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Guides for the Business Traveler
Stockholm (2007)
4 hours in Stockholm (2007)
Charlotte West takes stock of the Swedish capital on a stroll through history, from ill-fated maritime hulks to the country’s smallest statue.
 | Hötorgshallen An easy 20-minute ride from the airport on the Arlanda Express brings you to Stockholm Central Station. Head north on Vasagatan and then take a right on Kungsgatan. Walk a few blocks until you come to Hötorget, a large square flanked by the Royal Concert Hall, where the Nobel prizes are awarded every year by King Carl XVI Gustaf. Across the square, which is sprinkled with fruit, vegetable and flower vendors, you'll find Hötorgshallen, an indoor market dating back to 1880, under the Filmstaden Sergel movie theater. Here you'll discover food from around the globe, including Mediterranean meze, pastries from Piccolino, and sushi from Sandai. For a Finnish twist, try the potato pirogis at Saluplats 30.
|  | Vasamuseet/Djurgården The next stop is the Vasa Museum. Continue east down Kungsgatan to Stureplan, the epicenter of Stockholm's nightlife. Take a right on Birger Jarlsgatan, and then veer off onto Biblioteksgatan towards Norrmalmstorg. From there, take Bus 47 towards Waldemarsudde. After a short ride, get off at Nordiska museet/Vasamuseet.
Djurgården, previously the royal hunting grounds, is today home to many embassies and museums. One of these is the Vasa Museum, where you can see the world's only intact 17th-century ship.
In the early 1620s, while at war with Poland, King Gustav II Adolf commissioned a new warship, outfitted with two gun decks and 64 cannons, from Dutch shipbuilder Henrik Hybertsson. On August 10, 1628, a huge crowd gathered to witness the Vasa's maiden voyage. After much fanfare and cannonfire, the Vasa set sail, but water soon began to pour in through the gunports. The ship quickly submerged and dozens of crew lost their lives. After more than 300 years in the bowels of Stockholm's harbor, the Vasa was salvaged in 1961, and 30 years later the museum was opened. Thankfully, Swedish shipbuilding has improved a lot since the Vasa met its fate.
Head south along the water to the dock on Allmänna gränd by the Gröna Lund amusement park and take the Djurgården ferry across the harbor to Slussen.
|  | Gamla Stan You'll land on the east side of Gamla Stan, Stockholm's Old Town. The best way to explore the medieval core of the city is by getting lost in its winding cobblestone streets and alleyways. There are lots of nooks and crannies, with surprises such as the Iron Boy (Järnpojke), the smallest statue in Sweden, hiding in a courtyard behind the Finnish Church. Head down Köpmansgatan to Stortorget, a big square that was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath in 1520, when the Danish king Christian II executed 100 Swedish nobles. Stop at Chokladkoppen for a frothy hot chocolate, and ask for a fleece blanket to sit outside if the weather is clear but chilly.
On Saturday afternoons, poke your head into the blues bar Stampen and join local musicians—and sometimes big-name artists—for a rollicking jam session. If you've got the shopping bug, stroll down Västerlångatan to pick up souvenirs, ranging from plastic Viking helmets to high-end Swedish glassware. Also worth a visit, if you have extra time, is the Royal Castle, which, with its 605 rooms, is the world's largest castle still in use. If you're there around noon, you may also be able to catch the changing of the guard (Nov–April: Wednesdays and Saturdays, 12 p.m., Sundays, 1 p.m.; summer: everyday at 12:15 p.m.).
|  | Stadshuset From Mälartorget on the western side of Gamla Stan, take blue bus 3 towards Karolinska sjukhuset, and get off at Stadshuset. Stockholm City Hall, built in 1923, is an impressive example of National Romantic architecture, and is complemented by a 348-foot tower and two inner courtyards. It's perhaps most famous for hosting the Nobel banquet every December. Nobel laureates wine and dine with the Swedish royalty in the Blue Room (which is not actually blue), followed by dancing upstairs in the Gold Hall, which depicts Swedish history in a mosaic of 18 million gold leaf pieces. The only way to see the interior is by guided tour, available daily at 10 a.m. and noon. An extra tour is offered at 2 p.m. from May 1–October 31. You can also ascend the 365 steps of the tower, which offers a 360 degree view of Stockholm and is open daily from May–Sept. It's an easy walk back to Central Station from Stadshuset, and as the Swedes say, "Trevlig resa!" (Happy trails!) |
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