The Swedish capital offers many charms, which will attract culture enthusiasts and nature lovers alike to this Venice of the North.
Among the 14 islands that make up Stockholm, some have unmissable attractions, such as the historic district of Gamla Stan – literally "old town" – in the north of which stands the Royal Palace, built at the end of the 17th century. With an exterior as austere as its interior is baroque, it can be visited at the time of the changing of the guard.
A sculpted masterpiece by Bernt Notke, Saint George slays the dragon in the cathedral, a statue that has stood there since the 15th century, while tourists stroll along the streets of Västerlånggatan, Stora Nygatan, and Österlånggatan. Many prefer the peaceful maze of cobbled lanes in the eastern part of Gamla Stan, where the charm of venerable, colorful houses is complemented by fine restaurants offering a modern take on Nordic cuisine.
To experience local tradition, head to Östermalm's covered market, housed in a magnificent red-brick building since 1888, where you can enjoy köttbullar, meatballs in a creamy sauce considered the most typical dish in Italy. Brick was also chosen for the town hall, designed by Ragnar Östberg with references to medieval architecture and the Doge's Palace in Venice, completed in 1923 on the island of Kungsholmen. Every December, the Nobel Prize banquet is held there. From its 160-meter-high tower, you can appreciate the scale of the city built on the water.
Fjällgatan street in Södermalm also offers the opportunity to gain some altitude and admire the most beautiful panorama of Gamla Stan. A former working-class suburb, as evidenced by its small, red-painted 18th-century wooden houses on Stigbergsgatan and Mäster Mikaels Gata streets, this district, now called "Söder," has become the trendy heart of the city, attracting artists and designers.
While Skeppsholmen Island boasts numerous museums, Djurgården Island houses the most fascinating of them all: the Vasa Museum, named after a 17th-century galleon miraculously preserved despite spending over three hundred years beneath the waters of Stockholm. Setting sail on August 10, 1628, the flagship of Gustav II Adolf's fleet traveled a nautical mile and sank twenty minutes after its launch, due to a structural imbalance. Refloated in 1961, the warship has been restored to its former glory, adorned with hundreds of polychrome and gilded Baroque sculptures that bring its proud and imposing silhouette to life with fantastical creatures, from its figurehead to its sterncastle.
Nearby, another must-see site will transport you back in time: Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum, founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius. From a Sami encampment in Swedish Lapland to a Scanian farmhouse in the far south of the country, all of Sweden's traditional dwellings are represented. Dismantled and rebuilt here, complete with furniture and all their belongings, in a verdant setting recreating their region of origin and home to native animals, they bring to life the ways of life of ancestral Sweden.
After this comprehensive overview, all that remains is to set sail eastward towards the Baltic Sea to explore the Stockholm archipelago. It boasts no fewer than 24,000 islands, of which only 150 are inhabited year-round. You can choose a classic boat or a sailboat for this timeless exploration, navigating between rocks polished or sculpted by the elements, pine-covered islets, colorful fishing villages, and charming houses with their elegant jetties. Among the most welcoming harbors are Vaxholm, with its beautiful heritage of wooden houses accessed by cobblestone streets, and Sandhamn, which has become a haven for sailing enthusiasts.
On the other side of Stockholm, a three-hour drive west, lies one of the southernmost forests in the country, preserved within Tiveden National Park, a haven of peace established in 1983 that now covers 2,030 hectares. Enchanting, the beauty of its landscapes has something mysterious and dreamlike about it. Between 900 and 1,400 million years ago, the Earth's crust fractured, giving rise to the immense Vättern Depression, simultaneously creating the characteristic granite grid that forms the bedrock of Tiveden. A second creative event, dating back approximately 11,000 years, saw the melting of the ice sheet expose its rocks, detached and displaced by the force of the water. Some bristle on the outcrops, but the largest blocks have been carried into the valleys where they form romantic chaos covered in lichen, as can be seen at Stenkälla.
Between the steep hills covered in pines and spruces, where blueberries and cranberries grow, nestled in the hollows of the crushed rock, lie lakes, marshes, and peat bogs, where the Norrland dwarf birch has found its home. The park lies at the crossroads of the country's northern and southern ecosystems, which also contributes to its biological significance. One hikes in awe through these wild landscapes, hoping to spot a grouse in flight, encounter a deer or a moose, or surprise a beaver building a dam on a stream. No doubt this immersion in nature will inspire further exploration…
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