Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden
Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden and the most populous city in the entire Nordic region. This cultural, media, political, and economic center of the beautiful country of Sweden is also world renowned for its picturesque architecture, family friendly attractions, excellent art galleries, a sizzling night life and great outdoors and recreational opportunities. People from all walks of life have over millennia been fascinated by the Stockholm archipelago for one reason or the other and today part of the attraction is the free walking tour.
Dating as far back as the 13th century, the old town consists primarily of the island Stadholmen where eye catching medieval alleyways, pedestrian friendly cobbled streets, German influenced architecture and historical monuments, palaces and squares make for great sightseeing and exploration opportunities. Here are the top four attractions in the free walking tour .
1. Stortorget (Stockholm Top 10)
Surrounded by old merchants and beautiful houses including the city stock exchange, the scenic large square has served as the town’s central meeting point since the middle ages as well as its political heartbeat.
Although mostly remembered as the center of the city massacre where many formerly entitled men lost their lives in 1520, Stortorget is very peaceful and mostly full of tourists many of whom find the many cafes and restaurants bordering the square to very inviting. Visitors to this place also get to take part in the annual Christmas market where food and handicrafts are showcased and sold for the Christmas.
2. Stockholm Royal Palace (Stockholm Top 10)
Yes, royalty resides in the old town with generations of kings and queens of Sweden having lived there since the 13th century in the Royal Palace. The massive building consists of more than 600 luxurious rooms and 5 museums all open to the public including royal apartments and you can actually get to visit these by going through the magnificent courtyard.
Apart from enjoying the beautiful architecture, artwork and richly styled rooms that make the palace, you might also be lucky enough to see the daily spectacle of guards changing duty a tradition that goes as far as the 14th century.
3. Den Gyldene Freden (Stockholm Top 10)
This is the oldest hotel in the world with unaltered exterior a fact that is even recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. It is one of Sweden’s most well known hotels and is reserved every Thursday for a meeting of the Swedish Academy. Over the centuries, the hotel has played host to great writers poets and singers among them being Anders Zorn one of Sweden’s and the the world’s foremost artists
4. Riddarholm church (Stockholm Top 10)
Located in the island of Riddarholmen, the Riddarholm church is the burial church of all Swedish monarchs and is closed for all other reasons except the commemoration of the dead. Since 1632 AD, Swedish monarchs have been entombed here with very few exceptions. Riddarholm church is one of the oldest buildings in town and was as a grey-friars monastery which was converted to a protestant church after the reformation.
The coats of arms of the knights of Order of the Seraphim are placed here when a knight passes on.
