Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [46]
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The Dansmuseet (Map; 441 76 50; www.dansmuseet.nu; Gustav Adolfs Torg 22-24; admission free, special exhibitions adult/under 19yr Skr40/free; 11am-4pm Tue, Wed & Fri, 11am-8pm Thu, noon-4pm Sat & Sun, also 11am-4pm Mon May-Sep) focuses on the intersections between dance, art and theatre. Collection highlights include traditional dance masks from Africa, India and Tibet, avant-garde costumes from the Russian ballet, Chinese and Japanese theatre puppets and one of the finest collections of early-20th-century Ballets Ruses costumes.
Djurgården
A whirl of dreamy woods, snug cafes and top-rate museums and galleries, the royal park of Djurgården is unmissable.
Take bus 47 from Centralstationen, the Djurgården ferry services from Nybroplan or Slussen (frequent in summer), or hop aboard the vintage tram from Norrmalmstorg. You can rent bikes by the bridge (Click here), which is by far the best way to explore the area. Parking is limited during the week and prohibited on summer weekends when Djurgårdsvägen becomes a traffic-free thoroughfare.
SKANSEN
The world’s first open-air museum, Skansen (Map; 442 80 00; www.skansen.se; adult Skr60-145, child Skr20-60; 10am-8pm May-late Jun; 10am-10pm late Jun-Aug; 10am-8pm Sep; 10am-4pm Mar, Apr & Oct; 10am-3pm Nov-Feb; 10am-4pm Christmas market weekends) was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to give visitors an insight into how Swedes lived once upon a time. You could easily spend a day here and still not see it all (note that prices vary according to the time of year). Around 150 traditional houses and other exhibits from across the country dot the hilltop – it’s meant to be ‘Sweden in miniature’, complete with villages, nature, commerce and industry. The glass-blowers’ cottage is a popular stop; watching the intricate forms emerge from glowing blobs of liquid glass is transfixing. The Nordic Zoo, with elk, reindeer, wolverines and other native wildlife, is a highlight, especially in spring when baby critters scamper around. There’s also a petting zoo for tactile tots.
Buildings in the open-air museum represent various trades and areas of the country. Most are inhabited by staff in period costume, often creating handicrafts, playing music or churning butter while cheerfully answering questions about the folk whose lives they’re recreating. Part of the pharmacy was moved here from Drottningholm castle; two little garden huts came from Tantolunden in Södermalm.
There’s a bakery (still operational, serving coffee and lunch), a bank/post office, a machine shop, botanical gardens and Hazelius’ mansion. There are also 46 buildings from rural areas around Sweden, including a Sami camp, farmsteads representing several regions, a manor house and a school. A map and an excellent booklet in English are available at Skansen to guide you around. It’s also worth noting that the closing times for each workshop can vary, so check times online to avoid disappointment.
Skansen also incorporates a few other museums, including the recently renovated Tobaks & Tändsticksmuseum (Tobacco & Matchstick Museum; Map; 442 80 26; 11am-5pm May-Sep, 11am-3pm Tue-Sun Oct-Apr), which traces the history of smoking, and the more salubrious Skogens Hus (Forestry Information Centre).
The Skansen Aquarium (Map; 442 8039; www.skansen-akvariet,se; adult/6-15yr Skr75/45, 10am-8pm late Jun-early Aug; 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun rest of Jun & Aug; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun May; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Sep-Apr) is also worth a wander, its residents including piranhas, lemurs and pygmy marmosets (the smallest monkeys in the world).
There is a number of cafes, restaurants and hot-dog stands throughout the park. Carrying water isn’t a bad idea in summer, and it’s not cheating to take the escalator to the top of the hill and meander down from there.
Daily activities take place on Skansen’s stages, including folk dancing in summer and an enormous public