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Stockholm, Sweden Grand Hotel Stockholm

Stockholm is a city built on 14 islands, which separate Lake Malaren from the Baltic Sea. The city is centered around the Old Town, Gamla Stan, which dates back to at least the 1200's. Viking ships used Lake Malaren as their home base, and sailed to sea through Stockholm. Stockholm's magnificent assortment of waterside vistas result in it sometimes being referred to as "the Venice of the North".

We'll start our tour with this panoramic view of the city overlooking Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace, and the Grand Hotel Stockholm from the southern (soder) island of Sodermalm. The panorama below was taken from a street called Katarinavagen, which runs along the bluffs on the northern edge of the island.

You can walk from Sodermalm into the Old Town at Slussen, which is the site of a major traffic interchange, and home of the Hilton Stockholm Slussen. There's a lift (elevator) at Slussen called Katarinahissen, which will take you between the bluffs at Katarinavagen and the bridge into Gamla Stan. Other notable hotels on Sodermalm, (which has been compared to Greenwich Village in New York for its character and lively nightlife), include the Rival Hotel, and the Clarion Hotel Stockholm on Ringvagen.

If you walk across the bridge from Slussen you'll have the Old Town on your left and the water (Saltsjon/Strommen) on your right; continue walking for about 10 minutes and you'll come to the Royal Palace. Just before you get to the palace you'll see a steep hill called Slottsbacken; here's the view from next to the obelisk in front of Storkyrkan Cathedral.

After exploring Slottsbacken you can resume walking along the water, heading North, along Norrstrom. If you walk across the bridge (Strombron) and past all the cruise boats you'll be in Blasieholmen, and right in front of the Grand Hotel.

At this point you have a choice of turning left towards Kungstragarden (see below) or turning right, and walking past the National Museum (Nationalmuseum), across Skeppsholmen Bridge(Skeppsholmbron),

and then to the Skeppsholmen Church and the ship af Chapman.

Also on Skeppsholmen Island are the Architecture Museum (Arkitekturmuseet) and the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Museet). Further in this direction is an even smaller island with a bright red medieval castle, called Kastellholmen.

If you retrace your steps back across the Skeppsholmen Bridge, and pass the Grand Hotel again, you'll shortly come to Kungstragarden, and will be approaching the city center.

Hotel choices in Stockholm City Center include the Sheraton Hotel Stockholm , (located right off of Lake Malaren with views of the Old Town and City Hall), the Radisson SAS Strand Hotel , the Radisson SAS Royal Viking Hotel and the Best Western Hotel Terminus which are both located next to Central Station and the Arlanda Express train.

The Crystal Plaza and the Hotel Kung Carl, are both located near Stureplan, another popular area in the heart of central Stockholm.

If you continue walking along the water from Kungstragarden you'll pass through Gustav Adolf's Torg (Square), then past Parliament (Riksdag), and will soon reach this interesting spot in front of Riddarhuset.

Check our selections in Sweden from our mega-list of the best places to stay in the world: The VResorts Top 1000.

You can also purchase any of our panoramic photography as fine art (watercolor on canvas).

Take a virtual tour of these destinations while you're finding a great place to stay.

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