Stockholm is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful national capitals in the world. The Old Town is particularly spectacular, and walking around the city's waterways and parks is a glorious way to spend a week-long stretch of European summer.

This lovely, lively city, with its maritime bent and international flavour, is a magnet for immigrants as well as tourists. Over 15% of greater Stockholm's population are immigrants. Just stroll through the quaint streets, and you'll hear everything from Polish to Japanese.

Apart from being a large city with an active cultural life, Stockholm as a capital also houses many of the national cultural institutions of Sweden, including theatre, opera and museums. There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Stockholm area: the Drottningholm Palace and a large cemetery, Skogskyrkogården, which include some well-known examples of the architecture of Gunnar Asplund. During 1998 Stockholm was designated as the European City of Culture.

Most of Sweden has a cool temperate climate, with precipitation in all seasons, but the southern quarter of the country has a warm temperate climate. Sweden is shielded from rainy Atlantic weather systems and can be influenced by high pressure over Russia, giving fine weather instead. Stockholm has an average of about nine hours of sunshine daily from May to July.