Located approximately one hour away from Stockholm. The easiest way to get into town is to take a shore excursion or a transfer with the ship. Other alternatives are the train or the Hop-on Hop-off bus. Some passengers told us that the bus wouldn’t leave with just a few passengers aboard and ended-up wasting precious sightseeing time.
We opted for a shore excursion that included a visit to the Vasa Museum, a city tour and free time. It turned out to be a good choice to go to the popular 
Vasa Museum first thing in the morning as the wait time was much longer later on. The main attraction is the 17th century warship Vasa that capsized shortly after its maiden voyage. The ship was salvaged 333 years later in 1961 and has been 95% restored to its original state. The museum was built to accommodate the Vasa’s three masts, and the ship is quite impressive to see as well as the numerous decorated carved sculptures.
Our city bus tour was an easy way to get an overview of the city. Unfortunately, with no photo stops, it wasn’t possible to take any good pictures. We were dropped–off by the Royal Palace in the Old Town, Gamla Stan, one of the most well preserved medieval cities in Europe. The best way the discover this area is by roaming around the narrow streets.
The 13th century Royal Palace is a must see and is open to the public even though it’s the official residence of the King. 
We were fortunate to see the Changing of the Guards that takes place in the interior court. The palace encloses various museums including the Hall of State, the Halls of the Order of Chivalry, the Museum of antiquities, the Treasury and the Armory.
Adjacent to the palace there is the Storkyrkan cathedral dating back 700 years. Close by there is the Stortoget square, site of the Bloodbath of 1520 where 80 Swedish noblemen were beheaded following a successful invasion of the Danes.
This time around we didn’t have time to take a boat tour on the waterways that surround the city but we did the next best thing by walking along the esplanade by the water. We had enough time to stop for a bite to eat on a retired boat, now transformed into a restaurant and a hostel, to enjoy the view.
European Ports of Call – Baltic Cruise