Sweden’s capital Stockholm is spread over 14 islands. There is plenty of water and over 50 bridges to help you explore during your Stockholm visit. This is an old city with plenty to enjoy, including the Old Town with its cobbled streets. Stockholm’s inhabitants, around a million of them, have a high standard of living and while Stockholm City is expensive, it is well worth visiting. If you want a top quality hotel in a central location, try the Grand Hotel Stockholm.
Ferries and tourist boats make it easy to get around and enjoy its many attractions. When you visit Stockholm, have your camera ready at all times because there are many Stockholm images you will want in your photo album.
Parliament House
Parliament House is a good place to start. The building covers almost half of an island, Helgeandsholmen in the Old Town. It opened in 1905, its design following a competition that Aron Johansson won. Parliament House replaced the existing Riksdag Building.
Originally the Swedish National Bank was part of the building but that changed 50 years ago when revisions meant that a new assembly hall was created.
Royal Palace
Stockholm’s Royal Palace is one of the largest in Europe. It is the host of all official state receptions but it is also open to the public all year round. Your Stockholm photos must include one of the Royal Palace.
There is plenty of room for everything, 600 rooms. Three important museums are within the Royal Palace, the Treasury, the Tre Kronor Museum and Gustav III’s Museum of Antiquities. While you are there, make sure you visit the Royal Chapel which opens in the summer months.
Kastellet
This citadel on Kastellholmen Island in Central Stockholm was one of the early fortifications in the City. Popular Stockholm pictures regularly include this 17th Century building. At that time it protected the Swedish fleet but when its headquarters changed to Karlskrona, it gradually fell into disrepair.
What you see today is a rebuild, mid-19th Century. It was useful again during the Second World War as part of the Country’s air defences.
City Hall
You will find City Hall on Kungsholmen Island. The style is a mix of National Romantic and Romanesque. Offices, conference rooms and halls are part of the building. The Nobel Prize banquet is an annual event in one of its halls. Building began in 1911 and it took 12 years to complete.
When you visit there, leave some time to look at the sculptures found between City Hall and the shores of Lake Malaren. Incidentally, Stockholm is not only buildings and water. Include the Zoo and the Botanical Gardens Stockholm in your itinerary
Storgortet Square
Gamla Stan is the Old Town and one of the most visited buildings in the whole of the City is in the colourful Storgortet Square. The Nobel Prize Museum is found there in what used to be the Stock Exchange.
It opened twenty years ago on the centenary of the founding of the Nobel Prize. Its many exhibits are both educational and fascinating. Alfred Nobel was an extremely successful businessman who died in 1896. Unmarried, childless and worried about how he would be remembered because his main source of income had been armaments. As a result, he left the majority of his fortune for the establishing of what has become arguably the world’s most important prizes for recognising achievement.
Old Town
There is plenty to enjoy in Gamla Stan beyond the Nobel Prize Museum. The colourful buildings of Old Town are largely 17th and 18th Century. Narrow cobbled streets typify this area of Stockholm. Its history goes as far back as the 13th Century.
Many of Stocjkholm’s most important landmarks are here but it is also the place to go for stylish bistros. Stockholm is not a city famous for its nightlife but if you are looking for a lively night during your Stockholm travel, head for the Old Town.
Artistic Subway
Ferries are just one of the ways to get around Stockholm. The rapid transit system opened in 1950 and almost half of its 100 stations are underground. They serve over a million passengers daily. There are only a handful of the 100 that are not decorated in some shape or form. You will be able to enjoy mosaics, paintings and sculptures. More than 150 artists have contributed to ‘’the longest art gallery in the world.’’
This artistic work is in contrast to the graffiti that has featured in recent decades. That graffiti is removed as soon as it is found.
Museums & Galleries
There is more in Stockholm than just the museums and the art already mentioned. You can enjoy plenty of art and there is a museum which tells the story of Swedish history at sea. The Stockholm Maritime Museum tells the story of Sweden’s navy, merchant shipping as well as shipbuilding.
The centrepiece of the Vasa Museum is the ship that sank in 1628 and was salvaged in the 1960s. The Vasa was a warship and it is certainly the best preserved one of its time in the world. Of all the galleries and museums in Stockholm, Vasa welcomes the most visitors.
Conclusion
Stockholm travel is a real treat. Stockholm combines history and culture with a real feel of prosperity and the 21st Century. Whatever your interests, you will find something to enjoy in Sweden’s capital although it may not be your first choice if you want fine dining unless your pockets are deep.
Stockholm does experience cold winters so in normal circumstances the best time to visit begins around Easter and lasts until the cold weather returns. You have plenty of choice when it comes to getting to Stockholm, by land, sea, and air. Stockholm will not be the cheapest short holiday you will have but you can expect great memories after you see what it has to offer.