What's the must-see thing in Stockholm?

The Vasa Museum sits on Djurgården, a 10-minute ferry ride from Slussen or a 15-minute walk across Djurgårdsbron bridge. The ship fills a purpose-built hall that smells like old oak and tar. Over 700 carved wooden sculptures still cling to the hull. It went down barely outside the harbour on its maiden voyage, top-heavy and under-ballasted, and the cold, low-salinity Baltic water did the rest. Six levels of galleries wrap around the vessel. You look down at the deck from above, then stand beside the rudder at water level. The scale hits differently in person. Allow 90 minutes, and aim to arrive before 10am when tour groups start filling the lower decks. Adult entry is currently about 200 SEK (roughly $21).

Gamla stan is where most first-time visitors end up, and it earns the stop. The medieval street grid dates to the 1200s, and Stortorget, the main square, was the site of the 1520 Stockholm Bloodbath, when Danish King Christian II executed roughly 80 Swedish nobles over three days. Stockholm Palace sits at the island's northern edge. Completed in 1760, it still functions as the official royal residence. The changing of the guard happens at 12:15pm on weekdays and 1:15pm on weekends. You can hear the brass band echoing off the stone walls from two blocks away. The Royal Apartments cost about 180 SEK ($19) to enter, and the corridors smell like floor wax and cold stone. Mind you, the lanes between Stortorget and Västerlångatan get shoulder-to-shoulder between 11am and 3pm in July. Arrive before 9am or after 6pm, when the light on the ochre facades goes warm and the cobblestones are quiet underfoot.

Stockholm City Hall, completed in 1923, is where the Nobel Prize banquet takes place each December in the Blue Hall, which is, confusingly, red brick rather than blue. Ragnar Östberg spent 12 years on the design. The tower climb is 365 steps to a terrace 106 metres above Riddarfjärden bay, and on a clear day you might spot the outer reaches of the archipelago. Tower access runs June through September and costs about 60 SEK beyond the 140 SEK guided tour. You can only enter the interior with a guide, and the English-language slots fill by midday in peak season. Book the 10am tour. Inside, the Golden Hall is covered in roughly 18 million glass and gold mosaic tiles, cool to the touch if you lean close. The Stadshuskällaren restaurant on the ground floor still serves a version of the Nobel dinner menu, currently about 595 SEK ($61) at lunch.

For a first morning, take the Vasa early, then walk south through Djurgården past Skansen. The open-air museum dates to 1891 and still hosts live events, including Allsång singalong rehearsals on summer Tuesdays. Ferry to Gamla stan for lunch and the Palace, and save City Hall for the next day. The SL transit pass runs about 165 SEK for 24 hours and covers the Djurgården ferry, buses, T-bana metro, and commuter rail. You won't need a car. Stockholm is currently around 22°C in late July with overcast skies, and daylight lasts until nearly 10pm. The long evenings are the real surprise. A beer at Södra Teatern's terrace on Mosebacke in Södermalm runs 85-95 SEK, and the view north across the water to Gamla stan from there is the best free panorama in the city. Bring a layer. The breeze off the bay drops the felt temperature a few degrees once the sun dips.