What I did: all the expected first-time tourist things
• A 3 hour Archipelago Tour was a lovely way to spend my first evening. I was already delighted with Stockholm!
• The Hallwyl Museum - oh the lifestyles of the super-rich, this lovely mansion houses Wilhelmina von Hallwyl’s expensive collections.
• Skansen
Tip for crowds: I entered near Arturs Café, not the main entrance; I bought the (cheap) ticket to take the funicular to the top, which put me in the animal zone of the park, long before the school group and tourists arrived.
• Vasa Museum - despite the high praise for this museum, my expectations for myself were low; I was surprised by how much it captured my interest!
• City Hall Tour and went round and round, up and up, to the top of the Tower for the views.
• Nobel Museum - I paid for the 45 minute guided tour and enjoyed that, perhaps more than the exhibits.
• Drottningholm Palace - followed the excellent forum advice to take the ferry to the Palace and the bus back, with a stop at the café before I left.
• Gamla Stan historical walking tour that ended at the Palace, just in time for the changing of the Guards.
• Nordic Museum - you could spend multiple days; the website has suggestions for how to spend a few hours, a half day or a full day; I used the in-depth audio guide to visit the Top floor - "Nordic life" - then breezed through the other floors.
• Uppsala - this was a lovely day trip away from the big city, which started out with a proper Swedish Fika by the river with forum member Sandancisco. That was a perfect day already! After services ended, we toured the 2 lovely old churches, and watched as bicycle racers sped around the curves, again and again. We walked through the Botanic Garden and had a lovely outdoor lunch at their café.
Meeting friends in Uppsala was the perfect way to spend a day out of Stockholm!