Fjällgatan

What Fjällgatan is

Fjällgatan is a cobbled street on the Stigberget hill in eastern Södermalm, roughly 40 metres above the water. It is lined with well-preserved wooden houses from the 18th century – most of the buildings in the quarter between Stigbergsgatan and Fjällgatan were rebuilt after a major fire in 1723. The lane is considered one of the best-preserved examples of an 18th-century Stockholm street.

As a public street, Fjällgatan is open and accessible free of charge all year round. There is no admission fee, no opening hours and no closing times.

History and heritage conservation area

The street took its current name in 1885; before that it was named after the Galgenberg (“Gallows Hill”) that once stood here. At the urging of Anna Lindhagen, calls were made in 1913 to preserve the historic townscape south of Fjällgatan, and in 1956 the area was finally designated a heritage conservation area. This has kept the character of old, pre-industrial Stockholm intact around the lane.

At Fjällgatan 37 stands the popular summer café Fjällgatans Kaffestuga, housed in a former weigh-house (“Waaghaus”) from 1872 – a scale house once used to weigh goods. The café keeps its own seasonal opening hours and is mainly open over the summer half of the year.

The view

From the small terrace, a wide view opens out across the harbour to the old town of Gamla Stan, the island of Skeppsholmen and Djurgården. The spot is especially popular at sunset. Right next door runs the old lane Stigbergsgatan, with more small wooden houses – a worthwhile short detour.

Visiting and getting there

The climb up follows the steep Erstagatan. On foot, Fjällgatan is reachable from the Medborgarplatsen metro (T-bana) station, heading east via Folkungagatan, or from the Slussen interchange. Because of the steep approach and the cobblestones, the lane has only limited accessibility.

A visit takes around 30 to 45 minutes. Fjällgatan combines well with Södermalm's other viewpoints: the Katarinahissen lift at Slussen and Monteliusvägen are both nearby – Monteliusvägen roughly 1.6 kilometres to the west. A loop taking in Monteliusvägen, Fjällgatan and Fåfängan takes about 40 minutes on foot in total. More on the neighbourhood in the overview of Södermalm.