Stockholm

Best of Stockholm
1. Gamla Stan (Old Town)
Have fun wandering down its narrow, winding, cobblestone streets lined with museums, shops, galleries, and cafes. Gamla Stan is also home to:

• Royal Palace
  Tour richly furnished royal apartments. See the changing of the guard.
• City Hall
  Visit the hall where Nobel Prizes are awarded. Climb City Hall's tower for a bird's eye view of Stockholm.

2. Vasa Museum
The 70-meter (230-foot) long Vasa warship was adorned with elaborately carved sculptures, making it the pride of the sea. It was launched in 1628 with great fanfare. Within minutes, it sank and lay forgotten. In the 20th century, the Vasa was discovered, raised, restored, and placed in a custom exhibition building that allows you to see multi-level interiors.

3. Other museums
Stockholm has dozens of other quality museums spanning a variety of focuses. They include:

• Skansen Open-Air Museum
  This recreated village illustrates traditional Swedish life of bygone centuries with historic buildings and costumed craft demonstrators.
• National Museum
  It exhibits artistic works from Medieval to modern times. Artists include Goya, Rembrandt, Renoir, and Rubens.
• Modern Museum
  Masters like Dali, Matisse and Picasso are represented.

4. Local boat tours
Stockholm is built on 14 islands, creating waterways ideal for today's tour boats. You pass under bridges and view photogenic buildings. One tour lets you hop on and off, stopping at major sightseeing venues.

You can also take day cruises through the serene nearby islands of Sweden's archipelago.

5. Shopping
Stockholm is world-renowned for its modern arts-and-design goods, including furniture and decorative art items. Many stores feature them.

Other leading Stockholm attractions
They include

• Storkyrkan
• Millesgarden

Family-with-kids pleasers are

• Grona Lund
• Junibacken