Superbly Stockholm
By Rick Steves
If I had to call one European city home, it could be Stockholm. One-third water, one-third parks, one-third city, on the sea, surrounded by woods, bubbling with energy and history, Sweden's stunning capital is green, clean, and underrated.
While progressive and sleek, Stockholm respects its heritage. In summer, mounted bands parade daily through the heart of town to the Royal Palace, announcing the Changing of the Guard and turning even the most dignified tourist into a scampering kid.
Start your visit to Stockholm with a stop at Europe's most energetic tourist information office, the Sweden House. This organization will do everything short of whipping you with birch twigs in the sauna. They have an English library, free pamphlets on every aspect of Swedish culture, and daily walking tours through the old town. Avoid lines at the counter by looking up sightseeing details on one of the user-friendly computer terminals. Buy a Stockholm Card, a 24-hour pass giving you free run of all public transit and free entry to nearly every sight (about $45).
Greater Stockholm's 1.8 million residents live on 14 islands woven together by 54 bridges. Visitors need only concern themselves with four islands: Norrmalm is downtown, with most of the hotels and shopping areas, and the combined train and bus station. Gamla Stan is the Old Town of winding, lantern-lit streets, antiques shops, and classy cafés clustered around the Royal Palace. Skeppsholmen is the small, central, traffic-free park/island with the Museum of Modern Art and two fine youth hostels. The park island of Djurgården is Stockholm's wonderful green playground, with many of the city's top sights (bike rentals just over bridge as you enter island). A fifth island, just south of the others, is of less interest to those on a quick visit (apart from its fine views): the residential Södermalm, aptly called "Stockholm's Brooklyn."
Stockholm delivers a smorgasbord of sights. Take a spin through Skansen, Europe's original and finest open-air folk museum. In this huge park, you'll find more than 150 historic buildings transplanted from all corners of Sweden. Tourists can explore this Swedish-culture-on-a-lazy-Susan, seeing authentically furnished homes, churches, shops, and schoolhouses. Local guides offer excellent, free tours that paint a picture of old Swedish lifestyles while artisans demonstrate crafts from glass-blowing to pot-throwing. There's plenty of fiddling, folk-dancing, pop concerts, restaurants, and picnic-friendly benches.
Nearby is the 17th-century Vasa, the best-preserved warship of her age anywhere. This glamorous but unseaworthy ship sank 20 minutes into her 1628 maiden voyage when a breeze caught the sails and blew her over in the Stockholm harbor. More than 300 years later, with the help of marine archaeologists, she rose again from the deep. This titanic flop of a ship is now a highlight on any sailor's itinerary.
Gawk at Stockholm's glittering City Hall, an impressive mix of eight million bricks, 19 million chips of gilt mosaic, and lots of city pride. One of Europe's most impressive public buildings (built in 1923) and site of the annual Nobel Prize banquet, it's particularly enjoyable and worthwhile for its entertaining daily tours. Climb the 348-foot-tall tower (an elevator takes you halfway) for the best possible city view. Near City Hall, you'll see docks and ducks. To joyride Stockholm's canals, hop on a sightseeing cruise — Stockholm Sightseeing's City Boat Tour is handy.
The people-watching center is Kungsträdgården, King's Garden Square. This downtown people-watching center is considered Stockholm's living room, symbolizing the freedom-loving spirit of the Swedes. Watch the life-sized game of chess and enjoy the free concerts at the bandstand. Surrounded by the Sweden House, NK department store, a welcoming Volvo showroom, the harborfront, and tour boats, it's the place to feel Stockholm's pulse (but always ask first: "Far jag kanna din puls?").
Treat yourself to a sauna at your hotel or the public swimming pool. Simmer with local students, retired folks, and busy executives. Try cooking as calmly as the Swedes. Just before you become edible, head for the shower room. There's no luke-cold...only one button, bringing a Niagara of liquid ice. Suddenly your shower stall becomes the Cape Canaveral launch pad, and your body scatters to every corner of the universe. A moment later you're back together, rejoining the Swedes in the slow cooker, this time with their relaxed confidence and a small but knowing smile.
Enjoy an evening in Gamla Stan, Stockholm's old town, an irresistible tangle of winding streets, antique shops, and classy cafés clustered around the royal palace. For dinner, Fem Små Hus is a splurge, with candles leading you into a 16th-century cellar ($58-85 3-course meals, Nygränd 10). After dinner, stroll Gamla Stan's cobbled streets by lantern light. You're in the Old World...in sleek Stockholm.
Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Scandinavia guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Europe.