The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Larsson's Stockholm

The story starts with a man in trouble: Mikael Blomkvist, who publishes the magazine Millennium in Stockholm, has lost a libel case and faces three months in prison. His home is on Bellmansgatan, in Södermalm, the district where much of the trilogy's action takes place. You reach it from a public pedestrian bridge with a spectacular view of central Stockholm. Stockholm City Museum's Millennium walk begins at Bellmansgatan 1, where Blomkvist lives, and follows him and Lisbeth Salander from there.

Location precision: The pin marks Bellmansgatan; the exact house number is given only by a travel guide.

Visitor guidance: The approach is a public pedestrian bridge; the building is a residence, so look from the bridge.

In the books the magazine works from Götgatan 11, on Södermalm. Larsson gave Millennium characteristics similar to those of his own magazine, Expo. Visitors expecting a newsroom will be disappointed, because in real life the rooms at the address are residential.

Mikael's regular café is on Hornsgatan, the long street through Södermalm. It is where Lisbeth meets him to borrow 120,000 kronor for a high-risk investment. The place is a real coffee bar, and makes a good pause on a walk through the district where Larsson set so much of the trilogy.

Location precision: The pin marks Hornsgatan a few doors from the café; the exact spot is not confirmed.

Visitor guidance: A working coffee bar on Hornsgatan; check the current address before going.

Lisbeth Salander is a gifted private investigator, and the firm she works for is Milton Security. The company is made up, but Larsson placed it in a very real building, at Katarinavägen 15 on Södermalm. This is the world that Henrik Vanger taps when he has Lisbeth comprehensively investigate Blomkvist's personal and professional history before offering him the job that sets the whole story going.

Location precision: Milton Security is fictional; the pin marks the real building the guide identifies as its address.

Kvarnen is a 19th-century beer hall on Tjärhovsgatan, in Södermalm. Here Lisbeth meets up with the band Evil Fingers, and she kisses Miriam to get Mikael's attention. Today the hall is still a working restaurant and bar.

Visitor guidance: Open as a restaurant and bar; check hours before going.

Lisbeth and Mikael cross Mosebacke square several times, and it is the kind of Södermalm corner the trilogy keeps returning to. In the third book Lisbeth and her lawyer, Annika Gianini, meet up for a drink at Södra Teatern, which stands on the square.

Visitor guidance: A public square on Södermalm.

After the events of the first book Lisbeth has a penthouse at Fiskargatan 9, on Södermalm. The city museum's Millennium walk passes her luxury apartment on the way to many other places the books mention. The building is a private residence, so look at it from the street.

The best way to walk Larsson's Stockholm is with the museum that has made a tour of it. Stockholm City Museum has held tours and exhibitions on the Millennium series, as well as the official tour map. Its two-hour walk follows Blomkvist and Salander in their footsteps, adds background on the characters and the author, and passes the Millennium editorial office and Lisbeth's luxury apartment. It is the natural end of the route.

Visitor guidance: The museum is on Ryssgården; check current tour times with the museum.