas ham, stockfish, meatballs etc) and watch Donald Duck at 15:00 on Christmas Eve. Be aware that most restaurants and shops will be closed or will have limited opening hours during Christmas and New Year.

Holiday Calendar

2026
1 January – New Years Day
6 January – Trettondagsafton
3 April – Good Friday
4 April – Easter Eve
6 April – Easter Day
7 April – Second Day Easter
1 May – Labour Day
10 May – Ascension Day
6 June – National Day of Sweden
19 June – Midsummer Eve
20 June – Midsummer Day
31 October- All Saints Day
24 December – Christmas Eve
25 December – Christmas Day
26 December – Boxing Day
31 December – New Years Eve

Month for month

January
Together with February the coldest month of the year, though it can vary a lot of from year to year. Some years there temperature will be around 0 degrees Celsius, others down to -10 and on some days -15 degrees Celsius and snowy. This is a dark month, where it will be dark from around 15 til 8 in the morning. First week of the month lot of people are still on vacation and you have new year celebrations, so restaurants and shops may be closed.

February
A cold and some years snowy month, while it’s slightly lighter than January this is also a dark month. About same temperatures as in January but in recent years even colder.

March
A month that can vary quite a lot, from a cold winter month to at times early spring, in general be prepared for temperatures around -5 and +5 degrees Celsius.

April
“April väder” (April Weather) is a term every Swede would know, one day it can be cold and snow, the other day it will be sunny and warm, weather can change even per hour, so be prepared for everything. Easter happens usually in April (can also be in late March or early May). Now you can also notice that the evenings gets lighter. Temperatures between -5 and +10 usually.

May
Second half of May can be really warm, with temperatures around +20 but normally it will be around +10 to +15, a nice month to visit Stockholm as the tourist season hasn’t started and all restaurants are still open.

June
A summer month, temperatures around +15 and +20 but can drop down to +10, June can also be quite rainy, best time to visit is in the first half of the month, as from Midsummer and onwards the vacation season starts and some smaller shops and restaurants can be closed. Midsummer (third week in June) is the brightest time of the year, it will only be dark a few hours, between 23 and 03 and it never gets as dark as during winter.

July
This is the “industry vacation” month when month Swedes are on summer vacation for about four weeks, this means plenty of restaurants will be closed as well as smaller, independent shops, so keep this in mind if you are coming for either food or shopping. Temperatures between +15 and +25 degrees, usually the warmest month of the year.

August
Last summer month, the summer vacation period usually lasts a week into August, from mid-August and onwards it’s business as usual. Often nice weather and temperatures between +15 and +20 degrees Celsius.

September
First half of September can be very nice but this is also the first autumn month so be prepared for colder weather and darker evenings. Temperatures around +10 degrees but during the first half it can be +15 or even more.

October
With the trees coloured in yellow and red from the dying leaves I always find October a beautiful month but be prepared for plenty of rain and at times even the first snow, even if this is rare. Temperatures around +5 and +10 degrees.

November
It can go days or even weeks without the sun showing up, November is grey and dark, daylight disappearing around 16 in the afternoon and temperatures between 0 and +5 degrees. Often lot of rain, slush or snow.

December
With the sun disappearing around 15 in the afternoon this is the darkest month in terms of natural light but due to Christmas decorations I find it much nicer than November. Nowadays not so much snow but some years there can be plenty. Temperatures around -5 and 0 degrees Celsius. Be aware that many restaurants and shops are closed during Christmas and New Year.