Stockholm

Guide Note

Stockholm is the center of a metropolitan urban area in southeastern Sweden with a population of roughly 2,000,000. It is the capital and largest city of Sweden, and is situated on fourteen islands between the freshwater Lake Malar and the Bay of Riddarfjärden in the Baltic Sea.

Fast Facts

1. Country: Sweden
2. Language Spoken: Swedish
3. Currency: Krona
4. Country Code: 46

While its high latitude brings long days in the summer and only brief sunlight in the winter, and while its winters are cold, Stockholm has a temperate climate with a distinct spring and autumn.

Sweden's neutrality during the World Wars has left it with a much greater proportion of older architecture than many other European capitals. Among other things, the city is famous for its bridges, which connect its neighborhoods across a complex network of fresh- and saltwater channels. Stockholm has nearly 70 museums, including the National Museum of Sweden and the country's Museum of Modern Art. As with many Nordic cities, summer in Stockholm brings a general rush toward outdoor activities, while winter brings a stampede into crowded bars and nightclubs. Consummately, as with many Nordic cities, Stockholm harbors a population accustomed to 18-hour winter nights -- a hazard to the unwary foreign bar-hopper. The Gamla Stan, or Old Town, district boasts remnants of the Medieval city.