Old Town
The oldest part of Stockholm is Gamla Stan (the Old Town) and the tiny adjacent island, of Riddarholmen. It includes the Royal Palace, with museums like Livrustkammaren (the Royal Armoury) and Skattkammaren (the Royal Treasury) and the Changing of the Guards in the Outer Courtyard. History lovers can take a guided city tour, offered in many different languages. Gamla Stan is also home to Nobelmuseet (the Nobel Museum) and Riddarhuset (the House of Nobility). From Gamla Stan, it’s a beautiful walk to the picturesque street, Fjällgatan, over in the Södermalm district, with stunning views across the city, perhaps rounded off with a coffee at Fåfängan, a historical café and lookout point.
Historical Places
You can start by getting to know the Vikings at the many historical sites dotted around Sweden. You can discover that Sweden was a major power in Europe in the 17th century by visiting the many beautifully castles, palaces and manor houses from the period? Or that 3,000 years ago the people of Tanum, now a World Heritage site, carved depictions of their lives and customs onto rocks, perhaps so that we would discover them. Luckily, the Sweden of yesteryear is extremely well preserved in the historical sites, museums, castles, palaces and manor houses in and around the major cities of Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö and further a field. Worth checking out is the amazing Vasa Museum in Stockholm which is a museum built around the Vasa Ship; the world’s only surviving 17th century battleship which sunk on its maiden voyage in Stockholm. The museum building, the presentation of the ship and its artefacts have to be seen to be believed – unmissable.
The Mine Museum in Falun, central Sweden, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, an honour it shares with the town of Falun and homesteader estates. It sits on the edge of the Great Pit, the site of a giant cave-in in 1687. The museum tells the story of the mine and the company that ran it and it has received the highest ranking from the Michelin Guide. And they should know.
Kalmar Castle in eastern Sweden, sits on a headland jutting out into Kalmar Strait . It dates from the 14th century and was rebuilt in the 16th century. The castle was built around a harbour and soon became “The Key to the Kingdom” and a significant defensive fortification on the then Danish border. Nearby lies the “Ölandbron” a bridge that takes to island of Öland, as famous for its sunny micro-climate, as it is for being holiday destination for Swedes and for its unique flora and fauna. It is also famous for its amazingly well preserved pre-Viking and Viking historical sites.
Skeppsholmen Island
It features Moderna museet (the Modern Museum), one of the world’s foremost museums for 20th century art, with Arkitekturmuseet (the Swedish Museum of Architecture) in the same building, Svensk Form (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design), with exhibits open to the public, and Östasiatiska museet (the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities).
The adjacent island, Blasieholmen, has Nationalmuseum (the National Museum), with its first-rate collection of Scandinavian and European painting, sculpture and artisanry, and a permanent exhibition of Swedish design. To the west, rising above the water is Stockholm’s iconic Stadshuset (City Hall), venue for the Nobel Banquet on 10th December every year. All in all, Stockholm has more than a hundred museums and attractions, many on a par with the world’s finest.
Royal Djurgarden
Stockholm’s main attractions are conveniently packaged close to the heart of the city on the island of Djurgården, crammed with entertainment options, museums, restaurants and wooded green space. Once upon a time the island was a royal hunting ground. Now visitors can hunt for souvenirs at the Handarbetets Vanner (handicraft centre); browse the art galleries; enjoy thrills and spills at Gröna Lund, Sweden’s oldest amusement park; explore Sweden’s past at the Skansen open-air museum; meet Nordic wildlife at the zoo; and watch folk dancing. Also on the island, accessed with a pleasant stroll along the waterfront, is the Junibacken fairy-tale fun centre, the National Museum of Cultural History and the fascinating Vasa Museum featuring a fully rigged restored 17th-century galleon raised from Stockholm harbour. Top off the day with a meal at one of the many excellent restaurants.
Royal Palace and Gamla Stan
The official Swedish Royal residence is one of the largest and most glorious palaces in Europe, dating from 1754 (although it was built on the remains of an earlier medieval castle). The Baroque edifice is in the heart of Gamla Stan, the old city, and many of its 608 staterooms are open to the public all year round. Visitors can admire the Hall of State, the Royal Treasury, Apartment of the Orders of Chivalry, Gustav III Museum of Antiquities and the Royal Chapel. In front of the palace the changing of the guard ceremony takes place (Wednesday and Saturday 12.15pm, Sunday 1.15pm) with splendid pomp and ceremony that rivals the similar tradition played out at Britain's Buckingham Palace. Gamla Stan itself is a treasure-trove of Swedish architecture from the 17th century. Today tourists throng the alleyways, once notorious for brothels, but now lined with shops and restaurants, and admire the 13th-century Cathedral, the Storkyrkan.
