When I went to Stockholm this summer, I stayed at a typical Swedish house in Spanga, a small town near the city. And one day I saw a deer. Maybe for some people it is normal to see a deer in front of your house, but I swear it was the first time for me. I tell this because Swedish people live with an exuberant nature, where animals live free. And that’s great, I think. The same happens in the middle of Stockholm, where Djurgarden is a green oasis that remains the same since the royal family went there for hunting. This enormous garden (a whole island, in fact) is one of the most beautiful gardens in the city, and just there you can visit the Vasamuseet, a museum dedicated to a warship called Vasa that sank in front of the coast in 1628. If you like pirate films, don’t miss it: you’ll see the whole ship as it was salvaged in 1961.
Stockholm is a great place for walking. Take Drotninggatan, the most commercial street in the city, and go to Gamla Stan, the Old City. The Royal Palace, the most popular streets, and the most beautiful cafes, are there. But if you want to get another view of the city, take a boat to the archipelago: Stockholm was built on 14,000 islands!
Other interesting places for walking are Kungsträdgarden and Stureplan. Skeppsholmen has beautiful views over Stockholm’s landscape and you can visit the National museum. Strandvägen is the most exclusive street in the city and a good place to see Gamla Stan. The City Hall, Stadshuset is an interesting building, specially recommended for tose who like taking good pictures.
Alternatives: if you want to feel a Swedish experience, take a one-day cruise to the archipelago. Viking Line goes to Finland at a ridiculous price (only 5 euros). The cruise departs from Stockholm at 7 in the morning, arrives at Mariehamn (capital of the Aland islands, in Finland) at 14 and departs again half an hour later to Stockholm. Of course, only Swedish and Finnish food on board, only Swedish and Finnish people and only Swedish and Finnish spoken (but most people in Scandinavia understand and speak English fluently). It’s good to visit Sigtuna, the village where Swedish culture was born. It’s a very beautiful small town in front of a spectacular lake. If you have a car, then you can go to Skokloster, a 17th-century castle that was never finished because its owner died. I wouldn’t say it’s beautiful; it’s weird and curious.
Check out Stockholm's Oficial website
Tip: if you plan a long stay in Sweden, you can go to Denmark. Take a train to Malmö and then, take another train to Copenhagen. Or you can also take a plane, which is faster. Malmö Aviation has cheap flights from Stockholm to Malmö. I truly recommend a visit to this city, because it has an interesting medieval centre and it’s only half an hour from Copenhagen, where accommodation is more expensive.