What's a good 3-day itinerary for Stockholm?

Day 1 stays on two islands connected by a 200-metre walk. Arrive at Gamla Stan by 9 AM, when the cobblestones on Stortorget are still wet from the overnight clean and the tourist groups haven't formed yet. Stockholm Palace, finished in 1760, is worth 90 minutes for the Royal Apartments and the Treasury below street level, where the air is noticeably cooler and the cases hold Erik XIV's state sword. Skip the Royal Chapel unless you care about 18th-century pipe organs. The Nobel Prize Museum on Stortorget, open since 2001, needs about an hour. Cross the Slussen lock south into Södermalm for lunch at Pelikan on Blekingegatan, a wood-panelled beer hall where the seared pork belly with lingonberries runs about 225 SEK. Walk west along Monteliusvägen for the best free view of City Hall and the Riddarfjärden waterline. End the afternoon at Fotografiska on Stadsgårdshamnen. Dinner at Meatballs for the People on Nytorgsgatan, 185 SEK for the classic plate with cream sauce and mashed root vegetables.

Day 2 belongs entirely to Djurgården, the island east of the city centre that holds Stockholm's best museums within a 2-kilometre loop. Take tram 7 from Norrmalmstorg or walk across the Djurgårdsbron bridge, where you'll likely smell roasting almonds from the cart that seems to have been there forever. The Vasa Museum opens at 10 AM. The warship sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, was pulled from the harbour floor in 1961, and fills a purpose-built hall that smells like 400-year-old oak and pine tar. Spend 90 minutes here. Walk 10 minutes north to Skansen, the open-air museum founded in 1891, which spreads 150 historic buildings across a hillside overlooking the harbour. The bakery inside Skansen sells warm saffransbullar for 45 SEK. By mid-afternoon, walk south to Rosendals Trädgård, a greenhouse café where the salads come from the garden you're sitting in and a slice of carrot cake costs 75 SEK. Dinner in Östermalm at Lisa Elmqvist inside Östermalms Saluhall, the food hall that reopened in 2020. The toast Skagen there runs 195 SEK.

Day 3 starts on Kungsholmen, the island west of Norrmalm. Stockholm City Hall, completed in 1923, runs guided tours every 30 minutes from 10 AM. The Blue Hall, where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each December, is actually red brick. Ragnar Östberg changed his mind mid-build but kept the name. Climb the 365-step tower for a 360-degree view of the city's 14 islands. Allow 75 minutes total. Walk east across the Stadshusbron into Norrmalm and stop at Kajsas Fisk in the Hötorgshallen basement for fish soup at 155 SEK, served with bread, aioli, and as many refills as you want. The Nationalmuseum, on the Blasieholmen peninsula since 1792, reopened after a 5-year renovation in 2018. The Rembrandt room on the second floor is the highlight. Afternoon coffee at Vete-Katten on Kungsgatan, a 1928 konditori with cinnamon buns at 55 SEK and wood-panelled rooms that still creak underfoot. The 3-day SL travel card costs 330 SEK and covers all buses, metro, and trams within zone A.

Stockholm is compact but spread across islands, so the walking is broken up by short bridge crossings and the occasional tram or metro ride. Budget about 9 kilometres of walking per day. June daylight currently lasts from roughly 3:30 AM to 10 PM, so you won't lose time to darkness. Most restaurants add no service charge, but rounding up 5-10% on card payments is normal. Stockholm's tap water is clean and cold, piped from Lake Mälaren. Gamla Stan's restaurants on Västerlånggatan tend to be overpriced by 40-60% compared to spots two blocks east on Österlånggatan. The cobblestones are hard on ankles, so flat shoes with real soles matter more here than in most European capitals. At current rates, 1 USD gets you about 9.34 SEK, making a solid restaurant lunch 170-230 SEK, or roughly $18-25.