Planes
Touch down at Stockholm Arlanda Airport (www.swedavia.com/arlanda), about a 45-minute drive from the hotel. Flights arrive regularly from throughout Europe (including London Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports) as well further afield, including New York JFK.
Trains
The nearest station (Sweden’s largest) is Stockholm Central, a 10-minute drive from the hotel, which has trains bound for destinations throughout the country (www.jernhusen.se).
Automobiles
If you choose to drive around Stockholm (or are heading further afield) there’s parking a few steps from the hotel.
Other
It’s easy to get around town (including from the airport and train station) by public transport. Story Hotel’s nearest subway station is Östermalmstorg.
Worth getting out of bed for
Stockholm is a top choice for stylish shopping, and design fans will be in their element with Story Hotel Riddargatan as their home from home. All the usual delights of a capital city are nearby, too, with museums aplenty just a short walk or subway hop away.
Duchamp? Check. Matisse? Check. Picasso, Dalí and Rauschenberg? Check, check, check. Even if you’re only very slightly into modern art, the 1900-to-present-day collection here makes the Moderna Museet a must-see (Skeppsholmen, Stockholm 16382; +46 (0)8 5195 5200; www.modernamuseet.se).
The Swedish Museum of Photography, Fotografiska, is lovely even before you get inside: once you do head beyond the art-nouveau beauty of a façade, there’s a wealth of ever-changing contemporary photography exhibitions by the likes of LaChapelle and Leibowitz (Stora Tulhuset Stadsgårdshamnen 22; +46 (0)8 5090 0500; www.fotografiska.eu).
Stockholm’s beautiful 1908-built Royal Dramatic Theatre, Dramaten, has five stages, ranging from the grand, 770-seat Stora Scenen to the intimate, 60-seat Tornrummet. If taking in a play isn’t enough, book an hour-long backstage tour: guides are multilingual (Nybroplan, Stockholm 11147; +46 (0)8 6656 100; www.dramaten.se). Fancy a night at the opera instead? Operan, Sweden’s Royal Opera, presents cutting-edge performances within an ornate, jewellery-box-esque setting. There’s no official dress code, but plenty of people pull out their finery for the occasion. Opera glasses can be rented at the cloakrooms on the second and third tiers. (Gustav Adolfs torg 2, Stockholm 10322; +46 (0)8 7914 400; www.operan.se).
On Djurgården (‘game park’) island, Skansen – an open-air zoo and museum – is worth a visit for a unique day out. It’s set up as a pre-industrial Swedish village spread out over 75 acres, and most of its exhibits date back to its foundation in 1891. If the sun’s out, pack a picnic basket and head to Torslunden, Tingsvallen or Orsakullen (Djurgårdsslätten 49, Stockholm 11521; +46 (0)8 4428 120; www.skansen.se).
Local restaurants
For top-class seafood, go to StureHof: it’s an elegant restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere (Stureplan 2, Stockholm 11446; +46 (0)8 4405 730; www.sturehof.com). Fancy a traditional Italian meal in the heart of Stockholm? Italiano Papà is the spot: the family-run restaurant (inspired by 1940s Little Italy in NYC, but very chic) serves dinner from 5pm to midnight, Tuesday to Saturday. Almost everything, including pasta, can be made gluten-free if you call ahead in the morning (Riddargatan 9, Stockholm 1145; +46 (0)8 6618 972; www.italiano.se). Smart restaurant Miss Voon has an intriguing pan-Asian-Nordic-fusion menu. For partiers, it’s open late, with dinner available till 1am. There’s a fun bar, too, with Asian-inspired cocktails (Sturegatan 22, Stockholm 11436; +46 (0)8 5052 4470; www.missvoon.se).