Gamla Stan, or Old Town, is the oldest part of Stockholm and has been perfectly preserved. Barium is full of restaurants, shops charming hotels and cobbled streets that give it a special touch. You can get lost in the many streets since only a few are commercial and there were many residential streets that were less crowded but equally as beautiful.
I don´t think anyone knows exactly what attracted us so much to the change of the guard show. Maybe it was the shine of the uniforms or the color, or the dance steps, the protocol that is repeated without variation every day of the year...What is certain is as much as in Stockholm as in London, Copenagen, Ontario, Madrid...wherever the place, there is always a tradition, because this is how they haven´t lost their sense of usefulness, because there we will be, waiting under sun or rain to admire the paraphanelia of the change of the guards. In some countries it is very simple, in others longer and boring, but this is how they do not lose their symbolic character and they will continue to show this to millions of people around the world.
In the beautiful area of Djurgarden, definitely my favorite area of all of Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is anchored (pun intended). This boat, situated on the island in an elegant building so that when enter, you can see it in its entirety. The most striking characteristic is the state of the boat, despite the many passing centuries. Furthermore, in the vicinity, and along several floors, you can enjoy cabins with miniatures, timepiece clothing, models, and a presentation that explains what life was like on the ship. Admission cost me 9 euros, and I would consider that money very well spent as the Vasa Museum is an authentic journey to the past. It was a tremendously interesting visit where you could never see all of it. If you need to rest for a while, there is a cafe with wonderful views of Stockholm's harbor. It was a delight, and a favorite haunt of the beautiful Swedish capital.
I should add the above photos to these other ones where you can see the beauty of this outdoor museum in winter. At this time it is cold, but not as much as you'd imagine, and it is a delight to interrupt your walk by visiting homes and taking a hot breakfast in one of the museum's cafes.
During our short one-day stay in Stockholm, we thought one of the must-see sights was the City Hall.
Situated on the banks of one of the city's channels. It looks more like a church than an official government building. The guided tour in Spanish tends to take place one or two times a day and the price is around 6 euros and lasts about 50 minutes.
As for the inside the great hall called Blue Room or Bla Hallen really stands out. It's the place where the Nobel Prize banquets are held, the Plenary Room and the Golden Room or Gyllene Salen, decorated with golden mosaics.
The exterior, the typical thing to do is go up the adjacent tower, something we didn't do because we didn't have time, and you can see the extraordinary view from this vantage point.
One of the first bars of ice, which was built in 1993 in Jukkasjärvi. At the entrance, you will take an Eskimo jacket and gloves, as the temperature inside does not exceed 5 below zero. The bar, tables and chairs are all made of ice. To drink? Absolut Vodka, of course :) As a point of interest, fresh water is used to make the ice, which produces higher purity and transparency.
The Port city of Stockholm is the main port for goods and passengers to and from Finland, Russia and the Baltic countries. From the port city, huge ferries leave for Finland and other Baltic countries. Annually, more than 11 million passengers pass through these ports from the capital, making them the largest area in Europe for meetings. The picture of the old town ("Gamla Stan") with the huge ferries docked in Södermalm is a classic picture reproduced on the souvenirs and postcards. In addition to the main docks, each island has hundreds of meters of moorings for all types of boats. It is obvious that in a city made up of islands, it is not very difficult to find suitable berths. The springs vary widely in depth and features, ranging from the Strandvägskajen which is 1.5 meters to 9 meters like the Stadsgården. The springs are beautiful sights in the city during any season, but the best time to visit is during the summer because that is when the boats leave from the piers and approach from the outskirts of town for a few days. As a tourist, it is very nice to watch the old sailboats glistening with their new coats of varnish, or some elderly couples enjoying the good life, or the young groups taking it all in.
Here you can eat dishes of Swedish cuisine besides being able to go shopping, the market is beautiful, wooden, and well maintained. Do not forget that the Swedes eat early and if you arrive at 2 you won't have anything. It is close to Stureplan. Www. Saluhallen.Com
I loved this little square. It's so small and surrounded by colorful houses. It seems like something out of a fairytale. The really interesting thing is that from it came the city of Copenhagen. It was its historic center, therefore, it is still the heart of all the celebrations, town meetings and even the typical Christmas market. I particularly liked the well, especially knowing that even though it dried up in 1856 because of the land elevation and was moved elsewhere, it was taken back by the neighbors and connected to the city water system. It also has a dark side because Stortorget was the location of the Stockholm bloodbath in November 1520, when, for three days, the Danish-Swedish King Christian II beheaded and hanged 90 people. Every house that forms the square has a story, the stock exchange building, the home of the Grill, major retailers, some homes which continue to be private and others that have become tourist attractions. What is clear is that the place is still the most happening place in Gamla Stan for locals and foreigners.
This old building is the biggest station in Sweden. It opened in 1871 and today is one of the centers of operation of most importane in the north of Europe. It´s interesting to see the day to day life of the Swedes combining the train and the bicycle to go to work.
