Stockholm Reports Increase in Cruise Ship Visits

Cruise companies are increasingly choosing Stockholm as their port of initial departure or final destination. During 2010, Stockholm will be the turnaround port for 37 vessels. Excitement is mounting in Stockholm prior to the royal wedding in 2010 and the celebrations to mark the city being named Europe’s first Green Capital. Ports of Stockholm has invested in a terminal at the port of Frihamnen, which opened in 2008, and a terminal at the Stadsgården quay in the heart of the city that will open in 2011.

The Stadsgården terminal can accommodate 500 people and offers tourist information, restaurant, café and Internet access. In addition, the quays in the city are being refurbished. The Frihamnen quay is being upgraded. Stockholm is the first city to claim the title of European Green Capital, this due to the city’s long-term focus on environmental issues. The ports of Stockholm are also in the forefront when it comes to environmental work.

In May 2010, a new world class museum of modern photography, Fotografiska, opened in the terminal building at Stadsgården and will exhibit the best international photography, starting with Annie Leibovitz, Vee Sperens and Lennart Nilsson, among others.

The museum hosts four major annual shows and several smaller exhibitions. The museum, restaurant and café will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The museum offers panoramic views over Gamla Stan (the old town) and the islands of Skeppsholmen and Djurgården, in the heart of Stockholm.