Day 5 – Free day in the Swedish capital
You have a full day at leisure today to explore the fascinating
city of Stockholm, bursting with hidden gems, and a stroll through
the heart of the city reveals numerous art galleries and cafés. At
the latter, you could enjoy a tasty traditional cinnamon bun.
Stockholm is also renowned for its captivating and engaging
museums, many of them on the verdant island of Djurgården. For
those interested in Sweden's long and varied seafaring history, you
might like to visit the interactive and immersive Viking Museum
about the notorious raiders who conquered many parts of the UK
between the 9th and 11th centuries. Nearby is the Vasa Museum
displaying a salvaged Swedish warship that set sail in 1628.
Designed to be the most powerful vessel in the Baltic it became one
of the biggest failures in Swedish maritime history when it sank
less than a mile from the shipyard on its maiden voyage. Rescued
from the deep in the early 1960s, this four-storey ship still had
most of its original contents intact and has since been restored to
its spectacular original condition.
The world's oldest open-air museum, Skansen, is a vast showcase
of pre-industrial Swedish life, with idyllic wooden huts, churches,
workshops and windmills dotting the parkland. One of Sweden's most
successful exports is the Eurovision-winning pop group, ABBA. The
joyous museum honouring Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid not
only gives music-lovers the opportunity to view their costumes and
memorabilia up close, but lets you sing with the Waterloo
hit-makers and join them on stage - virtually!
For dinner tonight, you could look for the iconic meatballs, or
kjøttboller, served with mashed potatoes, creamy gravy, lingonberry
jam and pickled cucumber. Stockholm also offers up some fantastic
seafood, or perhaps you might be interested in finding the
traditional Sámi dish 'renskav', a creamy reindeer stew with the
ubiquitous and delicious lingonberry jam.
Includes