Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Himmelsbågen
, a claw-shaped vertical piece of steel topped with the figure of a boy,
forming a stunning entrance marker to Stockholm harbour.
Djurgården
You can walk here through the centre along Strandvägen, but it's quite a hike - around 30min from Sergels torg to the Djurgårdsbron
bridge across to the island. Using public transport, take bus #44 from Karlaplan; from Norrmalm, bus #69, the Djurgården tram or the ferry
from Nybroplan (Jun-Aug only; see p.56); or from Gamla Stan, the ferry from Skeppsbron (all year; see p.65)
East of Gamla Stan and south of Östermalm, occupying a forested island in Stockholm
harbour,
Djurgården
(pronounced “Yoor-gorden”) is Stockholm's most enjoyable city
park. This finger-shaped island stretches over 3km in length from Djurgårdsbron bridge
in the west (linking it to Strandvägen in Östermalm) to Blockhusudden point in the
east. Royal hunting grounds throughout the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries,
Djurgården is a perfect place to escape the bustle of the capital amongst the groves of
pines and spruce, and is also home to some of Stockholm's finest
museums
. A full day is
just about enough to see everything.
Nordiska Muséet
Nordic Museum • Djurgårdsvägen 6 • June-Aug daily 10am-5pm; Sept-May Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Wed until 8pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm
• 80kr •
W
nordiskamuseet.se
The palatial
Nordiska Muséet
, just over Djurgårdsbron from Strandvägen, provides a good
grounding to what has made the Swedish nation tick over generations. The displays of
trends and traditions are a valiant attempt to represent the last five hundred years of
Swedish cultural history and folk art in an accessible fashion, with household furniture,
items of clothing and other bits and bobs for perusal. On the ground floor of the
cathedral-like interior, you can't fail to spot Carl Milles's phenomenal oak statue of Gustav
Vasa (1496-1560), the sixteenth-century king who drove out the Danes (see p.357).
Skansen
Djurgårdsslätten 49-51 • Daily: May & Sept 10am-8pm; June-Sept 10am-10pm; Oct-April 10am-3pm • 70-130kr depending on time
of year •
W
skansen.se
It's
Skansen
, a ten-minute walk south along Djurgårdsvägen from the Nordiska Muséet,
that most people come to Djurgården for: a vast open-air museum with 150
reconstructed buildings, from a whole town square to windmills, farms and manor
houses, laid out on a region-by-region basis. Each section boasts its own daily activities
- including traditional handicrafts, games and displays - that anyone can join in. Best of
the buildings are the warm and functional
Sámi
dwellings, and the craftsmen's workshops
in the old-town quarter. You can also potter around a
zoo
(containing Nordic animals
such as brown bears, elk and reindeer, as well as non-native species like monkeys), and an
aquarium
with poisonous snakes and turtles. Partly because of the attention paid to
accuracy, and partly due to the admirable lack of commercialization, Skansen manages to
avoid the tackiness associated with similar ventures in other countries. Even the snack
bars dole out traditional foods and in winter serve up great bowls of warming soup.
Gröna Lunds Tivoli
Lilla Allmänna Gränd 9, immediately opposite Skansen's main gates and at the end of the #44 bus route • Daily: late April to Sept noon-10pm •
90kr; an optional all-day åkband pass costs 299kr for unlimited rides (219kr after 7pm) or alternatively you can pay per ride •
W
gronalund.com
Though Stockholm's main fairground is not a patch on its more famous namesake in
Copenhagen,
Gröna Lunds Tivoli
is decidedly cleaner and less seedy. The talk of the
FROM TOP
A SWING RIDE AT GRÖNA LUNDS TIVOLI(P.58); AERIAL VIEW OVER STOCKHOLM (P.40); RIDDARHUSET (P.50) >
