Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [50]
Make your way to the northern cliffs of Södermalm for romantic vistas and evening walks among the vintage wooden houses. Some interesting neighbourhoods await around the Katarina kyrka (Map), in the park near Sofia kyrka (Map), around the Puckeln Shop District (Hornsgatan) and on Lotsgatan and Fjällgatan, not too far from the Viking Line terminal.
You’ll also get great views from the balcony of Katarinahissen (Map; 743 13 95; Slussen; adult/7-15yr Skr10/5; 8am-10pm mid-May–Aug, 10am-6pm Sep–mid-May), a lift that dates from the 1930s and which takes you up 38m to the heights of Slussen. If you prefer, zigzagging wooden stairs also lead up the cliffs to the balcony. At the top is one of the city’s finest restaurants, Gondolen.
Northern Suburbs
The areas just north of central Stockholm breathe easy with their lush, green spaces. Several sprawling parks, from Djurgården in the south, form Ekoparken (Click here), the first such protected city area in the world. Hagaparken (see opposite) is another prime spot for lazy ambling, bike riding and catching some offbeat attractions.
MILLESGÅRDEN
Well worth the effort to reach it, beautiful Millesgården (Map; 446 75 94; Carl Milles väg 2, Lidingö; adult/child Skr80/free; 11am-5pm mid-May–Sep, noon-5pm Tue-Sun Oct–mid-May) was the home and studio of sculptor Carl Milles, whose delicate water sprites and other whimsical sculptures dot the city landscape. The grounds include a crisp modern gallery for changing exhibitions of contemporary art, Milles’ elaborately Pompeiian house, and an exquisite outdoor sculpture garden, where items from ancient Greece, Rome, medieval times and the Renaissance intermingle with Milles’ own creations. There’s also a museum shop and a cafe. Take the metro to Ropsten, then bus 207.
NATURHISTORISKA RIKSMUSEET & COSMONOVA
Sweden’s largest museum, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet (National Museum of Natural History; Map; 51 95 40 40; www.nrm.se; Frescativägen 40; adult/under 19yr Skr70/free; 10am-7pm Tue, Wed & Fri, 10am-8pm Thu, 11am-7pm Sat & Sun) was founded by Carl von Linné in 1739. There are hands-on displays about nature and the human body, as well as whole forests’ worth of taxidermied wildlife, dinosaurs, marine life and the hardy fauna of the polar regions. The museum is located 300m north of T-Universitetet metro stop.
Adjoining Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet is Cosmonova (Map; 51 95 51 30; adult/5-18yr Skr85/50, no children under 5yr admitted), a combined planetarium and Imax theatre with themes ranging from mummies and dinosaurs to the deep sea and prehistoric sea ‘monsters’. Films are screened on the hour, and reservations are recommended.
HAGAPARKEN
Crowning a hilltop at Haga park (Map) is the peculiar Koppartälten (Copper Tent; dawn-dusk), built in 1787 as a stable and barracks for Gustav III’s personal guard. It now contains a cafe, a restaurant and Haga Parkmuseum (admission free), with displays about the park, its pavilions and the royal palace, Haga slott (not open to the public).
Gustav III’s Paviljong (Gustav III’s Pavilion; 402 61 30; adult/7-18yr Skr60/25 by guided tour only; tours hourly noon-3pm Tue-Sun Jun-Aug) is a superb example of late neoclassical style; the furnishings and decor reflect Gustav III’s interest in all things Roman after his Italian tour in 1782.
The steamy Fjärilshuset (Butterfly House; 730 39 81; adult/4-15yr Skr80/40; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Sep; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Mar) recreates a tropical environment, complete with free-flying birds and butterflies, and some very friendly fish.
To reach Hagaparken, take bus 515 from Odenplan to Haga Norra.
ULRIKSDALS SLOTT
Further north, 17th-century royal pad Ulriksdal Slott (Map; 402 61 30; Ulriksdals Park; guided tours adult/7-18yr Skr60/25; tours hourly noon-3pm Tue-Sun Jun-Aug) was home to King Gustaf VI Adolf and his family until 1973. Several of their exquisite apartments, including the drawing