Things to See and Do
Most of the main sights are found in the centre of this compact city and you won’t be wasting much time travelling between them – a great advantage when visiting a destination for a short break.
Gamla Stan
You’ll hardly be the first to go there, but no visit to Stockholm would be complete without wandering the cobbled medieval streets of Gamla Stan (Old Town). Since this is the original heart of the city it’s also a fitting place to start your trip.
Aside from the predictable souvenir shops there are also a number of unusual and interesting stores in this area. Fair trade toys, Swedish candy canes and handicrafts made by blind artisans are among the items on sale here, but you’ll need to head off the main drag (Västerlånggatan) and explore the alleyways and parallel streets to find them.
Stadshuset (City Hall)
This huge brick building on the waterfront was originally intended to be painted blue, but fortunately the architect had a change of heart after seeing how good his creation looked in the sunlight. It’s an impressive place with a 106m high tower offering great views (open summer only).
You can take a guided tour all year round during which you can follow in the footsteps of past Nobel Prize winners. They get to enjoy a banquet in the Blue Hall which unfortunately is missing from the tour agenda, but that is perhaps a little too much to expect. After dinner the recipients, guests and royalty dance the night away in the Golden Hall, so called because its walls are covered in 18 million gold mosaic tiles showing scenes from Swedish history. Stadshuset is not even a hundred years old – it opened in 1923 – but its design, based on the city hall of Siena in Italy gives it a Renaissance look. On top of the tower you can see three gold crowns (Tre Kroner) – Sweden’s national coat of arms. Free entry with Stockholm Card.
Vasa Museum
Next it’s time for some nautical history. Jump on a ferry (or take the bus, tram, walk or cycle) to the Vasa Museum for a lesson in the perils of vanity. The story of the Vasa warship is not quite as glorious as its wonderfully-preserved appearance might suggest.
She was built in 1620 for the Swedish king in his war with Poland. With 64 cannons over two gun decks the warship was the biggest in the fleet but fatally unstable. Despite nearly capsizing during testing with only 30 men she was put to sea, only to list to one side after a few minutes and sink having travelled just 1,300 metres.
A third of the crew perished – many more would have died if the Vasa had made it to its planned stop in the archipelago to pick up another 300 soldiers. Discovered in 1956 and raised in 1961, a custom-designed museum became her final resting place in 1991. The Vasa is the best-preserved and biggest ship of its kind on the planet as the water in which she lay is a hostile environment for shipworm – the usual suspect in the destruction of wooden ships on the ocean floor.
Come early in the high season to avoid the queues, watch the film first then have a look at this flawed masterpiece, and remind yourself of the fate of its crew by viewing the skeletons exhibited near the base of the ship. If you need refreshment after all that there is an excellent café/restaurant here too. Free entry with Stockholm Card.
