Sweden consistently produces sports stars like football player Zlatan Ibrahimović and swimmer Sarah Sjöström. Swedes love staying active, and with an abundance of physical activities taking place right throughout the year, expats have no choice but to get active alongside the locals. Here is how to stay fit in Stockholm while enjoying the various sports options that are available.
Sport types in Stockholm
Stockholm enjoys seasonal and year-round sports. During the summer months, the city's residents enjoy professional and pickup football games, swimming, and other outdoor sports, such as tennis. In winter, ice hockey, snowboarding, and skiing take the stage. Other sports, such as badminton, table tennis, handball, yoga, and indoor bandy (a form of ice hockey that the Swedes absolutely love), are played all year round.
With an abundance of green parks and well-developed cycling routes, residents of Stockholm can also stay active by walking, jogging, and cycling around the city. Other recreational sports include swimming, hiking, and fishing.
If you want to try some more adventurous sports, Stockholm offers activities like kayaking and sailing between the islands in the archipelago, speed boat tours, and mountain biking trails.
Sports clubs in Stockholm
One of the best ways to enjoy sports in Stockholm as an expat is by joining a club. Clubs are an easy way to practice a sport you love while expanding your social network. Here are some popular sports clubs in the city:
Stockholm Sports & Outdoors on Meetup
Stockholm Badminton on Meetup
SCBC Football Club on Meetup
Stockholm Outdoor Group on Meetup
Stockholm Hiking & Outdoors Group on Meetup
Fitness centres in Stockholm
Stockholm's many fitness centres offer everything from gym equipment and group fitness classes to teacher training courses for yoga. Many of the gyms offer additional services, including childcare, personal trainer assistance, and access to other facilities like squash courts.
Monthly fees can vary depending on membership type: subscriptions with limited access hours (off-peak times only) can be as low as SEK 300 per month, while full memberships usually start from SEK 500. Some fitness centres have a binding period (usually 6-12 months), so make sure to read the terms and conditions before signing up for a membership. Some places offer student, family, and senior discounts, so ask about that, too.
Here are some of the biggest fitness chains in Stockholm:
Other sports types in Stockholm
Stockholm has plenty of options that sit somewhere between sport and hobby and many of them are easy to try without joining a team. Indoor climbing and bouldering are the obvious ones, but racket sports are just as popular, especially padel, along with squash and tennis. Floorball is widely played indoors. Outdoors, the city leans into what it has: ice skating in winter, as well as cross-country skiing on maintained tracks, swimming, and water sports like paddleboarding and kayaking.
The city also offers outdoor gym areas complete with equipment suitable for different ages and levels. These 'utegym' (outside gym) facilities can be found in practically every park. Next time you head off to explore Stockholm, why not check out one of Stockholm's 38 outdoor gyms?
Spectator sports in Stockholm
Football, or soccer, is a much-loved sport in Sweden. Stockholm hosts a number of international matches each year; expats will love the excitement and buzz of a home game against Sweden's rival Scandinavian neighbours. They also have their own Swedish Football Association in which matches are played against other cities' clubs throughout the country. Tickets and game schedules for all sports (and other large events) can be found on Ticketmaster and Stockholm Live.
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