I have read Rick Steve's book on Scandinavia, but still have a question. We have only one day. Has anyone traveled on a short boat tour around the Archipelago? Which tour would you recommend? Was the trip worthwhile or should we stay in Stockholm the day?
With just one day to spend, I would stay in Stockholm. It's spectacularly beautiful. I would walk around Gamla Stan, tour the Vasa Museum, and then either take a boat tour (around Stockholm, not the archipelago) or visit Skansen, the outdoor folk museum.
Yes, we did take an archipelago tour - just walked to the waterfront and chose one of the boats. It was so beautiful! However, I agree with Carroll - with only one day I would spend it in Stockholm. In addition to the sites Carroll recommends, we loved the history museum. Much to see in Stockholm.
As the others suggest, with only one day you simply will not have enough time to even do everything in Stockholm itself. I don't suppose there is any chance you are coming or going via ferry? If so, you'll see the archipelago from the ferry.
We liked the Vasa and Rick's walk through Gamla Stan. We would probably skip Skansen next time (didn't consider the costumed employees to be particularly knowledgable about Swedish history) and go to the Djurgarden instead.
agree that the Vasa is a must (even w/ 1 day in Stockholm!). I LOVED it. It truly is one of the facsinating museums of Europe; being able to walk on the ship; amazing! If you did that and also walked around the Gamla Stan (old town), you'll get a good taste of the city. It IS a beautiful and, IMHO, somewhat underrated city. Enjoy!