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Sweden’s capital is a juxtaposition of modern and medieval, where boutique hotels and avant-garde restaurants share the cityscape with cobblestoned alleys and church spires. http://tandl.me/1mB2YIv
Sköldungagatan 2 (Valhallavägen), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Hotel · Lärkstaden · 9 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: In the leafy Larkstaden district of Östermalm, this Ilse Crawford–designed 12-room mansion is full of Midcentury Scandinavian furniture, with art from the owner’s personal collection.
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 8 (Stallgatan), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Hotel · 58 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Spread across three patrician buildings facing the Royal Palace, the Grand Hôtel has kept up with the times thanks to a killer bar scene and a world-class spa complete with saunas and plunge pools.
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 2, Stockholm, Storstockholm
Hotel · Norrmalm · 50 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: When Pelle Lydmar’s hotel moved from a 1960’s building to a 19th-century harborside edifice, it lost none of its cool. On Saturdays, the restaurant is ground zero for Stockholm’s beau monde.
Travel + Leisure: Two Industrial Revolution–era buildings on Norrmalmstorg square have been restored by Claesson Koivissto Rune. Touches we love: the Orla Kiely toiletries and breathtaking domed atrium lounge.
Travel + Leisure: Two 17th-century buildings on Skeppsholmen have been transformed into an eco-retreat. On Sundays, the restaurant terrace serves a standout brunch with freshly baked bullar and tranquil sea views.
Strandvägen 5 (at Sibyllegatan), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Design Studio · Östermalm · 9 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Offers a beautifully curated, multilevel selection of delicate brass- and glassware, lighting, porcelain, furniture, and Josef Frank botanical prints.
Furniture and Home Store · Lärkstaden · 8 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Fans of contemporary Nordic housewares will want to make a beeline for this industrial-style space filled with portable goods, from candlesticks to alpaca throws.
Travel + Leisure: This soaring contemporary cultural venue on Värmdö island has hosted performances by Sweden’s Royal Opera and rotating art exhibitions, among them a Candida Höfer retrospective.
Travel + Leisure: At this multipurpose photography museum in Södermalm, you'll find works of both emerging and established talents for sale in the small gallery and an impressive selection of monographs in the shop.
Slupskjulsvägen 7-9 (Skeppsholmen), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Art Museum · Norrmalm · 179 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The Rafael Moneo–designed art museum on Skeppsholmen Island has a permanent collection with blue-chip works by Francis Bacon, Matisse, and more, as well as many of their Swedish contemporaries.
Travel + Leisure: A public experiment in organic food- and flora-growing, Rosendals is also a nice place to spend an afternoon—the rose garden holds nearly a hundred varieties, while the boutique sells artisanal jams.
Mälartorget 15 (Tyska brinken), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Gastropub · Storkyrkan · 72 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Björn Frantzén has opened Stockholm’s first gastropub, whose offerings are not for the faint of heart: the wine bar’s “umami” sandwich is just one highlight.
Scandinavian Restaurant · Östermalm · 24 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Jacob Holmström and Anton Bjuhr are the brains behind this New Nordic gem, where minimalist décor sets the stage for specialties such as foraged lichen and pine-scented sorbet.
Södra Blasieholmshamnen 6 (Grand Hôtel), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Scandinavian Restaurant · Norrmalm · 58 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: At this Grand Hôtel food bar, the changing selections may include smoked-pork buns with spicy apple and pickled cucumber and seared king crab. On warm days, sit on the terrace overlooking the harbor.
Travel + Leisure: On Södermalm’s prettiest square, this all-day restaurant and market is the favored hangout of the area’s chic bohemians. We love the pea-soup-and-pancake special, as well as the seafood platter.
Beckholmsvägen 26 (Djurgården), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Scandinavian Restaurant · Djurgården · 122 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: In Djurgården, Magnus Ek and Agneta Green opened Oaxen Krog, their high-end dining room, and Slip, a neighboring bistro. Dishes spotlight local ingredients (reindeer tartare with char roe).
Operahuset (Karl XII:s torg), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Scandinavian Restaurant · Norrmalm · 16 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: With its carved-wood ceiling and classic Swedish dishes (meatballs with potato purée and lingonberries), the 109-year-old Operabaren attracts politicos and stage luminaries.
Sturegatan 6 (Humlegårdsgatan 19), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Italian Restaurant · Lärkstaden · 78 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: The team behind hip Sturehof opened this Italian hot spot in Östermalm. Pizzas are crisp and laden with top-quality buffalo mozzarella; the spaghetti with Sardinian pork and chili is a revelation.
Scandinavian Restaurant · Östermalm · 20 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: It’s the adventurous plates that make Volt one of Stockholm’s best restaurants. The understated menu includes dishes such as a delicate fillet of skrei (cod), served atop an emulsion of salsify.
Travel + Leisure: Sweden’s stately 17th-century royal residence, on the shore of Lake Mälaren a few miles west of the city, is surrounded by acres of parks and has gilded halls and Versailles-inspired Baroque gardens.
Japanese Restaurant · Norrmalm · 66 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: At this deliciously simple and quick ramen joint in Birkastan, you can order a bowl of ramen noodles in broth and be out in 30 minutes.
Travel + Leisure: Casja Warg was like a mother of Swedish household cooking in the 18th century. This store sells beautiful artisanal foods and cookware.
(Kungliga nationalstadsparken), Stockholm, Storstockholm
Park · 12 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: In the summer, Djurgården is the place to hang out on weekends; locals go horseback riding and canoeing and for leisurely strolls along the water.
Scandinavian Restaurant · Nacka Strand · 14 tips and reviews
Travel + Leisure: Locals love Restaurant J, in Nacka Strand, for its traditional kitchen and unique location along the harbor. Order the seafood platter with fresh lobster, shrimp, and oysters.
Travel + Leisure: Sweden’s foremost purveyor of antique and Midcentury Scandinavian design carries ceramics by Danish designer Axel Salto and rare pieces by Poul Kjærholm.