2 Best Sights in Gamla Stan and Skeppsholmen, Stockholm

In the vaults under the massive stone bridge of Norrbro is Medeltidsmuseet, a museum built around the surviving city wall that once protected the growing city of Stockholm. The museum explores Stockholm's medieval past, with exhibits on life in the city's narrow, winding streets, religion, crime, and trade, in the centuries after Stockholm took the mantle from Sigtuna as the base of power in Sweden.

When in session, the Swedish Parliament meets in this neoclassical building, which was inaugurated in 1905. Above the entrance, the architect placed sculptures of a peasant, a burgher, a clergyman, and a nobleman. Take a tour of the building not only to learn about Swedish government but also to see the art within. In the former First Chamber are murals by Otte Sköld illustrating different periods in the history of Stockholm, and in the current First Chamber, a massive tapestry by Elisabet Hasselberg Olsson, Memory of a Landscape, hangs above the podium. An English-language guided tour is the only way to gain admission; tours, held at 1:30 on Saturday and Sunday are first come, first served, and limited to 28 people, so arrive early.