Who hasn't heard something about Saint George and the dragon? It's a legend that was created around a supposed Roman soldier ve saved a princess from being devoured by a dragon that practically had the whole village at his surrendering.
In Stockholm, in the older part of the city (Gamla Stan), there's a sculpture that depicts Saint George's fight. You can see him, the dragon, the princess and an infinity of details between the sculpture and the pedestal.
It's one of the key sculptures of the city and one of the most well-known. Actually, inside Stockholm Cathedral there's another piece of the sculpture, in wood, that's originally from the 15th century and that imitates the original.
That it is not on the same level as the rest of the corners of Stokholm, Drottninggatan Street is a good alternative to go shopping in the city. It is the most important commercial street in the city. To start, it crosses the entire city, with 3 kilometers that are all for pedestrian-friendly. What one finds during your their walk are fashion stores, places to eat, vegetable and flower stands and the Parliament, which is at the beginning of the street. Maybe it sounds like a typical tourist street, but the truth is that it was filled mostly with Swedes. It is their typical zone, not for tourists (although there are some.)
Stockholm is a wonderful city with several great places. The particularly interesting thing about this plaza is that there's a red house literally in the walls of the city. I liked the sights and I have to say that the people are friendly and very polite. The exteriors of the buildings are beautiful, especially the older ones, and the interiors are very stylish. For that reason, Stockholm is said to be the city of design.
The Stockholm Nordic Museum is a historical and cultural museum, with exhibits on the Swedish habitat, clothes, design and fashion, traditions and cultures, and everyday life in Sweden, both today and at various times in the past. The museum is located on the island of Djurgarden, right in front of the Vasa Museum. The island is also a huge park, so you can visit one of the museums in the morning, stop for a sandwich in the park, enjoy nature, then go to the other museum in the afternoon - or the aquarium or the amusement park, Grona Lund. The Nordic Museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 11-5. Admission is 7 euros. You can arrive by ferry from Slussen, it will cost 3 euros, and the passage is very nice, but there are also buses (they take quite a bit longer). Exhibits include an exhibition of photos, shoes through the centuries, a textile gallery, and Swedish folk art. It's a fascinating museum, sure to captivate you.
The Stockholm archipelago is a magical world of more than 30,000 islands! Some are accessible by boat when the snow melts. The Waxholmsbolaget company offers a 5-day pass to travel between the islands for 30 euros. Moja is one of the largest, measuring about 5 km, and offers many possibilities for walking and cycling. The beaches are quite hard to access, and swimming here isn't really a great ideal. Visit the tourist office in Barg to get ideas for walks and hikes. 1 km long, Blido Island is in the northern part of the archipelago. Here you can stroll and discover ancient temples, the church of Blido for example, which was built in 1859, on the site of a seventeenth century chapel. You can stay the night in Blido Wardhus, a youth hostel. Sanham also has many cultural relics and natural landscapes, as well as offering great swimming. Located at the limit of the archipelago, Uta is a popular destination for a day trip. It has more than 200 permanent residents, and some points to swim. You can rent bicycles, canoes, and boats.
In Jakobs Torg square Saint Jacob's Church stands out because of its intense red walls. It was constructed around the 17th century in honor of the apostle James, and it's in the late gothic syle.
This square is full of beautiful buildings, une of them was a private palace and the story goes that its owner, Jacob of Gardie, went to admire his mansion, calling it the most beautiful in the city. He awakened the wrath of God beause of his lack of humility, and he condemned him to be blind. Jacob accepted his fate and in doing so he donated money to beautify a neighboring church. With this donation he financed the construction of the the tower of Saint Jacob's Kyrka.
It's more beautiful by night, with its light and attractions (one day a jazz concert, the next a protest for Tibet with lights and songs), but it's livelier during the day. This is one of the nerve centres of the Swedish capital; in the square you'll find the theatre, the headquarters of the Swedish bank, shopping centres, a supermarket, the Centro Metral Station and some traders' galleries. It is named after Johan Sergel, a sculptor whose studio once stood in the square. In the centre is a pedestrian area where people go to eat before going shopping. The central monument is a glass obelisk, which lights up at night. It was built in 1962 after a competition, and is 37m high. It's called Crystal, and is made from glass and steel. It was quite controversial when it opened; not all the citizens like it.
Stockholm Cathedral is located in the very centre of the city, in the Gamla Stan district. It is next to the royal palace, and was built in honour of St Nicholas. The facade was originally Gothic, but collapsed in the first half of the eighteenth century, and was rebuilt in the Barqoue style. During the Reformation, Gustav Vasa seized most of the church's valuables, although we can still see the oldest painting of the city of Stockholm, in the south of the cathedral. It is called Vadersolstavlan, and was painted in 1535. In the northeast of the cathedral is an oak sculpture of St George and the Dragon by Bernt Notke.