The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: October tenth, stalking Viking gold in Stockholm.

Though Sweden's capital is draped royally over 14 islands along the Baltic Coast, bridges, tunnels and ferries stitch it together almost seamlessly. Sophisticated, sparkling and clean, this city founded by Viking marauders glows gold when the sun shines.

First time visitors make a bee-line to the old city, the center of Stockholm's history. Its narrow streets and cobbled medieval alleys are lined with restaurants, antique stores and galleries. There's the old stock exchange, the royal palace and the great hall that once housed Sweden's government. Across the water lies the magnificent City Hall, where Nobel Prizes are distributed each year.

Stockholm may a cultural treasurehouse, with many excellent museums, but two institutions stand out. Skansen is a Swedish Williamsburg. More than 150 historically important buildings have been brought together on its 75 acres, neatly presenting four centuries Swedish life. The Vasa Museum, where a sunken 17th-century ship has been restored, is another gem.

Visitors will be wowed by Stockholm's cultural delights, but its residents pursue more pastoral pleasures in the archipelago. It's a necklace of many small granite islands draped along the Baltic coastline for 100 miles. Homes of all descriptions cover these islands, making them a vacation paradise and a yachtsman's heaven. But visitors are always welcome. A day cruise among these emerald islands may just be Stockholm's best vacation bargain.

FMI Contact the Swedish Travel Council, 655 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017; 212- 885-9700 or www.gosweden.org

 

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