Stockholm, SWEDEN
Airing Date: Apr 23rd, 2002
CLICK HERE for a virtual tour of the old town, Gamla Stan.
CLICK HERE for a virtual tour of the sights of Stockholm.
A visit to Stockholm is an experience of all things Swedish and modern. Built on 14 little islands, you can walk just about anywhere in under an hour.
Located in the heart of the city, adjacent to the Royal Palace, is the 918-acre Kungstradgarden or King's Garden. It is described as a park, town square, amusement park, and botanical garden. The Swedes learn how to ice-skate at a young age and this is a great place for you to learn.
Close by is the old town known as Gamla Stan. This is considered the best-preserved medieval town in the world, and it's also where you'll find the ultra modern Ice Gallery. This is a bar made entirely of ice where you can eat from ice plates and take a drink from ice glasses.
A seven-minute train ride away takes you to Zinkendamm, the home of the very Swedish sport of Bandy. It's sort of like ice hockey but with a ball instead of a puck. Attending a game with six or seven thousand screaming Swedes is a unique cultural experience.
Sodermalm, just a 20-minute walk from Stockholm's city centre, is the more bohemian part of city and this is where you'll find Stockholm's more unique stores. The stores here carry carefully selected hard to find Swedish items.
Kulturhuset or the House of Culture was opened in 1974 and has 3.3 million visitors per year. With its central location and architecture, it has come to symbolise Stockholm and the development of modernism in Sweden.
In Kulturhuset's three galleries, new exhibitions of Swedish and international photography, art, multimedia, fashion and design are continuously on display.
The facts
Thai Airways International has 24 flights per week to Bangkok. Scandinavian Airlines provides frequent connections from Bangkok to Stockholm. Prices start from $2,039 per person from the east coast and $1,929 from Perth.
Thai Airways
Tel: 1300 651 960
Website: www.thaiairways.com.au
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
Tel: 1300 727 707
Website: www.scandinavian.net
Rooms at the Sergel Plaza Hotel start from $271 per person twin share per night.
Sergel Plaza Hotel
Tel: 0011 46 8 517 26 300 (international)
Website: www.scandic-hotels.com
Stockholm Information Service
Tel: 0011 46 8 789 24 90
Website: www.stockholmtown.com
Swedish Tourist Board
Tel: 0011 46 8 725 55 08/00 or 0011 46 8 725 55 00 (international)
Website: www.visit-sweden.com
Suggested Reading Material
Lonely Planet
Website: www.lonelyplanet.com
Rough Guides
Website: www.roughguides.com
