National Museum

Lonely Planet review

Sweden's largest art museum heaves with painting, sculpture, drawings, decorative arts and graphics from the Middle-Ages through to the present. While there's no lack of continental bigwigs here, from Cézanne to Watteau, come for the Scandi stuff, which includes works by CG Pilo, Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson, whose commissioned staircase fresco, Midwinter Sacrifice, was originally rejected by the museum. Style buffs shouldn't miss the Design 19002000 exhibition.

Some of the art became state property on the death of Gustav III in 1792, making this one of the earliest public museums in the world.

Currently, there are around 16,000 paintings and sculptures on display, including magnificent works by artists such as Cézanne, Goya, Rembrandt and Rubens. The collection of 18th-century art is among the finest in the world.

The permanent exhibition, 'Design 19002000', describes the history of Swedish design and displays feature furniture and glassware. There are around 30,000 items of decorative artwork in the museum, including porcelain, silverware and late-medieval tapestries.

The museum regularly hosts large temporary exhibitions, including topics relating to fine art and architecture. There's also an excellent museum shop and a pleasant cafe.