'I lived in one of the world’s most walkable cities’ (2024)

Stockholm is one of Europe's prettiest cities (Image: Getty)

As a student, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden and one of Europe’s prettiest cities.

Spread across 14 islands, Stockholm might not sound like a pedestrian friendly city but it’s actually incredibly walkable.

In fact, the Swedish capital was one of the first cities in the world to introduce congestion pricing and city planners have put a focus on pedestrians in design.

Compared to London, where I live now, Stockholm was much easier to explore on foot and it definitely had a benefit on my health and mental wellbeing.

There’s nothing quite like a walk to boost your mood and meeting a daily step count is one of the best and simplest ways to stay fit. So what makes Stockholm so walkable?

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Stockholm is spread across 14 islands (Image: Getty)

Although residents don’t tend to spend much time there, Stockholm’s Old Town, Gamla Stan is one of its top tourist neighbourhoods.

The pretty old town has several pedestrianised areas which make it easy to explore without worrying about cars.

It’s easy to walk between hip Sodermalm, Gamla Stan and the city centre as the route is mostly flat and the distances aren’t too vast.

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Many of Stockholm's streets are designed for pedestrians (Image: Getty)

Stockholm also has some fantastic city parks, including Djurgarden, which sits on its own island in the city centre. It’s a great spot for a scenic walk and its vast size means you can easily reach a 10,000 step target.

As the city has an excellent public transport system, there aren’t too many cars on the road. I definitely felt safer walking around than I did in the UK, where I often find I have to keep an eye out for motorists.

It also helps to boost the city’s air quality which makes walking around a much more pleasant experience.

However, if you visit Stockholm in winter you will have to contend with the extreme weather. The streets do tend to get very icy and I definitely fell more times than I’d like to admit.

Despite this, the right footwear can make all the difference and attaching crampons to your boots or trainers is the best way to avoid hitting the decks.

Not feeling Stockholm? Check out Europe’s most walkable city which is also the cheapest destination to fly to from London in December.