To Djurgafden '' >...;. norrmalm . t V., . HAMNGATAN .....,..,..., STAN f J.Berzeidl' r . ггйй.кжбм, t «г Park IVOrTAN AND IMORRMALM DAVID BAGARESGATAN KUNGSGATAN 1 ujSTMASABWTAH \ I , s i jakobsbebgswan ; Todaiefms S 5 > v; . I Шв» 'Л ' LI there's a dense concentration of antique shops, art showrooms and expensive cellar restaurants, though, to be fair, the frontages don't often intrude upon the otherwise lightstarved streets. The Riksdagshuset and the Medeltidsmuseum You'll walk past the Riksdagshuset QanMay & Sept Sat & Sun noon2prn JuneAug MonFri noon3.30pm; free), the Swedish parliament building, almost every time you enter and leave the old town. Completely restored in the 1970s (though only seventy years old then), it's a deceptive place as the columned, stately and original front (seen to best effect from Norrbro) is hardly ever used! The business end is the new glassy bulge at the back and it's around here that free guided tours perambulate. Being Sweden, the seating for members is in healthy, nonadversarial rows, grouped by constituency and not by part>. In front of the Riksdagshuset, accessible by a set of steps leading down from Norrbro, the Medeltidsmuseum QanMay & SeptDec TuesSun llam5pm, Wed until 7pm; JuneAug TuesThurs llam7pm, FriSun llam5pm; 30kr, children lOkr) is the best cityrelated historical collection in Stockholm. Medieval ruins, tunnels and walls were discovered during excavations under the parliament building and have been incoфorated into a walkthrough underground exhibition. There are reconstructed houses to poke around, models and pictures, boats, skeletons and street scenes. With the detailed English labelling that goes with it, it's a splendid display; good for the kids, too. The Kungliga Slottet Cross over a second set of bridges and up rears the most distinctive monumental building in Stockhohn, the Kungliga Slottet (Royal Palace) a low, pinkybrown square building whose two front arms stretch down towards the water. Stockholm's old Tre Kronor ('Three Crowns") castle burned down at the beginning of King Karl XII's reign, leaving his architect, Tessin the Younger (see Drottningholm, "Around Stockholm"), with a free hand to design a simple and beautiful Renaissance successor. Finished in 1754, the palace is a striking achievement: uniform, almost sombre outside, its magnificent Baroque and Rococo interior is a swirl of state rooms and museums. The sheer size and limited opening hours conspire against seeing everything at once, which would anyway be an expensive business without a Stockholm Card and some discretion. The Apartments Oan to midMay & midAug to Dec TuesSun noon3pm; midMay to midAug TuesSat 10am3pm, Sun noon3pm; 30kr, students 15kr) form a relentlessly linear collection of furniture and tapestries. It's all basic Rent aPalace stuff, too sumptuous to take in and inspirational only in terms of colossal size.