Stockholm is an simple
city for tourists to navigate, as its centre is largely
flat and strolling around is a pleasure. For journeys further afield,
there is an reliable public transport system with
trams, underground trains, buses and ferries servicing all areas
of the city and the surrounding towns and villages.
A good place for one to get familiar with Stockholm is from the
Gondola Restaurant, in the Sodermalm district, where over a full
gourmet meal or just a drink, visitors can get a good idea of the
layout of the city through the venue’s panoramic
windows.
The heart of Stockholm sightseeing is around the Gamla Stan
(or Old Town), which boasts many tourist shops, cafés, historical
buildings, as well as the impressive Royal Palace, the largest royal
palace still in use in the world.
North of the Old Town is the main part of the more modern
city, whose districts are home to many attractions, such
as the Museum of National Antiquities, the impressive City Hall
and the Stringberg Museum.
Across the water, via ferry, is Djurgarden, a playground
with a funfair park, Stockholm Zoo and the Vasa Museum, Sweden’s
most visited museum, which is home to a 17th century galleon that
has been remarkably raised from the chill waters of Stockholm’s
harbour.
Many museums are closed on Mondays. Stockholm has recently gained
a reputation for stylish shops, bars and restaurants, making it
the Scandinavian capital of cool. Beyond the centre of the city,
over 10,000 islands and rocky islets in the Stockholm Archipelago
long to be explored.
Globen
(Stockholm Globe)
A vast sporting and events arena, the Stockholm
Globe is the world’s largest spherical building at 85 metres
(279 feet) high and 110 metres (361 feet) wide.
As well as hosting major sporting contests, it also houses bars,
restaurants, and a shopping complex. A source of rich debate when
it was first built in the 1980's, the Globe regained its notoriety
in the early 1990's, following a spectacular bankruptcy.
Address: Globentorget 2
Telephone: (08) 725 1000 or (077) 131 0000 (tickets)
Facsimile: (08) 725 1240
Email address: info@globearenas.se
Website address: www.globen.se
Opening hours: Daily 9.00 am to 4.00 pm (for guided tours).
Admission: SKr 50 (for tours), concessions available.
Transport: Metro Globen, bus number 4, 164, 150, 807 or 803 to Gullmarsplan.
Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace)
Located in the centre 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 existing palaces
in Europe. The present glorious Baroque edifice is the
work of Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, from a 1692 design, and parts
of the older medieval Castle of Three Crowns still survive.
Attractions include the Hall of State, the Banqueting Apartments,
the Royal Treasury, the Apartments of the Orders of Chivalry, 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 display
in Stockholm as it is in London.
Address: Slottsbacken
Telephone: (08) 402 6130
Facsimile: (08) 402 6167
Email address: info.stockholms-slott@royalcourt.se
Website address: www.royalcourt.se
Opening hours:
February 1 to May 14 and September 1 to December 31: Tuesday to
Sunday 12.00 am to 3.00 pm.
May 15 to August 31: Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Admission: SKr 110 (combined ticket, for all parts of the palace).
SKr 70 (separate tickets, for selected parts of the palace each),
concessions available.
Transport: Metro Gamla Stan, bus numbers 43, 46, 55, 59 or 76
Millesgården
Carl Milles (1875 to 1955) was Sweden's best known sculptor
of the 20th century. In 1906, he bought a house on the island of
Lindigo, and started developing a garden where he could showcase
his work.
Today Millesgården covers 18,000 square metres (which is 194,000
square feet) in a series of level terraces reminiscent of an Italian
villa, with superb views over the water.
Carl Miles' major works are represented here, and his own personal
collection of art from Ancient Greece and Rome (unique in Sweden)
is also on display. Admission to the museum also includes entry
to the Carl Milles' studio.
Address: Carl Millesvag 2, Lindigo
Telephone: (08) 446 7580
Website address: www.millesgarden.se
Opening hours:
Mid May to August: Daily 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
September to mid May: Thursday to Sunday 12.00 am to 5.00 pm, closed
Monday to Wednesday.
Admission: SKr 75, concessions available.
Transport: Subway to Ropsten, then bus number 207 or buses 201,
202, 204, 206, 212 to Torsvik. Or tram to Baggeby.
Passes
The Stockholm Card (Stockholmskortet) gives free public
transport within Stockholm and free admission
to 70 museums and attractions, including the National Museum, Royal
Palace and Historiska Musseet, as well as free parking at municipal
parking metres, and other special offers and benefits.
The pass is accessible for purchase at Stockholm Information Service
offices throughout the city, as well as train and ferry terminals.
The Stockholm Card costs SKr 220, SKr 380 and SKr 540 for 24, 48
and 72 hours correspondingly (concessions available).
Also obtainable from the Stockholm Information Service, the SL Tourist
Card gives free travel on public transport inside the Greater Stockholm
area and reduced admission to selected tourist attractions, including
the Skansen open air museum.
The pass costs SKr 80 for 24 hours and SKr 150 for 72 hours (concessions
available).
Skansen (Open-air
Museum and Zoological Park)
This open air museum and zoo on Djurgården
was founded in 1891, to preserve Sweden’s rural culture and
is the 1st such collection to be built. It contains about 160 historic
wooden farms and houses from across Sweden.
The farms have their own animals, traditional breeds tended by ‘farmers’
in period costumes, and the aquarium and zoo hold both animals native
to the region and more exotic species. The children’s playgrounds,
circus and zoo and make Skansen particularly attractive to families.
