Take a walk around the city-center and discover the beauty of old Stockholm.
Stockholm's Gamla Stan (Old Town) on the tiny island of Riddarholmen, is the picturesque core of the 'Venice of the North'.
The Old Town's main streets, Österlånggatan and Västerlånggatan, are pedestrianised and lined with shops and the cobbled lanes and plastered buildings create an unspoilt medieval ambience.
The island of Djurgården, a former royal hunting ground right alongside the centre of the city, is a tranquil green space, with a fun fair and numerous waterside museums.
A boat tour of the city's waterways is also a perfect way to experience Stockholm's serene charm.
Even an underground tour, to explore the beauties of the extensively decorated metro system, can provide a fresh angle on the city.
Drottningholms Slott: Just 15km (nine miles) west of central Stockholm, Drottningholms Slott (Drottningholm Palace), Flottsforvaltining (tel: (08) 402 6280 (tourist office open afternoon only); website: www.royalcourt.se), is one of the most magnificent legacies of Sweden's imperial age, justly compared to Louis XIV's Versailles. Begun in 1662 for the dowager queen Hedvig Eleonora by the great Swedish Baroque architects Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and Younger, Drottningholm is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is surrounded by equally splendid gardens containing the delightful Rococo Chinese Pavilion (tel: (08) 402 6270), almost a palace in itself. It also has the world's best-preserved palace theatre, with its eighteenth-century stage machinery still working, a popular venue for summer concerts and performances. Closed to the public in winter, the palace is the official residence of King Carl Gustaf XVI and the Swedish royal family. Guided tours in English are available on request. Admission to the Royal Palace costs SKr50 and SKr50 to the Chinese Pavilion (concessions available).
Drottningholm Palace can be reached by taking bus 301 or 323 from Brommaplan metro station, or bus 177 or 178 to Drottningholm. There is a regular summer boat service from Stadshuskajen (the City Hall Quay) to Drottningholm, operated by Strömma Canal Company (tel: (08) 587 14020).
Stadshuset (City Hall)
Voted the country's finest building by the Swedes, Stockholm's City Hall was begun in 1911 to an Art Nouveau design by Ragnar Östberg. Its interior has grand civic apartments, including the Golden Hall with its glass and gold mosaics, while its tower gives a sweeping panorama of Stockholm. The building's Blue Hall (actually red) is the venue for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. Visitors must join one of the scheduled tours to see the interior, but access to the tower is unrestricted during opening hours.
Hantverkargatan 1
Tel: (08) 50 82 90 58. Fax: (08) 50 82 90 22.
Transport: Five-minute walk from Central Station.
Opening hours: daily 1000-1630; visitors must join a guided tour (available June-Aug 1000, 1100, 1200 and 1400; Sep-May 1000 and 1200).
Tower May-Sep, daily 1000-1630, closed rest of year.
Admission: SKr50; Tower 15SKr (concessions available).
Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace)
Situated in the heart of Stockholm on the central island of Riddarholmen, the Royal Palace is the official residence of the monarchs of Sweden and the chief venue for official state events. With 608 rooms, it is among the largest surviving palaces in Europe. The present glorious Baroque edifice is the work of Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, from a 1692 design, but parts of the older medieval Castle of Three Crowns still survive. Attractions include the Banqueting Apartments, the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry, the Hall of State, the Royal Treasury, Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities and the Royal Chapel. In addition, the changing of the guard at the palace is as much of a spectacle in Stockholm as it is in London.
Slottsbacken
Tel: (08) 402 6130. Fax: (08) 402 6062.
Website: www.royalcourt.se
Transport: Metro Gamla Stan.
Opening hours: May-Aug, daily 1000-1600; Sep-Apr, Tues-Sun 1200-1500.
Admission: Different sections have individual fees; SKr100 (concessions available) for whole palace.
