THE neatest place for a visit is the Gamla Stan (Old Town). Everyone in Stockholm will know about it and finding it is a piece of cake. It is full of old shops, restaurants, homes, etc.

I went to a coffee shop there that was in a fifteenth century building down a flight of stone stairs so worn down by centuries of traffic that you had to step on the edges to get a foothold. Also just wander around the harbor. You will see the royal palace and all sorts of amazing buildings and ships.

Gamla Stan is always nice. Try to avoid Västerlånggatan if you want to see less tourists – there are some really nice tranquil parts. One of my favorites is Brända Tomten not för from Stortorget – it is a triangular small square with a big tree in the middle providing with roof for the square in summer.

The heights of Södermalm is really good. Fjällgatan has splendid views but is often full of tourist buses. Try to move a little towards Slussen and there are some almost nicer spots. to the south of Fjällgatan lies Vitabergsparken with Sofia kyrka at the top. Splendid park to walk in or have a picnic in. At the other side of Slussen there is a nice walkway built on the side of the mountain. At Slusen you should have a drink at Gondolen – the bar hanging up in the sky with brilliant views.

Norr Mälarstrand is the road that starts at Stadshuset and ends in Rålambshovsparken. Lots of boats and nice buildings as well as the view over the waters of Riddarfjärden.

I can go on and on forever about where to walk in and around Stockholm. And what to do. What are your interests?

To get good and descently priced Swedish food, visit Pelikan (http://www.pelikan.se/sidor/eng_index.htm). Although they provide you with a number for table reservation on the homepage I do recommend that you simply show up for a table in the “main hall”, a traditional “Swedish beer hall”. It’s never a long wait for a table.

To get a good drink/cocktail and a nice view of Stockholm, visit the bar at Gondolen (www.eriks.se).

You can’t go to Stockholm and not go to Skansen. It’s an open air museum with buildings from all over Scandinavia that have been moved piece by piece into their lovely setting. There’s lots of lovely handicraft shops and it is fascinating to see how life used to be. Easy to get to by bus or tram. http://www.skansen.se/pages/?ID=221

Nordiska Museet – fantastic museum with lots of different collections in a beautiful building, they change their exhibitions fairly regularly. The same bus that takes you to Skansen also goes past here. http://www.nordiskamuseet.se

National museum of fine arts – central and worth a look around. Paintings by Degas, Goya, Renoir and Gaugin. Lots of lovely porcelain and handicrafts too. http://www.nationalmuseum.se/Default____2705.aspx

City Hall – Beautiful building, very central. Wonderful to look around and the views from here across the rest of the city are amazing. See where they hold the reception for the Nobel Prize. http://www2.stockholm.se/cityhall

Moderna Museet – The modern art gallery. Fantastic building, but the art can be very hit and miss! http://www.modernamuseet.se/v4/templates/template6.asp?id=1745

Royal Palace – very central and always worth a visit. http://www.royalcourt.se/theroyalpalaces/theroyalpalace.4.19fe5e61065eb9aeea80002742.html

I would highly recommend just having a walk around the old town, there are fascinating buildings and lovely cafes where you can people-watch. A couple of buildings that are worth a closer look: Storkyrkan (the cathedral) which has a great George and the dragon sculpture; Riddarholmskyrkan which is the burial church of the Swedish monarchy and the Stock Exchange (there are two particularly lovely cafes in the square here).

stockholm is one of my favorite cities, you won’t get lost because everyone speaks better english than you. Just bring a few extra kronor because there are a lot of pay toilets.

One recommendation is Den Gylden Freyden (sp.?)translated is “The Golden Dragon” in Gamla Stan. It’s a restaurant that dates back to the 1600’s. It’s pretty cool, looks like an old castle from the movies inside. I ate some reindeer there.

Also, check out the changing of the guard if you can.

I agree about Gamla Stan – have to go there. Another fun thing to do is to take the Under the Bridges tour on the boat and see the city from there. Gorgeous. Love Skansen. Check out an events calendar and see what is going on… that is also a good place to start.