Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [47]
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VASAMUSEET
A good-humoured glorification of some dodgy calculations, Vasamuseet (Map; 51 95 48 00; www.vasamuseet.se; Galärvarvsvägen 14; adult/under 19yr Skr95/free, 5-8pm Wed Sep-May Skr75; 8.30am-6pm Jun-Aug;, 10am-5pm Thu-Tue & 10am-8pm Wed Sep-May) is the custom-built home of the massive warship Vasa. A whopping 69m long and 48.8m tall, the pride of the Swedish crown set off on its maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Within minutes, the top-heavy vessel and its 100-member crew capsized tragicomically to the bottom of Saltsjön. Tour guides explain the extraordinary and controversial 300-year story of its death and resurrection, which saw the ship painstakingly raised in 1961 and reassembled like a giant 14,000-piece jigsaw. Almost all of what you see today is original.
On the entrance level is a model of the ship at scale 1:10 and a cinema screening a 25-minute film covering topics not included in the exhibitions (in English at 9.30am and 1.30pm daily in summer). There are four other levels of exhibits, covering artefacts salvaged from Vasa, life on-board, naval warfare and 17th-century sailing and navigation, plus sculpture and temporary exhibitions. The bottom floor exhibition is particularly fascinating, using modern forensic science to recreate the faces and life stories of several of the ill-fated passengers.
The bookshop is worth a browse and there’s a restaurant for a well-earned pit stop. Guided tours are in English every 30 minutes in summer, and at least twice daily the rest of the year.
Give yourself a couple of hours to really absorb the place.
GRÖNA LUND TIVOLI
Crowded fun park Gröna Lund Tivoli (Map; 58 75 01 00; www.gronalund.com; 7-64yr/under 7yr Skr70/free; noon-10pm Mon-Sat, to 8pm Sun Jun; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat Jul-early Aug; hours vary May & early Aug–mid-Sep) has more than 30 rides, ranging from a softcore circus carousel to the terrifying Free Fall, where you drop from a height of 80m in six seconds (there’s a lovely, if brief, view over Stockholm at the top). There are countless places to eat and drink in the park, but whether you’ll keep it down is another matter entirely. The Åkband day pass (Skr280) gives unlimited rides, or individual rides range from Skr20 to Skr60. Big-name concerts are often staged here in summer. Admission is free with the Stockholm Card.
OTHER SIGHTS
The epic Nordiska Museet (National Museum of Cultural History; Map; 51 95 60 00; www.nordiskamuseet.se; Djurgårdsvägen 6-16; adult/under 19yr Skr60/free, free admission from 4pm Wed Sep-May; 10am-5pm Jun-Aug, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, to 8pm Wed, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun Sep-May) is Sweden’s largest cultural history museum and its second-largest indoor space. The building itself is an eclectic, Renaissance-style castle designed by Isak Gustav Clason, who also drew up Östermalms Saluhall. Inside you’ll find a sprawling collection of all things Swedish, from sacred Sami objects to fashion, shoes, home interiors and even table settings. The museum boasts the world’s largest collection of paintings by August Strindberg, as well as a number of his personal possessions. In all, there are over 1.5 million items from 1520 to the present day. Topping it off are the often dynamic temporary exhibitions. The insightful audioguide (Skr20) offers several hours of English commentary.
Junibacken (Map; 58 72 30 00; adult/3-15yr Skr110/95; 9am-6pm Jul, 10am-5pm Jun & Aug, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Sep-May) whimsically recreates the fantasy scenes of Astrid Lindgren’s books for children. Catch the flying Story Train over Stockholm, shrink to the size of a sugar cube, and end up at Villekulla cottage where kids can shout, squeal and dress up like Pippi Longstocking. The bookshop is a treasure trove of children’s books, as well as a great place to pick up anything from cheeky