Stockholm is built on fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic, and water is always in view. The old town, Gamla Stan, sits on a small island at the centre, a knot of cobbled lanes, ochre and red façades and narrow courtyards that dates back to the thirteenth century, with the huge royal palace and the cathedral at its heart. In 1520 the Danish king had dozens of Swedish nobles beheaded in the main square, the Stockholm Bloodbath, and the event helped to spark the rebellion that placed Gustav Vasa on the throne. These days the square is a pretty place for coffee, and the shop windows are full of Dala horses and candles.
The best museum for a rider with an eye for engineering is the Vasa, which houses a warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, after sailing barely a kilometre, because it was top-heavy. It lay on the harbour bottom for more than three centuries and was raised in 1961 almost complete, and the ship is astonishing, a towering carved and painted hull that still smells of wood and tar. Out beyond the city the archipelago stretches for thousands of islands, with red wooden cabins, ferries and sailing boats, and the white summer evenings when the sun barely sets are a time of long dinners on the water.
Riding in Stockholm is straightforward, though bridges and tunnels make navigation interesting, and the ring roads and the E4 motorway can be busy at rush hour. Speed limits are strictly enforced by cameras, and Swedes drive with calm discipline. The best riding lies outside the city, on the lanes north through the Uppland plain with its runestones, farms and red barns, or along the coast road past old estates and lakes. In summer the roads are open and dry, and the evenings are long, but in winter ice and snow make riding unwise.
Fuel is plentiful in and around the city, with stations on every approach, though some are unmanned and require a card, so carry one that works in Sweden. Fika, the coffee and cinnamon bun break, is a national habit and a good way to rest between rides. The ferries to the islands are part of the public transport and are worth a trip on a sunny day.