Why go Stockholm is often described as one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world - and it's easy to see why. With its red, orange and vanilla-coloured buildings set against the bright blue Baltic and slashed through with cool northern light, it's a relaxing city, with none of the bustle and traffic of most European capitals, yet with plenty of laid back sophistication. It's compact and perfectly navigable on foot, and can easily be explored in a single weekend. And with a quarter of the Swedish population living here, you can justifiably feel like you've seen a good slice of Sweden. Water is everywhere in Stockholm. Located at the spot where the Baltic meets Lake Mälaren, the city is made up of 14 islands linked by 57 bridges, and walking around involves a constant interchange of Earth and sea. It's the perfect place to chill out in the gentle summer months or, for a true Scandinavian experience, visit in winter when the sea freezes and the Swedes go skating on the iced-over lakes. With around 200 museums, art galleries and theatres, it is a haven for culture vultures. As for food, Stockholm is often underestimated. Meatballs may still be on the menu but there's also a new wave of Michelin-starred chefs giving the simple smorgasbord - salmon, herring, dill and lingonberries - a wholesale reinvention. Its hip boutiques and uber-cool furniture stores justify its status as one of the design capitals of Europe; a love of form and function permeates every lamp, chair and glitzy nightclub. And a mere hop and a skip away, in the dazzling archipelago, you can barely believe you're in a city at all.
What to do A trip to Stockholm should start in the old town, Gamla Stan, where Stockholm itself began. The city's 11th-century birthplace, located on a central island, is a rabbit warren of medieval back alleys, 17th-century merchants' houses, leafy squares and cafes. Go to the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) to see Livrustkammaren, the royal armoury, and watch the changing of the guard before heading to Tyska Kyrkan, a wonderful 16th-century German church. The Gothic cathedral Storkyrkan is the oldest building in Gamla Stan and has seen centuries of coronations, while it's hard to imagine that the picture perfect Stortorget square was the site of a bloodbath in 1520 in which 82 Swedish noblemen were beheaded. In the touristy streets of Västerlånggatan and Stora Nygatan you can pick up reindeer skins and stuffed toy moose draped in the blue and yellow Swedish flag. You're spoilt for choice on the museum front. The National Museum has Sweden's largest art collection and is one of the best in Europe, with 16,000 paintings and sculptures, while the Moderna Museet once showed early Andy Warhol and now stocks an eclectic collection of contemporary artwork and installations. Also excellent is the Vasamuseet, which houses the Vasa, a royal warship that capsized in Stockholm's harbour in 1628. For a slice of Swedish life as it once was, head to Skansen on Djurgården, a popular open-air museum with a replica 19th-century town in which craftsmen in traditional dress practise silver-making and glassware. There's also a zoo, home to Scandinavian natives such as bears, moose, seals, lynx, reindeer and wolf. Sergels Torg, the most central public square in Stockholm, offers the best shopping in the city, with all the international names and numerous upcoming Swedish designers to boot. Nordiska Kompaniet in Hamngatan is the best department store in town while DesignTorget in the Kulturhuset is a treasure trove of one off designs and quirky souvenirs. For a more alternative design experience go to SoFo on the south side of town. Södermalm is the city's artistic island neighbourhood full of studios, galleries, tiny fashion boutiques and more restaurants than any other part of Stockholm. The stylish district of Östermalm in the east is home to classic design store Svenskt Tenn on Standvägen, full of decorative art and furniture. Also in Östermalm is Saluhall, a food market and gourmand's heaven, selling Nordic lobsters, champagne truffles and cloudberries. The Stockholm archipelago is the city's summer playground, an island metropolis of endless sky, colourful gingerbread houses, pine brushed islands and yachts. A good way to see it is by RIB, or rigid inflatable boat (RIB Sightseeing runs 90-minute tours from mid-May to early September, (www.ribsightseeing.se; 00 46 8 20 22 60). If you want to explore at your own pace, it's a short ferry trip to the main islands: Waxholmsbolaget departs opposite the Grand Hotel in Stromkajen (www.waxholmsbolaget.se; 00 46 8 79 58 30). Coffee in Sweden is a veritable institution, taken rich and black. Fika - a cup of coffee with a bun or cake eaten from 2.30pm onwards - is a daily fixture and must be tried. The Kaffekoppen Stortorget is a cafe in a square at the heart of Gamla Stan which has a tiny wooden interior and outside seating in summer. Try the kanelbulle (cinnamon cake) or lussekatt (a saffron bun) depending on the time of year. Beware that this light airy city in wintertime turns forbidding cold. But as the Swedes say, there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. Go shopping for angora mittens then ice skating at Kungsträdgårdens isbana, Stockholm's top ice rink.
