Excursion to Drottningholm

Excursion to Drottningholm

Occupying an island in Mälaren (Sweden's third-largest lake) some 45 minutes from Stockholm's center, Drottningholms Slott is a miniature Versailles dating from the 17th century. The royal family once used this property only as a summer residence, but, tiring of the Royal Palace back in town, they moved permanently to one wing of Drottningholm in the 1980s. Designed and built by the same father-and-son team of architects who built Stockholm's Royal Palace, construction of the castle began in 1662 on the orders of King Karl X's widow, Eleonora. Today it remains one of the most delightful of European palaces, reflecting the sense of style practiced by mid-18th-century royalty. The interiors, dating from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, are a rococo riot of decoration with much gilding and trompe l'oeil. Most sections are open to the public. 08/4026280. www.royalcourt.se. SKr 60. May-Aug., daily 10-4:30; Sept., daily noon-3:30; Oct.-Apr., weekends noon-3:30; guided tours in summer only

The lakeside gardens of Drottningholms Slott are its most beautiful asset, containing Drottningholms Slottsteater,the only complete theater to survive from the 18th century anywhere in the world. Built by Queen Lovisa Ulrika in 1766 as a wedding present for her son Gustav III, the Court Theater fell into disuse after his assassination at a masked ball in 1792 (dramatized in Verdi's opera Un Ballo in Maschera). In 1922 the theater was rediscovered; there is now a small theater museum here as well, where you can sign up for a backstage tour and see the original backdrops and stage machinery and some amazing 18th-century tools used to produce such special effects as wind and thunder. To get performance tickets, book well in advance at the box office; the season runs from late May to early September. A word of caution: the seats are extremely hard -- take a cushion. 08/7590406; 08/6608225 box office. www.drottningholmsslottsteater.dtm.se. SKr 60. May, daily noon-4:30; June-Aug., daily 11-4:30; Sept., daily 1-3:30. Guided tours in English at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30

Arriving & Departing

Boats bound for Drottningholms Slott leave from Klara Mälarstrand, a quay close to Stadshuset (City Hall). Call Strömma Kanalbolaget (Skeppsbron 22, 111 30. 08/58714000. www.strommakanalbolaget.com) for schedules and fares. Alternatively, you can take the T-bana (subway) to Brommaplan, and any of Buses 177, 301-323, or 336 from there. Call Stockholms Lokal Trafik (08/6001000) for details.