It's smooth sailing in Stockholm, where a compact layout and efficient transportation make it one of Europe's most manageable capitals.

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Island hopping isn’t just the province of exotic locales like the Caribbean. Within its greater archipelago, Stockholm and its 1.2 million residents are spread across 14 distinct islands, just a few out of 28,000 – yes, you read that right.

Don’t be surprised if stereotypes of tall, happy-go-lucky blondes eating Swedish meatballs while driving Volvos to IKEA are dashed upon your visit.

Today, the best of Stockholm is richly diverse with a darker, moodier side, and an eclectic reputation on par with Berlin and New York.

If you can’t leave town without Swarovski crystal, glitzy Östermalm has more high-end designer stores per block than most anywhere in the world.

If you’re looking for vintage records and secondhand clothing, know that bohemian-chic Södermalm earns constant comparisons with New York’s SoHo.

If you’d rather bask in the sun, lush Djurgården island, once the royal hunting grounds and now an eco-labyrinth of gardens and wide green spaces, is the place.

Not convinced? Our insider guide will show you why – combined with Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy books – the best of Stockholm is more popular than ever.

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Hotels

Luxury

Grand Hôtel

Classic double room at Grand Hôtel.

If you’re the only hotel in town with panoramic views of the Royal Palace, chances are you’re pretty grand.

The five-star Grand Hôtel has been hosting royalty, dignitaries, socialites, celebrities and Nobel Prize laureates since 1874.

Its prime waterfront location places it right next to the National Museum on Blasieholmshamnen.

With the help of a concierge, you can rent a yacht for the day, hire a custom tailor, dig into an eight-course, Nordic-inspired meal at Michelin-starred Mathias Dahlgren’s restaurant (located within the hotel) and retire for the night in the stupendous 330-square-meter Princess Lilian Suite.

Hotel Diplomat

Double room with a view of Nybroviken.

While you don’t get exclusive views of the Royal Palace from this hotel, you do get equally stunning waterfront views of Nybroviken, where ferries and steamboats regularly shuttle out to the archipelago.

Built in 1914 and located on Stockholm’s most expensive boulevard (Strandvägen), Hotel Diplomat is housed in an art nouveau-style building with instantly recognizable orange awnings over its windows.

The Diplomat’s interior is breezy and light, spanning six floors including a lounge area on the mezzanine floor that hosts art exhibitions.

Mid-range

Hotel Rival

OK, maybe a little ABBA-tinted '70s kitsch.

There’s nothing 1970s kitschy about this posh boutique hotel owned by founding ABBA member Benny Andersson.

Located in Södermalm, an area known for its outdoor cafés, vintage stores and ethnic restaurants, each of the Rival’s 99 rooms has a unique design.

Parts of its cocktail bar date to 1937 and the hotel has a 700-seat theater complete with a stage, heavy curtains and dressing rooms for conferences.

More importantly, the Rival also serves the most sought-after smörgåsbord brunch in town.

Bookings are made up to 30 days in advance to dig into the likes of gravad lax (Swedish cured salmon), pancakes, scrambled eggs, steak tartare and many more delicacies.

Clarion Sign Hotel

Clarion's triangle suite.

Fresh. Hip. Bold. Bright. These and many other synonyms you can pull out of the dictionary describe the Clarion Sign Hotel.

While it’s the largest hotel in Stockholm – 558 rooms, to be exact – it still feels tastefully pulled together with large rooms, clean lines, contemporary furnishings and a rooftop terrace with pool, where you may very well find those tall blondes congregating.

Another of its claims to fame is superstar local chef Marcus Samuelsson’s restaurant Aquavit Grill & Raw Bar – tagline “where Scandinavian flavors meet the Manhattan pulse.” In lay terms, that means you’ll find U.S. ribeye steak next to Swedish seafood options.

Budget

Scandic Hotels

The word “budget” is relative in Stockholm, where a simple sandwich costs 65 krona. But when it comes to overall value, it’s hard to beat this chain of 20 Scandic hotels that dot the city.

Fantastic breakfast buffet spreads with both cold and warm dishes, free high-speed wireless Internet in all rooms and on-site gyms and saunas mark a typical location.

While rooms are modest, minimalist and efficient – you’re in Scandinavia, after all – each Scandic hotel lobby is designed with mingling in mind.

From locations in posh Östermalm to trendy Södermalm, you’ll find locals sipping Champagne and cocktails while checking each other out in vibrantly decorated bars and lounge areas.

Scandic Hotels, Twenty properties; +46 8 517 5172

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Dining

Grill

Reminiscent of a French boudoir gone awry, with its heavy textiles and vintage period pieces, Grill serves truly succulent meat cooked every which way: wood-fired oven, rotisserie, smoke, charcoal and table grill.

For the indecisive, Grill’s popular charcoaled mixed grill plate comes with sirloin steak, lamb, loin of pork, free range chicken and spicy sausage to share with a buddy.

Skip dessert. It’s not their forte.

