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City Guide - Stockholm - Excursions | ||
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Excursions For a Half Day Drottningholms Slott: Just 15km (nine miles) west of central Stockholm, Drottningholms Slott (Drottningholm Palace), Flottsforvaltining (tel: (08) 402 6280 (tourist office open afternoon only); website: www.royalcourt.se), is one of the most magnificent legacies of Sweden's imperial age, justly compared to Louis XIV's Versailles. Begun in 1662 for the dowager queen Hedvig Eleonora by the great Swedish Baroque architects Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and Younger, Drottningholm is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is surrounded by equally splendid gardens containing the delightful Rococo Chinese Pavilion (tel: (08) 402 6270), almost a palace in itself. It also has the world's best-preserved palace theatre, with its eighteenth-century stage machinery still working, a popular venue for summer concerts and performances. Closed to the public in winter, the palace is the official residence of King Carl Gustaf XVI and the Swedish royal family. Guided tours in English are available on request. Admission to the Royal Palace costs SKr50 and SKr50 to the Chinese Pavilion (concessions available). Drottningholm Palace can be reached by taking bus 301 or 323 from Brommaplan metro station, or bus 177 or 178 to Drottningholm. There is a regular summer boat service from Stadshuskajen (the City Hall Quay) to Drottningholm, operated by Strömma Canal Company (tel: (08) 587 14020). For a Whole Day Thousand Isles: The classic excursion from Stockholm, this is a water tour of the entire surrounding archipelago. The 24,000 islands and islets of the Stockholm archipelago are famed for their beauty and unique atmosphere, especially in summer. The standard package stops at four of the most appealing islands, allowing the option of an overnight stay on one of them. In the summer (26 Jun-20 Aug), Strömma Canal Company (tel: (08) 58 71 40 00; website: www.strommakanalbolaget.com) runs tours departing from Stockholm Nybroplan at 0930 and returning at 2030. The tour costs SKr785, including coffee and lunch. |