The cruises compared here
These are the two classic city boat tours in Stockholm, and they sail in opposite directions. One heads east around a green island of parks and museums. The other heads south and west, under the road and rail bridges that tie the city's islands together.
They share almost nothing apart from the audio guide in English. The price is nearly double for the longer one, and the booking terms are quite different, so it is worth reading both before you pick.
1Where each boat goes
The Royal Canal ride circles Djurgården, the island that has belonged to the royal family since the 15th century. The listing describes views of the Royal Palace, the Vasa Museum, Skansen and the Gröna Lund amusement park, plus the shores of Södermalm and Östermalm. The canal itself dates from 1834. It is the leafy, low-rise side of Stockholm.
The bridges trip leaves from in front of the Grand Hôtel, passes Skeppsholmen and runs along Södermalm under the Skanstullsbron. It continues beneath the Essingeleden motorway bridges, with views of Stora Essingen and Lilla Essingen, and returns past Hammarby Sjöstad and Djurgården. The listing counts twelve bridges. Stromma, whose tour from the same quay matches this one, adds that the boat passes through the lock between the Baltic and Lake Mälaren.
2Time and price
The Royal Canal ride lasts one hour and starts from €18. The bridges trip lasts 2 hours 15 minutes and starts from €34.10. Per minute on the water the two cost about the same, so the real question is how much of your day you want to give to a boat.
An hour fits between two museums. The longer trip takes most of a morning or afternoon once you add the 15 minutes the listing asks you to arrive early.
3The small print is where they differ most
The Royal Canal listing can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. The bridges listing is non-refundable from the moment you book. In a city where the weather turns quickly, that is a real cost.
Boarding works differently too. For the Royal Canal you choose on the day between two piers, Skeppsbron by the Gustav III monument or Nybroviken beside Berzelii Park. For the bridges trip there is one quay, Strömkajen, and the Civitatis voucher does not get you on board: you wait for an email from the local team with a QR code.
Both are listed as not wheelchair accessible. Stromma says one of the boats on its bridges tour can take a manual wheelchair, depending on the water level, but the listing makes no such promise.
4Commentary and comfort
Both listings include an audio guide in English and nothing else. Red Sightseeing, named in the Royal Canal listing, says its audio comes in multiple languages without saying which.
Each boat has a cafe where you pay for what you take. Neither listing describes the deck. Stromma says most of its boats have only a few outdoor seats at the stern, so on the longer trip you should expect to watch through the windows.
5Which one to book
First visit, two or three days in town: the Royal Canal. It is cheap, short, refundable and shows the part of Stockholm most people came for.
Second visit, or a liking for bridges, locks and how a city fits together: the bridges trip, booked once the forecast is clear. Both score 7.8, from 72 and 68 reviews, so the ratings will not settle it for you.
If neither sounds right and you have two hours, the archipelago ride from €35 leaves the city behind and has a live guide.