Royal Djurgården
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.
Address: A 10-minute walk from the city centre across the Djurgarden bridge; Telephone: (0)8 442 8000 (Skansen); E-mail:
info@skansen.se; Website:
www.skansen.se; Transport: Vintage tram; buses 44 or 47; or ferry; Opening time: Grona Lund opens between May and September, days and hours vary. Skansen opens daily 10am to 4pm, up to 10pm in the height of the summer season
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 each day (12.15pm, and 1.15pm on Sundays) 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.
Address: Slottsbacken; Telephone: (0)8 402 6130; Website:
www.royalcourt.se; Transport: Metro stop Gamla Stan, or bus 43,46,55, 59 or 76; Opening time: Closed Mondays. Open 10am to 4pm (15 May to 14 September), 12pm to 3pm (15 September to 14 May). Closed 8-31 January and subject to closer according to the King's official duties; Admission: 130kr (combined ticket for the whole palace), or 90kr for selected parts of the palace
City Hall
Stockholm's main landmark, the distinctive red brick City Hall (Stadshuset) building, has stood on Kungsholmen (King's Island) since 1923 and become world-renowned as the venue for the annual Nobel Prize Banquet. The rather practical and austere façade, dominated by three golden crowns atop a tower, hides an extraordinary art nouveau interior. The plush council chamber itself has a vaulted ceiling resembling an inverted Viking longboat, echoing the Viking tradition of using overturned vessels as shelter in winter. Most impressive, though, is the magnificent Golden Hall, its walls covered with handmade mosaics. The view of Stockholm from the tower is unsurpassed.
Address: Hantverkargatan 1; Telephone: (0)8 5082 9058; Website:
www2.stockholm.se/cityhall; Transport: Underground station T-Centralen/T-Rådhuset, or bus 48 and 62; Opening time: Tours depart daily at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 2pm in June, July and August, and at 10am and 12pm daily the rest of the year. The tower is open daily from 10am to 4.15pm; Admission: 60kr (adults), 30kr (children 12-18). Tower: 20kr (adults). Children under 12 free of charge
Museum of National Antiquities
Sweden’s history from prehistoric times to the present day is fascinatingly laid out in the Museum of National Antiquities, which contains a hoard of archaeological artefacts and treasures, including an impressive collection of gold objects recovered from the tombs and treasure caches of the Vikings. The museum’s most prized possession dates from the Middle Ages. This is the splendid gold reliquary, set with precious stones, which contained the skull of Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia.
Address: Narvargen 13–17; Telephone: (0)8 5195 5600; E-mail:
info@historiska.se; Website:
www.historiska.se; Transport: Metro station Karlaplan; bus 44, 47, 56, 69 or 76; Opening time: Closed Mondays. Open 10am to 5pm (2 May to 30 September) and 11am to 5pm with late closing at 8pm on Thursdays (1 October to 1 May). ; Admission: Free