"A brief description of Skansen—a 75-acre open-air museum with historic buildings and a zoo—doesn’t convey just how much fun it is. You can easily spend a happy half-day here, looking at wolves, reindeer, moose, seals, and other Nordic creatures, then popping into old buildings that have been brought here from all over Scandinavia and reassembled. In some you can talk to people in costume who are playing the roles of the original inhabitants. Elsewhere you can watch glassblowers at work and visit old-fashioned stores. Open since 1891, it remains one of Sweden ’s top tourist draws."

"Located on the island of Djurgården, this purpose-built maritime museum is an extraordinary sight: It houses the massive warship Vasa , which sank just minutes after launching on its maiden voyage in 1628. Raised from the harbor in 1961, it was painstakingly reassembled to its original glory. Head straight to the auditorium to watch a documentary about the salvage, and then slowly meander through the rest of the fascinating exhibits."

"Located on the island of Djurgården, this purpose-built maritime museum is an extraordinary sight: It houses the massive warship Vasa , which sank just minutes after launching on its maiden voyage in 1628. Raised from the harbor in 1961, it was painstakingly reassembled to its original glory. Head straight to the auditorium to watch a documentary about the salvage, and then slowly meander through the rest of the fascinating exhibits."

"Fotografiska, a Multipurpose Space Here is a museum dedicated to the art of photography and placed, um, picture perfectly for views of Stockholm . The museum building sits along the waterfront with a view of the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and the Tivoli Amusement Park. Exhibitions change throughout the year, but while I was there they had three exhibitions that were fabulously curated and equally compelling. The exhibitions are curated in Swedish and in English—plus the museum offers guided tours of the exhibitions. In addition to photography, the building has a gift shop full of photography books and prints. A bistro on the top floor looks out over the waterfront and offers weekend brunch, wine tasting events, concerts, and in the fall and spring they even turn the space into a dance club. If you are in Stockholm for a longer period and have an interest in improving your photography, they offer seminars and workshops by well-known professionals."

"SoFo (South of Folkungagatan) To while away time, you can go people-watching and vintage shopping in Stockholm’s answer to New York’s SoHo—South of Folkungagatan, called “SoFo” on Södermalm ("Söder" to locals). This busy bohemian district boasts some of the edgiest cultural experiences in town. Visit stores like Sneakersnstuff for funky limited-edition sneakers and running shoes, or wade through rows of vintage clothes at Beyond Retro, offering styles from Victorian-era attire to 1990s grunge-rock Pearl Jam–inspired clothes, with every era in between. If you’re into vintage—vinyl records, throwback clothes, paraphernalia, odd knickknacks—you won’t find them anywhere else if you don’t find them in Stockholm’s SoFo district."

"Pickled Herring at Kvarnen If you're looking for traditional Swedish food, called "Husmanskost," check out Kvarnen, which serves a wide range of dishes like meatballs, pickled herring, reindeer, and more. On my last trip to Kvarnen with a visiting friend, we dug into different types of sill (pickled herring), meatballs, and slow-braised ox. Be warned, they charge for mandatory coat checks."

"The City's Largest Club You know you’re in a trendy part of town when clubbers who rock its streets have earned their own moniker, “stekare”—from the word “steak”—used to describe their greasy sleeked-back hair and sometimes ultra-tanned looks. Stekares often congregate in Stockholm’s largest club, Sturecompagnient, with two floors surrounding an atrium. Definitely a good idea to sign up on its guest list via the website—because getting in after midnight is akin to trying to break out of jail. Challenging."