Mariatorget: the genteel west and the gallery hump
A leafy square with a fountain, a hill of small art galleries, and the old houses behind. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Mariatorget
Start in the leafy square — the fountain at the centre is *Tors fiske* (Thor's fishing). Benches under the trees, cafés around the edge; the calmest grand square on *Söder*. Begin with a coffee on a bench.

2. Maria Magdalena kyrka
The church just off the square, set in its own green churchyard. Step in for the quiet, or walk the graves outside — the poet Lasse Lucidor and others are here.

3. Hornsgatspuckeln
The 'hump' — the rise of *Hornsgatan* lined with small art galleries, one after another. Go in and out as you please; nobody expects you to buy, and a slow browse is the whole idea.

4. Bastugatan
Slip off the gallery hill into *Bastugatan* and the lanes of old houses on the *berg* (the rock). Painted timber, steep steps, the water glinting at the end of the alleys.

5. The antique shops
The streets around here keep a cluster of antique and second-hand dealers. Worth a slow drift — the windows alone are a small museum of what Stockholm used to keep on its shelves.

6. Slussen (T-bana)
East along the ridge brings you out at Slussen, where the lock joins *Söder* to *Gamla Stan*. Red or green line back from here.

Mariatorget: the genteel west and the gallery hump