By Gary Walther
Here’s a travel riddle: Water + islands + bridges = what two European cities?
Right you are, Venice is one of them. And the other? Five seconds, four, three….
Okay, it’s Stockholm, the understated, underrated capital of Sweden and sometimes called “the Venice of the North.” Right now it’s having five-plus minutes of fame thanks to the phenomenal interest aroused by the Stieg Larsson Millennium triology. The hero, Mikael Blomkvist, lives in Sodermalm (at Bellansgatan, 1, which has become a fan pilgrimage site), a Stockholm neighborhood that has gone from gritty to hippest in just the past few years.
But Stockholm has been on a roll for a few years now. There are restaurants like Frantzen/Lindeberg and F12, that are light years from the old standard smoked herring and meatballs menu; a thriving design district in Vasastan, north of the city center; and yes, an atmospheric old town called Gamla Stan.
The Deal
This summer is the time to see for yourself, given the great promotional Business Class fares (under $2,000) being offered by most SkyTeam and Star Alliance airlines, among them, Air Canada, Air France, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, SWISS, and United. Round-trip fares range from $1,352 from New York to $1,832 from Los Angeles. The departure window is May 24 to Sept. 3 and requires a 60-day advance.
Sample of Special Business Class Fares to Stockholm
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Logistics
This is an overnight flight, but much depends on the airline you fly. Delta flies non-stop from New York, but with the European carriers, you’ll have to change planes (in Paris with Air France, in Frankfurt or Munich with Lufthansa, in Amsterdam with KLM). Even Scandinavian Airlines makes you change in Copenhagen.
Where to Stay
Hotel Skeppsholmen: New and part of the city’s new glamour; the island of Skeppsholmen, but only a 10-minute walk from the city center. Columbus Hotel: In Sodermalm, housed in an 18th-century building; rooms are a bargain for Stockholm. First Hotel Reisen: Quayside in the heart of Stockholm’s Old Town, called Gamla Stan. The Grand Hotel: This is the Ritz of Stockholm, the blow-the-budget throwback (but modern where it needs to be) on the harbor overlooking the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan; the only Swedish hotel in Leading Hotels of the World.
What to See
Gamla Stan: Yes, the Old Town has become a bit too touristy for its own good, but it’s still terrifically atmospheric and it contains the city’s major sites: the 600-room Royal Palace and Stockholm Cathedral.
Vasa Museum: The only museum to house an almost completely preserved 17th-century ship. (That may sound boring but this is the most visited museum in Scandanavia.)
Thiel Art Gallery: The magnificent private collection of Ernst Thiel contains the cream of Scandanavian artists including Edvard Munch. On the island of Djurgar-den.
The Archipelago: Stockholm consists of thousands of islands, some barely big enough for one person. Don’t leave without taking an archipelago cruise.