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Sights & Attractions in Stockholm

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Stockholm Sights

Much of Stockholm's beauty comes from its water. In the same way that Venice is unquestionably defined by its lagoon, so too is Stockholm mapped and interpreted by its archipelago landscape. For the inhabitants there's a tribal status to each of the islands. Residents of Södermalm are fiercely proud of their rather bohemian settlement, while those who call Gamla Stan home will tell you that there is nowhere else like it. But for the visitor, Stockholm's islands have a more practical, less passionate meaning: they help to dissect the city, both in terms of history and in terms of Stockholm's different characteristics, conveniently packaging the capital into easily handled, ultimately digestible, areas.

The central island of Gamla Stan wows visitors with its medieval beauty, winding, narrow lanes, cellar bars, and small café-lined squares. Directly to the east is the small island of Skeppsholmen. To the south, Södermalm challenges with contemporary boutiques, hip hangouts, and left-of-center sensibilities. North of Gamla Stan is Norrmalm, the financial and business heart of the city, and a reliable, solid, international face of Stockholm. Travel west and you'll find Kungsholmen, site of the Stadshuset (City Hall), where you'll find the first signs of residential leafiness and one of Stockholm's newly hip enclaves. Turn east from Norrmalm and Östermalm awaits, an old residential neighborhood with the most money, the most glamorous people, the most tantalizing shops, and the most expensive street on the Swedish Monopoly board.

Finally, between Östermalm and Södermalm lies the island of Djurgården, once a royal game preserve, now the site of lovely parks and museums; it's a place to come to recharge and regroup before you hit the more lively parts of town again.

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