B.A.R

Sweden knows seafood and you usually can’t go wrong if you stick to fish and shellfish while in town.

Short of catching your own seafood, you can pick out live lobsters and raw fish for cooking at Blasieholmens Akvarium och Restaurang – thankfully shortened to B.A.R.

Run by award-winning chefs Henrik Norström and Peter Johansson, the restaurant has a fish market feel to it, offering sea bass, Arctic char, halibut, salmon, shrimp, crab, roe and a wide variety of raw seafood by the kilo to take home after dinner.

B.A.R, Blasieholmsgatan 4A; +46 8 611 5335

Rosendals Trädgård Kafé and Bageri

It doesn’t get more eco-friendly and organic than dining on freshly baked bread and pastries made from biodynamic flour at Rosendals Trädgård café and bakery.

Don’t be surprised by long lunch lines. This best of Stockholm restaurant is extremely popular with locals who wait to dig into its minimal yet tasty rotating menu of items, such as pan-seared pike, perch or Arctic char (yes, seafood again) with roasted root vegetables or couscous.

The café itself is inside a glass greenhouse surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards.

Pelikan

Craving Swedish meatballs?

Pelikan serves them homemade in cream sauce with lingonberries.

In addition, there’s sill (pickled herring), elk and pig knuckles the size of bowling balls on its traditional menu.

With old school wooden decor and murals that date to a time long before surrounding Södermalm’s swank transformation, you’ll think you’ve stepped into a 1940s saloon.

Pelikan is as authentically Swedish as it gets.

Libanesen

If you walk into a Lebanese restaurant to find a traditional wedding party that looks straight out of Beirut – not unlikely at Libanesen – chances are its food is authentic.

If you want to leave in a food coma, Libanesen’s 18-item mezza (Lebanese for “appetizer”) grill plate will do the job, from shish kebabs and various meats on a stick to fried Halloumi cheese, tzatziki sauce and fried calamari.

Café 60

Packed with coffee-quaffing students and other assorted bohemians, there’s a vibrant watering hole rowdiness to Café 60 that makes it feel more like a university café lounge than your typical city center java spot.

At this popular local joint on Sveavägen, you also get large shrimp and crayfish salads, grilled focacia sandwiches the size of small books and sweet pastries stacked atop each other seemingly as high as the café’s two floors.

Chokladkoppen

At Chokladkoppen, the chocolate loves you back.

Along with grand old architecture, a big reason to recommend the touristiest spot of all – Stortorget, right in the heart of Gamla stan (old town) – is to grab a bowl of hot chocolate at Chokladkoppen.

For a double dose of chocolate, you can pair your bowl with “kladdkaka med grädde,” a dense, sticky chocolate cake with whipped cream.

Another plus? Chokladkoppen has cushioned wicker chairs arranged in forward-facing rows for people-watching while sipping your chocolate.

Nightlife

Hotellet

Square-rimmed glasses are a plus if you want to rub shoulders with some of Stockholm’s attractive business professionals at this posh happy hour spot.

You’ll probably feel out of place if you show up in jeans or screaming bold colors.

Hotellet serves martinis, cocktails and a French-inspired dinner menu.

It also has an outdoor bar and garden area, touted as the only “nightlife garden” in Stockholm.

Sturecompagniet

You know you’re in a trendy part of town when the clubbers who frequent its streets have been bestowed their own moniker.

From the word “steak,” stekare is used to describe the greasy, slicked-back hair and tanned complexions of patrons of this best of Stockholm area.

A popular haunt for stekares is Stockholm’s largest club, Sturecompagnient, which spans two floors overlooking an atrium.

It’s a good idea to sign up for its guest list via the club’s website, because getting in after midnight is like trying to squeeze hair gel back into the tube. Ages 23 and up.

Debaser

This club is so popular it actually has two locations within walking distance of each other.

Boasting some of the best live stages in Stockholm, Debaser Medis in Medborgarplatsen spotlights live local and international acts almost daily across its three floors.

A walk down Götgatan takes you to its sister club, Debaser Slussen, located on Karl Johans Torg 1, for more of the same.

Debaser, Medborgarplatsen 8; +46 8 694 7900

Shopping

MOOD

Opened in March 2012, MOOD is Stockholm’s newest upscale shopping district, spanning an entire city block.

A two-story-high fashion model in customarily contorted repose welcomes visitors to this stylish mall.

Keep an eye out for local celebrities and Stockholm’s elite as you meander through brand name stores like Victoria Beckham, Ralph Lauren and Club Monaco.

MOOD, corner of Regeringsgatan and Mäster Samuelsgatan; +46 771 34 0000

Gallerian

Stockholm’s first shopping mall.

More down to earth and affordable, Gallerian on Hamngatan offers a quintessential shopping mall experience.

That’s not meant in a bad way.

This is Stockholm’s largest galleria, with some 80 cafés, clothing stores, restaurants and other specialty shops.

