Stockholm Overview
By Roz Andrews
The largest city in Scandinavia, Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, stands on fourteen islands that belong to the Stockholm archipelago of around 24,000 islands. The best views of the city are from on high, either from a hot air balloon or from the top of the 500-feet tall Kaknäs Television Tower (Kaknästornet).
In summer, Stockholm enjoys long, light-filled days with over 18 hours of daylight per day in June. By contrast, each December day has only about six hours of daylight.
At the heart of the historic Old Town (Gamla Stan) is the peaceful Stortorget Square, dating back to the Middle Ages when it was a busy marketplace and the site of a massacre in 1520. Built in the thirteenth century, the nearby Storkyrkan is the city’s oldest church. Soak up the historic atmosphere of the area by enjoying a meal or drink in a cellar restaurant or a courtyard café.
Skansen, the oldest open-air museum in the world, was set up in 1891. In its 150 historic buildings from the whole of Sweden, you can observe demonstrations of traditional crafts, such as shoe making by hand, glass blowing and pottery making.
The city’s subway (Tunnelbanan) is an attraction in itself as the walls and ceilings of around half of its stations are decorated with original artwork. Go!
