With around 90 museums to choose from, visiting Stockholm is a cultural feast. And there's a museum for every one. The city has some of Europe's best art museums, but also world's first open-air museum (Skansen), several museums that display all aspects of Nordic history, an old warship on display (Vasa Museum) and even special places for kids (Junibacken, toy museum). The state-run museums have free admission.

Stockholm is safe. OK, crime rates have gone up in recent decades, like everywhere in Western world. Still it's one of world's safest capitals. There are no neighborhoods you should avoid and it's usually no problem to walk outside at nights.

Art is an integrated part of Stockholm city life. On pavement along Berzelli Park a worker pops out of ground, lifting a manhole cover. From a distance you won't notice it, but it's a statue ('Humor' by KG Bejemark). There are sculptures and statues all over Stockholm, often at unexpected places. Many stations of Stockholm underground (tunnelbana) are decorated with paintings, sculptures, mosaics, installations and engravings. And architecture is incredibly eclectic. Italian, German, Dutch, French style - it's all there, and often in one design.

Which city has 24,000 islands and rocks in its backyard? Stockholm. A huge archipelago connects city with Baltic Sea and you can visit it by boat. Spend a day or so on one of these attractive islands - you won't regret it.

Every modern city has negative aspects. Too much traffic, pollution, drunks, criminals ... I don't believe a city built by humans will ever become perfect. But compared to other capitals, Stockholm comes very close.

The author Marc A. de Jong is a Dutch journalist currently living in Antwerp, Belgium. He is the owner and editor of www.stockholm-sweden-travel-guide.com - a unique online travel guide based on personal experience.

A listing of addresses and telephone numbers of U.S. embassies and consulates abroad is contained in Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts . This publication may be obtained through Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Also available from Government Printing Office is Health Information for International Travel by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This contains a global rundown of disease and immunization advice and other health guidance, including risks in particular countries. The CDC maintains international travelers hotline at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747), an automated faxback service at 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299) and a home page on Internet at http://www.cdc.gov .

For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en. The WHO also provides travel health information at http://www.who.int/ith.

For detailed information on physicians abroad, authoritative reference is The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists published for American Board of Medical Specialists and its certifying member boards. This publication should be available in your local library. U.S. embassies and consulates abroad maintain lists of hospitals and physicians. Major credit card companies also can provide names of local doctors and hospitals abroad.