Stockholm to Gripsholm Castle and Eskilstuna: Day trip

Gripsholm Castle rises directly from Lake Mälaren at Mariefred as one of the most classically composed castle landscapes in Sweden.

What to see

• A Renaissance castle of four round towers built by Gustav Vasa in 1537, sitting directly on the shore of Lake Mälaren with its reflection in the water and the small town of Mariefred behind it
• The interior houses the Swedish State Portrait Collection — the largest portrait collection in the world, with over 4,000 paintings spanning Swedish and European royal and cultural history from the 16th century to the present
• The town of Mariefred itself is a quietly perfect small Swedish town of wooden houses, a harbourfront café and the narrow-gauge steam railway that connects it to the main line at Läggesta

What to eat

• Husmanskost — traditional Swedish home cooking of meatballs
• Janssons frestelse (anchovy and potato gratin) and pickled herring

Take note

• Gripsholm Castle is closed on Mondays; the steam railway from Mariefred runs on summer weekends and is worth timing the visit around if the day allows

Eskilstuna pairs a 17th-century forge district of remarkable preservation with one of Scandinavia's most respected free-admission zoos and a post-industrial riverside culture quarter of considerable energy.

What to see

• Rademachersmedjorna — a preserved row of 17th-century forge workshops on the Eskilstuna River, built by the Dutch craftsman Reinhold Rademacher and still the most intact example of early Swedish industrial heritage in the country
• Eskilstuna Zoo & Nature Park — one of Sweden's most respected free-admission zoos, with a strong conservation focus and a collection that includes snow leopards, African wild dogs and Amur tigers in well-designed naturalistic enclosures
• The Munktellmuseet covers Eskilstuna's industrial heritage as a centre of Swedish engineering

What to eat

• Eskilstuna kniv — the city's traditional craft is cutlery and the market stalls around Rademachersmedjorna sell handmade knives alongside street food

Take note

• Eskilstuna Zoo is free to enter but can be busy on summer weekends — arrive early for the best wildlife viewing before the main crowds build