Drottningholm Palace

This impressive and beautifully maintained mini-Versailles was inspired by 17th-century French architecture and has some of the best untouched Gustavian interiors. Take the one-hour sedate old-steamer trip from Stadshuset (City Hall), and enjoy cloudberries and vanilla ice cream and a glass of wine in the dining room as Stockholm slips from view. Visit the palace interiors, which include Sun King–style libraries and bedrooms, then walk to the intimate Gustavian opera house to see a performance of a work by Handel, perhaps, or Monteverdi. The gray-painted interiors and stage sets are all original to the 18th century. (Warning: the audience also sits on the original benches.) During the extended intermission, walk through the formal gardens to see the vividly painted Rococo Chinese Pavilion, where the Swedes’ love of Chinese decorative arts is powerfully evident.