FIVE GREAT WAYS TO SEE STOCKHOLM (NOW THAT WE ARE ABLE TO)
1Good news Horatio: just this week Sweden was removed from the list of countries from which people entering the UK must quarantine for 14 days. Go soon and celebrate with a “Greta Garbo” cocktail (aquavit and peach) at the Strand Hotel (telegraph.co.uk/ tt-strandstockholm) while admiring some iconic photography featuring Ingrid Bergman.
2 Thus fortified, the following day should be spent exploring the Old Town of Gamla Stan, the most famous of Stockholm’s 14 islands. The Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) in its north corner is still the home of the Swedish monarch. Nearby is the Nobel Museum (nobelcenter.se), which salutes the writers, scientists and pacifists who have won this prized accolade.
3 The city’s diverse museum scene also encompasses the Vasa Museet (vasamuseet.se/ en), the extraordinary space housing the salvaged remains of the Vasa warship that was the vanity project of King Gustav II Adolf and which sank almost immediately on its launch in 1628. Not Sweden’s finest hour…
4 For that, many would say you need look no further than Abba: The Museum (abba themuseum.com) on Djurgarden, which charts the story of the legendary pop band. Voulezvous? Oh, go on…
5 Beyond the islands of Stockholm lies the archipelago, a mass of between 24,000 and 30,000 islands and islets sitting in the brackish waters of the Baltic. Swedes love nothing better than to decamp here in the warmer months and spend time slowing down in simple wooden holiday homes. They are great for day-trips too.