Recently in Stockholm Category

Have a drink on the rocks - while being on the rocks yourself - at the Absolut Icebar Stockholm, where the temperature is 23°F and the entire interior, including the glasses, is made from 100% pure clear ice from the Torne River in Swedish Lapland.

Go ahead and get dressed in your favorite night-on-the-town outfit before heading out from the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel: You'll be given a coat and gloves to wear that are specially designed to keep you warm and to keep your heat in, so that you don't melt your seat, which, like everything else, is made from ice. Every spring, 3,000 two-ton blocks of the frosty stuff is harvested (that's enough to fill a football stadium) and then carved into everything from furniture to artwork. Since 1993 more than 50 temporary Absolut Icebars have popped up around the world, but the Stockholm ice bar is the first permanent one; opened in 2002, it unveils new themes regularly, and dropped a new look on April 29. The "Aquatic" redesign (it was previously "Factory") turned the watering hole into an underwater world, complete with ice sculptures of jellyfish and other underwater creatures. You can book a visit to it for a group of one to 60. Your 40-minute bar session includes your choice of drink - made with Absolut Vodka, of course. You'll find concoctions like the Absolut Distiller, made from Absolut Pears, pineapple liqueur, elderflower juice, and a dash of lemon.

The Stockholm Archipelago consists of nearly 25,000 islands and islets fanning out 80 kilometers from the city center into the Baltic Sea. Each island has a different character, and several have small towns to explore, so if you've got an extra day or two in your itinerary, do as the Swedes do and go island-hopping. A variety of narrated boat tours will give you a great overview of the islands as you relax with a cold drink, but the most popular islands can easily be reached by public ferry, leaving you in control of where you go and how long you stay. Among the highlights, Sandhamn Island (pictured) has several great restaurants, beaches, and walking paths, and is the site of the annual Round Gotland Sailing Race. Vaxholm, meanwhile, is the site of a massive stone fortress that dates back to the 16th century and is now a popular history museum. And Drottningholm boasts one of the most beautiful castles in Scandinavia in Drottningholm Palace, with a theater, a sculpture garden, and an awe-inspiring Chinese pavilion. You could easily spend a lifetime exploring them all, so choose a few that interest you and set sail on your Swedish island safari. Guests at the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel might enjoy a day-trip to these natural wonders.

Due to its strategic location on 14 islands of a vast archipelago, Stockholm's relationship with the sea is both long and complex, so it makes sense that the city would boast a world class museum dedicated to all things water. The Aquaria Water Museum on Djurgården Island has exhibits dedicated to the world's many different aquatic ecosystems, with colorful fish, lush plants, and interactive exhibits that explain how everything is interconnected. Explore life on the Amazon in a living rain forest, complete with mangrove trees, giant catfish, and poison arrow frogs hopping among the giant green leaves. Watch the graceful movements of reef sharks and see eye-to-eye with a moray eel in the Tropical Sea aquarium, with a coral reef that teems with life. And learn about the local waters at the Nordic Waters exhibit, which has both fresh- and saltwater habitats filled with the fish, reptiles, and amphibians common to the area. Visitors during November and December are in for a special treat, as the museum's sea trout breeding program (pictured) welcomes a parade of sea trout that climb up a "fish ladder" to spawn inside the museum. Marine biologists then take eggs from a number of sea trout and place the fertilized roe in an incubator, where they'll hatch in March of the following year. Guests at the nearby Sheraton Stockholm Hotel might enjoy this fascinating glimpse into the undersea world.

[image via Aquaria Water Museum]

One of Sweden's most enchanting art museums is located on the island of Lingingö, on the northern edge of Stockholm. The Millesgården is the estate of Carl Milles (1875-1955), a Swedish sculptor known for his dramatic fountains and exquisite depictions of human and animal forms, and it's filled with some of his most famous pieces. The main house, a handsome clifftop mansion, was built in 1908 and contains living quarters and art studios, including an inspiring open-air studio in the form of a loggia wing with a fresco painting of the bay of Naples. The garden is divided into "rooms" that reflect different sculptural and landscaping styles from across Europe, and one of his most dramatic was created as a gift to his homesick wife, Olga. "Little Austria" is set on a steep, stony hollow that resembles Olga's alpine home, with a sculpted scene of two wayside pieta chapels and religious iconography placed throughout. Elsewhere, paths wind among forested groves, giving dramatic views of the city skyline and the archipelago. Guests at the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel might enjoy an afternoon stroll at this interesting sculptural museum.

Stockholm is one of my favorite cities in Europe because it has a nearly perfect balance between urban and natural life. Case in point: one of the most beautiful parks in Sweden is located right in the middle of the city on the island of Djurgården. The Skansen Open Air Museum is the oldest open air museum in the world, having been founded in 1891, and it features a full size replica of a 19th century Swedish town, as well a zoo, a market, and acres of gardens and green spaces with native flora and fauna. More than 150 historical buildings from all over Sweden are scattered throughout the grounds, and tour guides in period costume explain their origins and demonstrate domestic tasks like weaving and spinning. Who knows, you might get the chance to churn some authentic Swedish butter. If so, hustle that butter over to the 1870's bakery, which still makes freshly-baked bread and buns using original recipes. Once you've walked around and had a good look at the place, drop by one of the park's five restaurants and cafes for a drink and a bite to eat. The Solliden Restaurant offers an amazing view of Stockholm to accompany a meal fit for a Swedish king. Skansen is just minutes from the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel.

England isn't the only European country that maintains its ages-old monarchy. Sweden, too, is presided over by a royal family, though its powers today are mostly ceremonial. King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, and their family do the country's good work from the spectacular Royal Palace, which is located on Stadsholmen (City Island) in downtown Stockholm, just a short walk from the Sheraton Stockholm Hotel. The palace is the king's official residence and the setting for most official receptions, as well as a workspace for the king, queen, and Royal Court. (The family's private residence is Drottningholm Palace.) And what an office it is. With over 600 rooms on seven floors, I'm sure they can find a quiet place to hit the books, and several suites of royal apartments ensure that there's always a comfy bed to accommodate the occasional power nap. The baroque-style castle was originally built by the architect Nicodemus Tessin in the late 1600's and early 1700's to resemble a Roman Palace. It's majestic, but not exclusive: the Swedish royal family extends an open invitation to anyone who wishes to drop by for a look inside one of Europe's largest and most dynamic royal residences. Visitors will enjoy walking in the footsteps of Swedish royalty and browsing the antiquities in three palace museums: the Treasury, where the monarchy's most important symbols, known as the regalia, are kept; the Tre Kronor museum, dedicated to the original Tre Kronor palace that was destroyed in 1697; and Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, with over 200 classic sculptures displayed in two stone galleries. It's a fun and enlightening way to take in more than 500 years of Swedish royal history.