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For the inhabitants there's a tribal status to each of the city's islands. But for the visitor, Stockholm's archipelago location primarily helps 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, small café-lined squares, and winding, narrow lanes. 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. Travel west and you'll find Kungsholmen, site of Stadshuset (City Hall). Turn east from Norrmalm and Östermalm awaits, an old residential neighborhood with the most money, the most glamour, and the most expensive street on the Swedish Monopoly board. Finally, beyond Östermalm lies the island of Djurgården, once a royal game preserve, now the site of lovely parks and museums.
Viking treasures and the Gold Room are the main draws at this historical museum, which features well-presented exhibitions covering various periods of Swedish history, including prehistoric bronze and tin artifacts, medieval artworks, and a Baroque hall that also plays host to events.
Once the city's actual hay market, this is now a popular gathering place where you're more likely to find apples, pears, and, in summer, to-die-for Swedish strawberries. Crowds come here to meet, gossip, hang out, or pick up goodies from the excellent outdoor fruit-and-vegetable market. On the east side of the square is Konserthuset (Concert Hall), fronted by a magnificent statue by Swedish-American sculptor Carl Milles, portraying Orpheus playing his lyre while floating over a group of male and female figures—a representation of music’s power to elevate us above the struggles and concerns of everyday life.
Since it opened in 1974, architect Peter Celsing's cultural center, a glass-and-stone monolith on the south side of Sergels Torg, has become a symbol of modernism in Sweden. Stockholmers are divided on the aesthetics of this building—most either love it or hate it. Here there are exhibitions for children and adults, a library, a theater, a youth center, and a handful of eating spots. Head to Café Panorama, on the top floor, for a lunch or coffee break with a great view of Sergels Torg down below. Though still commonly referred to simply as Kulturhuset, the institution officially changed its name in 2013 to reflect its merger with the on-site Stockholm City Theater.
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.
