Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [49]
Ladugårdsgärdet
The vast parkland of Ladugårdsgärdet is part of the 27-sq-km Ekoparken (www.ekoparken.com), the world’s first national park within a city. An impressive 14km long, its combo of forest and open fields stretches far into the capital’s northern suburbs. This section of it, reached by bus 69 from Centralstationen or Sergels Torg, boasts three fine museums and one of Stockholm’s loftiest views.
Sjöhistoriska Museet (National Maritime Museum; Map; 51 95 49 00; Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 24; adult/under 18yr Skr50/free; 10am-5pm Mon-Sun) is a must for fans of model ships (there are over 1500 mini vessels in the collection). The museum’s exhibits also explore Swedish shipbuilding, sailors and life on deck.
Just around from the maritime museum, Tekniska Museet (Museum of Science & Technology; Map; 450 56 00; www.tekniskamuseet.se; Museivägen 7; adult/6-19yr Skr70/40, admission free from 5pm Wed; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 8pm Wed, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun) is a sprawling wonderland of interactive science and technology exhibits. One of its biggest drawcards is Cino4 (adult/4-19yr Skr60/30), Sweden’s first 4-D, multisensory cinema.
Etnografiska Museet (National Museum of Ethnography; Map; 51 95 50 00; Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 34; adult/under 20yr Skr60/free; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, 10am-8pm Wed, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun) has evocative displays on various aspects of non-European cultures, including dynamic temporary exhibitions. The cafe is a treat, with great music, imported sweets and beverages, and authentic global dishes.
About 500m from the museums is the 155m Kaknästornet (Kaknäs TV tower; Map; 667 21 80; adult/child Skr35/15; 9am-10pm Jun-Aug; 10am-9pm Sep-Dec; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun Jan-May), the automatic operations centre for radio and TV broadcasting in Sweden. Opened in 1967, it’s still the city’s tallest building. There’s a small visitor centre on the ground floor and an observation deck and restaurant near the top, both providing stellar city and archipelago views.
One kilometre further northwest, Magasin 3 (Map; 54 56 80 40; www.magasin3.com; Elevator 4, Magasin 3 Bldg, Frihamnen; adult/under 20yr Skr40/free; noon-7pm Thu, noon-5pm Fri-Sun, closed Jun-Aug & during Christmas holidays), is one of Stockholm’s best contemporary art galleries. Located in a dockside warehouse, its six to eight annual shows often feature specially commissioned, site-specific work from the likes of American provocateur Paul McCarthy. Take bus 1 or 76 from the city centre.
Södermalm
Once-working-class ‘Söder’ is Stockholm’s coolest ’hood, jammed with up-and-coming boutiques and galleries, effortlessly hip cafes and bars, and a fistful of decent museums. SoFo (the area south of Folkungagatan) is the trendiest district, while Hornstull (at the island’s western edge) melds indie cool with old-school Söder shab.
Stockholms Stadsmuseum (City museum; Map; 50 83 16 59; Slussen; admission free; 11am-5pm Tue-Sun, 11am-8pm Thu) is housed in the late-17th-century palace designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder, in Ryssgården. Evocative exhibits cover Stockholm’s development from fortified port to modern metropolis, via plague, fire and good old-fashioned scandal. The temporary exhibitions are often fresh and eclectic.
In a former bus depot near the Viking Line terminal, Spårvägsmuseet (Transport Museum; Map; 462 55 31; Tegelviksgatan 22; adult/under 19yr incl Leksaksmuseet Skr30/15; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun) is Stockholm’s transport museum and an atmospheric spot to spend a rainy afternoon. An impressive collection of around 40 vehicles includes horse-drawn carriages, vintage trams and buses, and a retro metro carriage (complete with original advertisements). Take bus 2 or 66.
Sharing an entrance with Spårvägsmuseet, Leksaksmuseet (Toy Museum; Map; 641 61 00; Tegelviksgatan 22; admission with Spårvägsmuseet ticket; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun) is packed with everything you probably ever wanted as a child (and may still be hankering for as an