Address: Djurgården
Telephone: (08) 442 8000
Facsimile: (08) 442 8282
Email address: info@skansen.se
Website address: www.skansen.se
Opening hours:
October to April: Daily 10.00 am to 4.00 pm
May: Daily 10.00 am to 8.00 pm
June to August: Daily 10.00 am to 10.00 pm
September: Daily 10.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Admission: June to August: SKr 70
September to May: SKr 50
The admission is higher for special events, concessions available.
Transport: Bus 44 or 47
Stadshuset (City Hall)
Voted by the Swedes as the country’s finest building,
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 scene of Stockholm.
The building’s Blue Hall, which is actually red, is the
location for the annual Nobel Prize banquet. Visitors must join
one of the scheduled tours to see the interior, although access
to the tower is unlimited during opening hours.
Address: Hantverkargatan 1
Telephone: (08) 5082 9058
Facsimile: (08) 5082 9059
Opening hours:
June to August: Daily 10.00 am, 11.00 am, 12.00 am and 2.00 pm
for tours of the interior.
September to May: 10.00 am and 12.00 am for tours of the interior.
May to September: Daily 10.00 am to 4.30 pm for the tower.
Admission: SKr 70 (interior), SKr 20 (tower), concessions available.
Transport: 5 minute walk from Stockholm Central station, bus number
48 or 62.
Statens Historiska Museet (Museum of
National Antiquities)
Sweden’s national historical museum, which
traces the nation’s history from prehistoric times to the
present day, is now blessed by a spectacular Gold Room, housing
the gold of the Viking chiefs. These hoards, recovered from tombs
or hiding places, show Scandinavian Viking culture at its most
wealthy and magnificent.
There is also 1 of the finest European collections of medieval
painted wooden religious sculpture on exhibition.
Address: Narvargen 13–17
Telephone: (08) 5195 5600
Facsimile: (08) 5195 5603
Email address: info@historiska.se
Website address: www.historiska.se
Opening hours:
Summer: Tuesday to Sunday 11.00 am to 5.00 pm
Winter: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday to Sunday 11.00 am to 5.00
pm, Thursday 11.00 am to 8.00 pm.
Admission: SKr 60, concessions available
Transport: Metro Karlaplan, bus number 44, 47, 56, 69 or 76.
Stockholm Metro
Known as the ‘world’s longest art exhibition’,
Stockholm’s metro is in fact famous for the excellence of
its subway art. From the mid 1950's, it was an official policy
to decorate the network with originally commissioned art.
Kungsträdgården and Stockholm Central metro stations
are predominantly ornate.
Kungsträdgården metro station
Address: Kungsträdgården
Telephone: (08) 600 1000
Website address: www.sl.se
Opening hours: 24 hours daily.
Admission: SKr 10 for a single metro ticket.
Transport: Blue metro line.
Stockholm Central
Address: Vasagatan
Telephone: (08) 600 1000
Website address: www.sl.se
Opening hours: Daily 0500–2400.
Admission: SKr 10 for a single metro ticket.
Transport: All metro lines.
Strindbergsmuseet (Strindberg Museum)
Stockholm’s most renowned cultural figure has his temple
here. The Blå Tornet (Blue Tower) was August Strindberg’s
last home, from 1908 until 1912, when he died.
His library and apartment have been preserved in their original
state, and an exhibition showcases his last works, written on
the premises. The museum, which also hosts momentary exhibitions
and plays, is furnished in a strikingly sparse Nordic Art Nouveau
style.
Address: Drottninggatan 85
Telephone: (08) 411 5354
Facsimile: (08) 411 0141
Email address: info@strindbergsmuseet.se
Website address: www.strindbergsmuseet.se
Opening hours:
Summer: Tuesday to Sunday 12.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Winter: Tuesday 12.00 am to 7.00 pm, Wednesday to Sunday 12.00
am to 4.00 pm.
Admission: SKr 40, concessions available.
Transport: The Metro Radmansgatan.
Tourist Information
Stockholm Information Service
Address: Cultural Centre/Kulturhuset (lower floor), Sergels torg
3
Telephone: (08) 789 2490
Facsimile: (08) 789 2450
Email address: info@svb.stockholm.se
Website address: www.stoinfo.se
Opening hours:
April, May and September: Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm,
Saturday and Sunday 9.00 am to 3.00 pm.
June to August: Monday to Friday 8.00 am to 7.00 pm and Saturday
and Sunday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.
October to March: Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 6.00 pm and Saturday
and Sunday 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
Note: Other branches are situated in Stockholm Central station,
in the Kaknäs Tower and the City Hall.
Vasamuseet (Vasa Museum)
Sweden’s most visited museum protects the
warship, Vasa, sunk inside Stockholm harbour while on her maiden
voyage in 1628. The ship was built to the order of the great Vasa
king, Gustavus Adolphus, and was the most dominant war galleon
of her age.
Vasa was raised whole from the harbour bed in 1961, over 330 years
after she had last seen the light of day. Carefully preserved,
the ship now rests undamaged in the museum’s
main hall.
Displays rebuild life on board the ship and a film shows how the
rescue operation was carried out. The museum’s stunning
waterfront site on the island of Djurgården is an added
attraction. There are guided tours in English, Monday to Friday
12.30 am and 2.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.30 am and 4.30 pm.
Address: Galarvarvsvagen 14
Telephone: (08) 5195 4800
Facsimile: (08) 5195 4888
Email address: vasamuseet@sshm.se
Website address: www.vasamuseet.se
Opening hours:
June 10 to August 20: Daily from 9.30 am to 7.00 pm.
August 21 to June 9: Thursday to Tuesday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm,
Wednesday 10.00 am to 8.00 pm.
Admission: SKr 70, concessions available.
Transport: Bus number 47 or 69 |