Hötorgshallen

Though pricier cousin Östermalms Saluhall is spotlighted in nearly every Stockholm guidebook, you can head to international food market Hötorgshallen in Hötorget for fresh goods – cured meat, aged cheese, bread, jam, fruit, vegetables – at a fraction of the cost.

Foods range from South American to Asian to Middle Eastern, all in a bustling beehive atmosphere.

Hötorgshallen; + 46 8 230 001

South of Folkungagatan (SoFo)

From rockabilly outlet Silvetto and vintage clothing store Tjallamalla to record store Pet Sounds, if you’re into vintage of all sorts – vinyl records, throwback clothes, paraphernalia, odd knickknacks – you won’t find them at all if you can’t find them in Stockholm’s SoFo district.

Should your visit coincide with the last Thursday of the month, consider SoFo night, when area retailers stay open till 9 p.m., often accompanied by DJs, special offers and refreshments.

South of Folkungagatan (SoFo), south of Folkungagatan and east of Götgatan

Attractions

Vasa Museum

Located on Djurgården, an island park near the center of Stockholm, Vasamuseet (“The Vasa Museum”) is home to the 17th-century Viking warship Vasa.

Sunk in 1628, the Vasa was salvaged in its entirety in 1961 and given this permanent home in 1990.

Preserved with 95 percent of its original components, the Vasa is the only intact 17th-century ship in the world.

If you have to pick only one historic museum to hit while in Stockholm, make it this one.

Skansen

Tug-of-war at Skansen's autumn market

Also on Djurgården, you’ll find the world’s oldest open-air museum. Skansen was opened in 1891 to showcase, in founder Artur Hazelius’ own words, “folklore and the history of civilization.”

Despite Hazelius’ ambitions, Skansen’s main draw is its Nordic zoo, with animals such as moose and reindeer, in addition to more than 150 traditional red Swedish cottages and historic buildings, barns with farm animals, artists’ studios and an aquarium.

Best of Stockholm views.

For postcard-perfect vistas of the city, a stroll along Monteliusvägen provides marvelous views of Lake Mälaren, Gamla stan, Riddarholmen and City Hall on Kungsholmen.

A hike uphill to Fåfängan (literally “vanity” in Swedish) leads to panoramic views of Djurgården and Gröna Lund. Skinnarviksberget, a hill on Södermalm, also offers impressive views over Kungsholmen.

Fotografiska

Opened in 2010 and still the art talk of town is Fotografiska, a photography museum spotlighting edgy contemporary and fine art photography.

Exhibitions have included those by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz and director Anton Corbijn.

Fotografiska is housed in a 1906 red brick art nouveau-style waterfront building with 2,500 square meters of exhibition space.

Island Hopping

In the unlikely event that you find yourself short of the time necessary to explore all 28,000 islands comprising the Stockholm archipelago, allow these excursions to give you an abbreviated idea.

Stuff your face.

If there’s time left, see some islands.

Archipelago cruises

Ferry services such as Strömma Kanalbolaget and Waxholmsbolaget regularly shuttle passengers around some of Stockholm’s 28,000 islands.

Stromma’s 1931 steamboat S/S Stockholm Brunch cruise runs every weekend and is a three-hour roundtrip ride to Vaxholm with an all-you-can-eat-till-you-keel-over Swedish smorgasbord of pickled herring, cured salmon, meatballs, warm dishes, breads, cheeses and desserts.

Fjärderholmarna

A 25-minute ferry ride from Slussen takes you to Fjäderholmarna, where you can sample slower archipelago living.

Once on the island, you’ll find several artisan shops such as Krukmakeri, which makes pottery, and Åtta Glas, where you can blow your own glass.

Lunch at Fjäderholmarna’s Krog & Magasin is usually a seafood affair with herring and fish of the day for around 230 krona.

There are also hiking trails and beaches all around this compact island.

Fjärderholmarna, Skeppsbron 107; +49 8 215 500

Vaxholm

Arguably the most visited island within Stockholm’s archipelago, Vaxholm’s 16th-century fortress and harbor, lined with wooden cottages, restaurants, cafés and shops, are its main draw.

Day trips from Stockholm are popular and, with many narrow alleys, the island is made for walking.

Vaxholm also serves as a gateway to other islands within Roslagen commune, such as Österåker, Norrtälje and Östhammar.

Waxholmsbolaget runs ferries from Slussen to Vaxholm and the ride usually takes about an hour each way.

Vaxholm; Waxholmsbolaget ferries; +46 8 5413 1480

Drottningholm

A real royal beauty.

If royal cribs are your thing, they don’t get more extravagent than 17th-century Drottningholm Palace, which was the first attraction in Sweden to make UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites.

While the royal palace in the heart of Stockholm is used mostly for state affairs and receiving fellow dignitaries, Drottningholm is where the royals lay their heads to sleep.

You can catch a one-hour, one-way trip offered by Stromma from Stockholm City Hall and hop off at the palace located on the shores of Lake Mälaren.

Spend the day exploring its impressive baroque gardens, parks, palace theater and the nearby Chinese Pavilion.