City Guide : Stockholm - Accommodation, Sightseeing, Attractions

The city is ideally situated for trade connections, with the 24,000 islands of the skärgård (archipelago) protecting the urban islands from the open seas. In fact, the city is best seen from the water, but once on land you won't want to miss out on the parklands of Djurgården, the alleys of Gamla Stan or the 50-plus museums bursting with world-class treasures.

Orientation

Spread across 24,000 islets and laced with numerous waterways on the southeastern coast of Sweden, Stockholm enjoys one of the most stunning locales of any capital city in the world. Over 30% of the city area is made up of waterways and another 30% is made up of parks and green spaces, giving Stockholm perhaps the freshest air and widest lungs of any European capital. This natural oasis is complemented by the stunning Old Town, which was perfectly preserved by Sweden’s neutrality in World War II. This Old Town (or Gamla Stan) is the epicentre of the city, with countless hotels, bars, restaurants and shops all prospering – as people in these historical streets have done for centuries.

Golden Viking Tour
This is the only real Viking tour in Scandinavia where one passes the beautiful landscape around Stockholm before learning and feeling the history of these incredible people. Learn about the Golden Viking Era! See the old Viking Parliament and the Granby ruins. Visit Sigtuna - an old shopping centre from the 10th century!
Click here for more information and Booking Details »

Away from the charms of the Old Town, the modern city showcases the neat and innovative design standards for which Sweden has become globally renowned. Much of Stockholm’s present day wealth comes from the new light industries, such as information technology and computing, with world leading companies often occupying prime real estate in the city centre or filling up the new business parks on the city fringes. All this is a far cry from the city’s humble beginnings, which stretch back to the 13th century and Birger Jarl – generally accepted as the founder of the city, although various settlements previously existed on the site. The city grew up around the Old Town, as Stockholm emerged as a key trading centre, with influence all over the Baltic Sea region and further afield. Today, Stockholm is a thriving modern European city that dispels all of the anachronistic images about dull Scandinavians.

During the seemingly endless days and bright sunshine of the summer months, the city’s chic boutiques and stylish pavement cafés overflow with the ‘beautiful people’, who enjoy the hedonistic culture and lifestyle that has earned the Swedish capital rave reviews from Europe’s style magazines. Stockholm’s ethnic make-up is, perhaps surprisingly, very eclectic, with over 15% first generation immigrants and over 100 languages spoken in the city. This increasing diversity has infused the city with a renewed vigour and energy, as the various incoming cultures interact with the indigenous Swedes.

A quintessential Stockholm summer night is spent bathed in warm sunshine, sitting at a restaurant by the water’s edge, savouring fresh seafood plucked straight from the waters around Stockholm, before taking advantage of the midnight light and heading out for a night around the Stureplan, in some of Europe’s trendiest bars. When the long winter does come, it is not all Nordic gloom – the locals head for the sanctuary of the cosy pubs that line the city. Stockholm has almost as many restaurants per capita as Paris does, as well as 150 or so museums and galleries, so there is always plenty to do when the winter chill sets in. Then there are the severe winters when many of the waterways around the city freeze up, allowing the unique experience of ice skating around one of the world’s most stunning capital cities.

Tourist information: Here you will get all informations about the city you want and a decent city map as well (15 kr). The main office (open Mon - Fri from 9am to 6pm, Sat and Sun from 9am to 3pm) is on Hamngatan in Norrmalm, on the ground floor of Sverigehuset. Tel. 08 - 789 24 90

Stockholm Card: Very useful, gives unlimited travel on city transports (except airport and ferry buses), free museum entry and discounts on boat trips and tours (sold at the tourist offices).

Bank opening hours: Mon - Fri 9.30am to 3pm, on thursdays also 4pm - 5.30pm. Outside banking hours check the post offices or Växel/Currency Exchange offices. Bankomat machines give cash advances and accept all major credit cards.

Phone calls: For international phone calls you add 00 and the international prefix. Most public phones only accept phonecards and credit/debit cards. The smallest phonecard cost 30SEK so if you only need to call one time it is better to use your card. The international dialing to Sweden is +46 with the first 0 omitted.