http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17835
Here children (and adults) can try out more than 400 experiments using water, wind, gravity, sound, light and movement while at the same time learning about themselves and the world around us.

The huge house has four floors, and an enourmous outside area for water experiments. There is a buffet restaurant serving food that will appeal both to the young and older taste buds, but there is also space for eating a packed lunch.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17835 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13321
The photos are huge, incredible, and moving, and the whole exhibition is easy to find, and free!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13321 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13074
Like the other countries in Scandinavia, Sweden's painters especially loved landcape and nature, and there are many beautiful examples of this kind of work. The murals on the grand staircase are by Carl Larsson.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13074 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13073
Drama in Sweden has a long and distinguished history, and the high quality of work at the national theatre is a reflection of this tradition.

The website is clear, well illustrated and easy to use.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13073 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9390 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9390 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9389 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9389 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7915
Tivoli isn't a particularly classy, or clean establishemnt but it makes for an exciting end to a Djurgarden day trip - a 180kr evening wristband gets you on all the decent rides between 7pm and midnight, when the park empties out and queues are short. Go on half a dozen rides, in particular the impressive Jetline, and it's value for money.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7915 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6074 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6074 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6068
The closer islands in the archipelago, such as Waxholm, Finnhamn and Fjäderholmarna, are only an hour or two away and are nice places to wander around for a couple of hours.

It's a lovely way to spend a nice day or half-day out, and if you go during summer, the archipelago is a great place for a summer picnic and swimming - that's what the locals do.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6068 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6063 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6063 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6032 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6032 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6029
There are plenty of medieval cafes to head into for lunch or fika (morning or afternoon tea/coffee break) - sitting sipping hot chocolate in a medieval stone cellar complete with arches and stuff is exciting for most people. Chokladkoppen on Stortorget is always good, and so is Kaffegillet on Trångsund.

Västerlånggatan is the main drag, but sadly quite touristy these days. But if you're in the business of getting some reindeer slippers or the like, this is where to go. Österlånggatan is nicer, with little antiques shops and galleries. Next to Gamla Stan is Riddarholmen, which also has lots of history. The Parliament and the beautiful Riddarholmskyrkan church are located here.

Good places for food/drink:
Pontus in the Green House on Österlånggatan (good for lunch) - traditional Swedish cuisine but with an exotic twist.
Pontus by the Sea on Skeppsbrokajen (good for lunch) - see above.
Grill Ruby on Österlånggatan (lunch) - brasserie.
Källaren Movitz on Tyska Brinken – doesn’t look that special, but the restaurant downstairs is good for Swedish food.
Järnet Matsal & Bar on Österlånggatan is cosy and does good food.
Engelen/Kolingen on Kornhamnstorg - a nice old-school type of place where you're pretty much guaranteed to get a good night out.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6029 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6024 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6024 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5987 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5987 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9408 Waxholmsbolaget also runs boats to loads of other islands - their website has good English pages telling you about them.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9408 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6034
A nice walk is to start at Karlbergs Station, or the St Eriksplan tube stop nearby, and head down to the water, and follow Norr Mälarstrand along the north side of the Riddarfjärden canal. You'll pass through a park called Rålambshovsparken and eventually end up at the City Hall (with its three golden crowns), where the Nobel Prize dinner and ceremony takes place every December. Climb up it if you want, or head off to Gamla Stan for more.

Good places for going out around here are Tranan on Karlbergsvägen (just by Odenplan tube) which is a good hang-out place. Nice food and good music during the day, and a great bar at night.

Storstad on Odengatan (also Odenplan tube) is also a good bar, with good food for lunch and dinner. La Habana on Sveavägen (Odenplan/Rådmansgatan tube) is excellent for mojitos and all things Cuban and is a pretty good place to spend an evening. Paladar de Cuba is another cool Caribbean offering closeby, on Tegnergatan (also Rådmansgatan tube).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6034 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6031
Designtorget is a great design shop at the bottom of Sergels Torg, which is a big square near the central station. Kulturhuset – called 'the living room in the city' - is here, with interesting exhibitions/plays, nice café/restaurant with great views, and a good shop downstairs.

Another good cafe is Vetekatten, which is on Kungsgatan. Hötorget has a good outdoor market selling lots of nice things including handicraft. Kungsgatan is a long long street with lots of shops, and leads down to Stureplan which is a major meeting place. Kungsträdgården has many cafes and restaurants, and leads up to the Opera, the Royal Castle and the Parliament.

A few good bars/restaurants:
KGB Bar and Restaurant on Malmskillnadsgatan – nice friendly bar with classic Soviet theme.
Halv Trappa plus Gård on Lästmakargatan – good food, good tunes, good cocktails.
Operakällaren/Bakfickan in Karl XII’s Torg near Kungsträdgården – food in the main restaurant is very expensive, but Bakfickan is good value with excellent food.
Sophies Bar on Biblioteksgatan – usually a good nightspot for some good cocktails, but sometimes full of people with way too much money, which tends to affect the atmosphere.
Fasching on Kungsgatan is a great night out - it's a jazz club that's been around for ages, and has a great soul night on Saturdays if you're up for some dancin'.
If you're after Asian food, a good bet is to check Luntmakargatan, which runs parallel to Sveavägen, which is like a mini-Chinatown. There are a couple of good Korean and Japanese restaurants there. ]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6031 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6030
Folkhemmet on Renstiernas Gata is a nice bar/restaurant and generally the streets around Bondegatan and Skånegatan are filled with shops and places to go out. Götgatsbacken (leading up from Slussen) also has good cafes, bars and shops. A nice walk is to start at Mosebacke Torg and walk along the waterfront to Fjällgatan for spectacular views and a bit of cultural heritage.

Or turn the other way (i.e. westwards) and walk along Söder Mälarstrand and end up in Skinnarviksparken which has one of the highest points in Stockholm from where you can take some great touristy photos of the view.

Also, a must! Gondolen is a very posh restaurant at the top of Slussen, which is between Söder and Gamla Stan. You take the Katarinahissen lift up to the restaurant from Slussen, and the views are spectacular. The food is excellent but quite pricey, but I normally take people there for a drink just to admire the view. Vinbaren, which is downstairs from Gondolen is a good little place offering a more reasonably priced menu, especially for lunch. At the top bit (i.e. where Gondolen is) there is a place called Mosebacke (in Mosebacke Torg), which is a great club/hang-out place. Most Saturdays, there's a club there called Blacknuss which is really good. Kind of jazzy/funky. Great views as well if you sit outside. They also do jazz brunches on Sundays.

Kvarnen on Tjärhovsgatan is a classic old beerhall with good food, and has two good bars/clubs at the back and downstairs.

Other good places:
Pelikan on Blekingegatan – reasonably priced Scandinavian food.
Hannas Krog on Skånegatan – good lunch menu and good DJs after dark.
La Cuccaracha on Bondegatan is a good Spanish restaurant with good atmosphere.
WC Bar & Diner on Skånegatan – good food and good drinks. Gets very busy so get here early.
Street Restaurant by Hornstulls Strand (Hornstull tube) - bit of a trek, but worth it. Street itself is 'Stockholm's version of Camden Lock' so there's lots of fun things going on. It's just by the water which is nice and the food is good too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6030 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5672 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/5672