Stockholm's main landmark, the distinctive red brick City Hall (Stadshuset) building, has stood on Kungsholmen (King's Island) since 1923 and become world-renowned as the venue for the annual Nobel Prize Banquet. A visit to Stockholm's City Hall is a must for architecture lovers: the rather practical and austere façade, dominated by three golden crowns atop a tower, hides an extraordinary Art Nouveau interior. The plush council chamber itself has a vaulted ceiling resembling an inverted Viking longboat, echoing the Viking tradition of using overturned vessels as shelter in winter. Most impressive, though, is the magnificent Golden Hall, its walls covered with handmade mosaics. The view of Stockholm from the tower is unsurpassed.

Address: Hantverkargatan 1

Website: www.stockholm.se/cityhall

Telephone: (0)8 5082 9058

Transport: Underground station T-Centralen/T-Rådhuset, or bus 48 and 62

Opening times: Tours depart every 30 minutes in June, July and August between 9:30am and 4pm. The tower is open daily in summer from 10am to 4:15pm.

Admission: SEK 60 adults, SEK 20 children age 12-17 through March and in November and December 2011. SEK 90 adults, SEK 40 children April through October 2011.