Stockholm

The City Hall (1923), Stockholm’s most prominent landmark, was designed by Ragnar Östberg (1866-1945) in the National Romantic style, with two inner courtyards and a 106m (348ft) tower. It’s most famous for hosting the Nobel Prize banquet. In the astonishing Golden Hall, scenes from Swedish history are depicted on the walls in 18 million mosaic pieces in gold leaf. Visit the interior by guided tour, but climb the tower independently for a fantastic view over Gamla Stan.

Phone:

+46 8 50 82 90 59

Opening hours:

Stadshuset (guided tours only) June-Aug 10am, 11am, noon, 2pm, 3pm daily; Sept, May 10am, noon, 2pm daily; Oct-Apr 10am, noon daily. Tower June-Aug 9am-5pm. May and Sept 10am-4pm daily. Tower closed Oct-Apr.

Address:

Hantverkargatan 1

Boat tours are probably the most attractive way to see the city. These include the Royal Canal Tour (1hr) around Djurgården, and the Under the Bridges Tour (1hr 50min). Tours run April to December but are most frequent from May to September.

Phone:

+46 8 58 71 40 20

Opening hours:

Under the Bridges Tour Until 25 June 10am-6pm. 26 June-27 Aug 10am-8pm. 28 Aug-10 Sep 10am-4.05pm. All hourly and daily from two departure points. 11 Sept-24 Sept 11am-3pm hourly from one departure point. 29 Sept-29 Oct 11am and 3pm from one departure point.

Address:

Stockholm Sightseeing booth on Strömkajen in front of the Grand Hôtel

Representationsvåningarna: the Royal Apartments of the palace are still used for official ceremonies. The furnishings, tapestries and paintings range in style from ornate rococo to more reserved neo-classical Gustavian. Museet Tre Kronor: a boardwalk built through the palace cellars, along with several models, enables visitors to see how war, fire and wealth have shaped the palace seen today. There’s also Gustav III’s Antikmuseum of Roman statues and busts and the Skattkammaren, a small treasury.

Phone:

+46 8 402 60 00

Opening hours:

Representationsvåningarna 15 May-end May 10am-4pm daily. Jun-Aug 10am-5pm daily. 1 Sept-14 Sept 10am-4pm daily. 15 Sept-14 May 12pm-3pm Tue-Sun. Closed during official receptions. Tre Kronor, Skattkammaren and Gustav III’s Antikmuseum Museet 1 Feb-14 May 12pm-3pm Tue-Sun. 15 May-31 May and 1 Sept-14 Sept 10am-4pm daily. Jun-Aug 10am-5pm. Closed 15 Sept-31 Jan.

Address:

Bordered by Slottsbacken, Skeppsbron, Lejonbacken and Högvaktsterassen

One of the world’s most ground-breaking contemporary art venues housed. Its collection of 20th-century art, featuring works by greats such as Picasso, Dalí, Pollock and de Chirico, is arranged in reverse chronological order. The terrace of the museum’s self-service restaurant offers beautiful views towards Östermalm. The ‘The 1st at Moderna’, provides a new exhibition on the first of every month, and ‘Moderna by Night’ (6pm-midnight Fridays), an after-hours event combines entertainment, food and drink.

Phone:

+46 8 51 95 52 00

Opening hours:

Museum 10am-8pm Tue, Wed; 10am-6pm Thur-Sun.

Address:

Skeppsholmen

The Vasa – the largest and best-preserved ship of its kind in the world – was built in the 1620s when Sweden was at war with Poland. It had two gun decks and 64 cannons, making it the mightiest ship in the fleet. No one’s allowed on board, but you can walk through a re-creation of one of the gun decks. The museum includes exhibits on 17th-century life and shipbuilding.

Phone:

+46 8 51 95 48 00

Opening hours:

Jan-May 10am-5 pm daily except Wed 10 am-8pm. Jun-Aug 8.30am-6pm daily. Sept-Dec 10am-5pm daily except Wed 10am-8pm. Closed Dec 23-25, Dec 31, Jan 1.

Address:

Galärvarvsvägen 14, Djurgården

Skansen is a one-stop cultural tour of Sweden. The 150-plus traditional buildings – homes, shops, churches and workshops – are organised as a miniature Sweden. Most of the structures date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Skansen’s staff – dressed in folk costumes – spin wool, tend fires and perform other traditional tasks. Animals from all over Scandinavia, including brown bears, moose and wolves, are kept along the northern cliff in natural habitats.

Phone:

+46 8 442 80 00

Opening hours:

Oct-Apr 10am-5pm daily. May-mid June 10am-8pm daily. Mid June-Aug 10am-10pm daily. Sept 10am-5pm daily.

Address:

Djurgårdsslätten 49-51

In the historic Royal Academy of Arts building, trendy Fredsgatan 12 is best known for its outside terrace, open only in the summer. Hip types groove to the music and take in the view towards Gamla Stan and the Riksdag. Half of the floor space is on the wide steps leading to the entrance, so watch out for the odd broken beer glass. The restaurant inside is equally stylish.

Phone:

+46 8 411 73 48

Opening hours:

Mid Aug-June 1130am-2pm, 5.30pm-1am Mon-Fri; 5.30pm-1am Sat; closed Sun. Early July-mid Aug closed.

Address:

Fredsgatan 12

Flyt is situated on a pontoon bridge connected to an old steamboat. However, the venue’s more central location on the edge of the Old Town gives it a more upbeat feel, accentuated by the pop and rock music flowing from the speakers. Relax with a beer and watch the motorboats line up to wait for the lock (of Slussen) to open.

Phone:

+46 8 21 37 29

Opening hours:

May-Aug 3pm-midnight Mon; 3pm-1am Tue-Thur; noon-1am Fri, Sat; noon-midnight Sun.

Address:

Kornhamnstorg, Gamla Stan

This legendary writers’ haunt has become something of an institution – in one corner there’s a poet dressed in black, in another a patron of the arts holds court. Artwork crowds Prinsen’s walls and harks back to its bohemian past. ‘The Prince’ can be relied upon to offer atmosphere and an excellent range of classic husmanskost. The herring platter and biff rydberg (beef with fried potatoes and egg) are Swedish classics.

Phone:

+46 8 611 13 31

Opening hours:

11.30am-11pm Mon-Fri; 1-11pm Sat; 5-10.30pm Sun.

Address:

Mäster Samuelsgatan 4

This restaurant – formerly the Grand National – shares space with the old jazz haunt Nalen. It offers classic Swedish cuisine with the best of native ingredients, like reindeer, pike-perch and herring, at reasonable prices. The Irish coffee is among the best in town. As the former legendary dance palace, it has become the sort of wide-reaching venue that Stockholm always lacked and now caters for all kinds of music.

Phone:

+46 8 50 52 92 01

Opening hours:

Restaurant 11.30am-11pm Mon-Fri; 5-11pm Sat. Only open for dinner in July 5-11pm. Bar 6-11pm Tue and Wed; 6pm-1am Thur; 6pm-2am Fri and Sat.

Address:

Regeringsgatan 74