Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
your chair. And don't miss the lockable hangers, to protect your fancy, furry
winter coat. The Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Prize for literat-
ure each year, is upstairs.
Parliament (Riksdaghuset)
—For a firsthand look at Sweden's government,
tour the Parliament buildings. It's also possible to watch the Parliament in
session.
Cost and Hours:
Free one-hour tours in English late June-Aug; usually
Mon-Fri at 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, and 15:00; enter at Riksgatan 3a, call 08/
786-4862 to confirm times,
www.riksdagen.se
.
Museum of Medieval Stockholm (Medeltidsmuseet)
—This museum, re-
cently renovated, provides a good look at medieval Stockholm. When the
government was digging a parking garage near the Parliament building in the
1970s, workers uncovered a major archaeological find: parts of the town wall
that King Gustav Vasa built in the 1530s, as well as a churchyard. This un-
derground museum preserves these discoveries and explains how Stockholm
grew from a medieval village to a major city.
Cost and Hours:
70 kr; July-Aug daily 12:00-17:00, Wed until 19:00;
Sept-June Tue-Sun 12:00-17:00, Wed until 19:00, closed Mon; English au-
dioguide, enter museum from park in front of Parliament, tel. 08/5083-1790,
Nearby:
The museum sits in
Strömparterren
park. With its café and Carl
Milles statue of the
Sun Singer
greeting the day, it's a pleasant place for a
sightseeing break (pay WC in park, free WC in museum).
Although the royal family beds down at Drottningholm, this complex in
Gamla Stan is still the official royal residence. The palace, designed in Italian
Baroque style, was completed in 1754 after a fire wiped out the previous
palace. Today its exterior is undergoing a 20-year renovation—don't be sur-
prised if parts are covered in scaffolding.
The Changing of the Guard and the awesome, can't-miss Royal Armory
are the palace's highlights. The Royal Treasury is worth a look; the chapel is
nice but no big deal; the Apartments of State are not much as far as palace