Where to eat Breakfast For a lazy brunch you can't beat the Veranda at the Grand Hotel on Södra Blasieholmshamnen, a Stockholm institution offering a traditional Swedish breakfast of herring, pickles, gravalax and hard cheese on crispbread (US$54; Dh198). If that doesn't appeal, the hotel also serves an excellent selection of pancakes, bacon and eggs Benedict - washed down with champagne for extra decadence ($36; Dh131). Go to www.grandhotel.se (00 46 8 679 35 000). Lunch Work up a hunger shopping in Saluhall, the indoor food market in Östermalm, as it is also a great place for lunch. At Lisa Elmqvist, a family-owned restaurant going back 80 years, you can enjoy classic Swedish fish dishes amid the bustle of the market shoppers. Try the creamy fish soup with shrimps and trout roe ($32; Dh118) or fried salted herring with onion and cream ($18; Dh66). Swedes like to lunch early - at 12 noon - so get there a bit later to avoid the rush (www.lisaelmqvist.se; 00 46 8 553 40 400). Dinner Suspended 33m above the water at Stadsgården 6, Eriks Gondolen, the newest of celebrity chef Erik Lallerstedt's restaurants, provides some of the city's most memorable views over Gamla Stan and the Baltic. And the menu is excellent too; an inspired mishmash of French and Swedish dishes. Seafood connoisseurs should try the lobster with mango and chilli salsa ($19; Dh70) while the tender milk-fed Välnäs lamb with asparagus and lemon potatoes ($60; Dh220) is delicious (www.eriks.se; 00 46 8 641 70 90). Where to stay Budget Stay close to the essence of Stockholm by sleeping on the water at Hostel af Chapman & Skeppsholmen (see photograph, top). This lovely white schooner decorated with flags, recently renovated from mast to keel and moored off the island of Skeppsholmen. The ship has 136 beds while facing the gangway onshore is another 152-bed hostel. It's great value for money and the cafe is a favourite meeting place for travellers. A double room costs from $32 (Dh120) per person, per night (www.stfchapman.com; 00 46 08 463 22 66). Mid-range The Queens Hotel is a comfortable, affordable hotel in a great location, 10 minutes walk from Östermalm and Gamla Stan. In 2008, it underwent a full refurbishment and there is a touch of 19th-century elegance in the antique furniture and crystal chandeliers as well as the classic Swedish wooden floors and white painted walls. A famous spa, Centralbadet, is just across the street. A double room at the hotel costs from $152 (Dh563) per night including breakfast and internet connection. Queens Hotel, Drottninggatan 71a, Stockholm (www.queenshotel.se; 00 46 08 24 94 60). Luxury Designer elegance doesn't get better than the Nordic Sea Hotel. Every detail has been thought through, from the gigantic aquarium in the lobby to the world's first permanent ice bar. The entire interior, including the glasses, are made of ice and it is kept at -5° Celsius all year round - making it the place for cool Swedes to be seen in. The luxury Swedish Hastens beds virtually guarantee a good night's sleep, particularly if you've enjoyed a relaxing session with the in-house massage therapist beforehand. The Nordic Sea Hotel is centrally located next to the Arlanda Express terminal, so very convenient to arrive directly from the airport. A double room costs from $174 (Dh641), although special weekend rates are often available (www.nordicseahotel.se; 00 46 8 50 56 30 00). How to get there Norway's low cost airline Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA flies twice a week direct to Stockholm from Dubai (www.norwegian.no). A return flight costs from $684 (Dh2,512) including taxes. A taxi ride into the centre of town costs about $62 (Dh226). Recommended reading Sweden was once held up as the paradigm of the socialist ideal: in the 1970s, there was full employment, little crime and poverty was virtually non-existent. Then, the coming decades brought 20th-century challenges such as mass immigration, threatening long-cherished social values. Fishing in Utopia: Sweden and the Future That Disappeared by Andrew Brown (Granta; $20; Dh73) is part autobiography, part social history, part fishing manual - but you don't need to know your perch from your pike to find it a fascinating read.