The novelist Selma Lagerlöf called Stockholm "the city that floats on water". Nowhere do you see this more clearly than from the dizzy observation platform on top of the Kaknäs Television Tower, which rises 508 feet. Below, Stockholm spreads out in a glinting panorama of blue water and the red of of old buildings against the stark white and glass of the new, cut through by green swathes of trees and grass in a country where space is abundant. This roomy outlook means that the city sprawls over a wide area, with space enough for everyone and more. To the east of the city are the thousands of islands of the Stockholm archipelago. The hundreds of small boats along the edge of the inlets and islands indicate the passion of every Stockholm family to own and sail a boat.

Today, Stockholm is also considered a modern and sophisticated metropolis, famous for its design in furniture, textiles and interiors, and host to a plethora of international festivals. Once considered a place of husmanskost ("homely fare"), the city features some of the top chefs and most exciting cuisine in Europe. Stockholm's nightlife has exploded into an array of young, hip clubs and older, more sedate nightspots offering music and ambiance for every taste. Infusing the old with the new is a specialty of today's vibrant Stockholm, as quick to seize on a new trend as Milan or Paris.

The Insight FlexiMap of Stockholm is a great travel addition. Here is an innovative laminated folding map that marries durability and convenience with accuracy, utility, and readability.

Produced with state-of-the-art technology, FlexiMaps feature detailed city street and road maps clearly marked with all the sites and services of particular interest to travelers.

Text and photographs offer a wealth of valuable tourist information including "10 sights you shouldn't miss," plus information on transportation, visas, currency, important telephone numbers, emergency services, and more.

Price: $7.95