Royal Palace

The trip begins with a private, before-hours tour of the Royal Palace designed in 1690 by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, and carried out by Carl Hårleman well into the mid-18th century. This palace is the largest royal residence in Europe, with 618 rooms decorated in Baroque, Rococo, and Gustavian styles.

Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities

The group will tour Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities, which houses his personal collection of Italian sculpture that he brought back from his very own Grand Tour in the late 1700s.

Drottningholm Palace

The trip includes a private tour of Drottningholm Palace, Court Theatre, and the Chinese Pavilion. The Court Theatre is considered to be one of the best preserved 18th century theaters in the world, still featuring the original sets and operating machinery.

Tessin Palace

Next stop is Tessin Palace, the official residence of the City Governor of Stockholm and not open to the public. It was designed in 1692-97 by and for Nicodemus Tessin the Younger as his private residence. The palace contains some of the best-preserved French Baroque interiors in the world. The rear courtyard is a very elaborate façade featuring the three Greek orders and culminating with a Corinthian gallery creating an illusionary false perspective and framing the French broidery parterre garden.

Svindersvik Manor

Svindersvik Manor was planned by court architect Carl Hårleman and built in the 1740s for the owner of the East India Company Carl Grill. Forty years later Svindersvik was redecorated, and an entertainment pavilion was added in the Neo-classical style. The decorated interiors are considered some of the best-preserved examples of the Gustavian style.

Sturehof

Included is lunch at Sturehof manor house, followed by a tour of this home of Baron Johan Liljencrantz, Minister of Finance under Gustav III. The Baron was one of the largest landowners in the area and was part–owner of the famous Marieberg porcelain tiled-stove factory. The factory was the largest and most prominent producer of decorative tiled stoves in all of Sweden. Of the 30 surviving Marieberg tiled stoves, 17 are at Sturehof. The yellow anteroom, originally the baron’s bedroom, has the finest stove at Sturehof, as well as Sweden. The walls of painted panels by Lars Bolander echo the design of the stove. This elegant house was designed by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz, was completed in 1781. The rooms are still well preserved with superb carvings by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez.

Gustav III’s Pavilion at Haga Park

Haga Park offers a tour of Gustav III’s Royal Pavilion, designed by architect Olof Templeton and completed in 1790. Gustav’s inspiration for the pavilion was Le Petit Trianon at Versailles. Haga was a nearby country retreat used by the king to escape the ceremonial life in Stockholm. Not even Gustav’s family was allowed to visit Haga without a personal invitation. Haga boasts true Neoclassical interiors including a mirrored gallery reminiscent of Versailles, as well as one the finest Pompeian rooms In Europe. The picturesque park also contains such follies as the Chinese Pavilion, built when chinoiserie decoration was all the rage; the Turkish Kiosk, and three corps-de-garde buildings, wooden structures covered in painted copper sheeting and shaped like the tents of a military encampment.

Roserberg Palace

Roserberg Palace is considered be one of Sweden's best-preserved examples of Neoclassical design. Remodeled by Nicodemus Tessin the younger in the 1680s in the latest French style, the palace became the Crown Prince’s property in 1757 and was later redecorated with new interiors by Jean Eric Rehn in the 1770s. Almost no alterations have been made to these late 18th century interiors.

Hammarby

Brunch followed by a tour at Hammarby, the summer house of botanist Carl Linnaeus.

Rosendal

Included is a private tour of Rosendal, which was purchased by Prince Karl Johan a year prior to ascending the throne. The main building was destroyed by fire allowing the king an opportunity to create something after his own tastes. In 1823 work began on the new building. Rosendal became for Karl Johan what Malmaison was for Napoleon. The architect, Fredrick Blom was responsible for a new invention, a type of “prefabricated” wooden structure, which was implemented in its largest scale in Rosendal. It is said that Blom was greatly inspired by the large villas built on the outside of Paris during the 1800s and were illustrated by J.C Krafft and N. Rasonette. Rosendal is one of the finest examples of Swedish Empire style and is the best-preserved house from the period.

Leufsta Bruk

The group will enjoy a day-long excursion to Leufsta Bruk, an ironworks village to the north with renowned preservationist Lars Sjoberg as our guide. Mr. Sjoberg will give a tour the interiors of the main mansion designed by Jean Eric Rehn during the height of the Gustavian era, followed by a visit to his own restoration project “Brukskontoret”, which is filled with a fine collection of Gustavian antiques.

Stora Wasby

Participants will enjoy a tour to the privately-owned manor house Stora Wasby, attributed to court architect Jean Eric-Rehn or Carl Hårleman circa 1750. Known for its fine classical elements, it features a low saddleback roof and a richly articulated facade. The interiors are definitely Rehn’s work and the wife’s antechamber is considered to be Sweden’s finest Rococo interior. The visit will be hosted by the owner, Carl De Geer, who does not usually open the property to the public.

Gripsholm Castle

Gripsholm Castle was Gustav III's residence during the fall and winter months. Here the royal court gathered in a fashion similar to his French counterparts at the royal chateau at Fontainebleau. Gripsholm is a fortress-like structure, which the king transformed into a Gustavian showplace. The charm and grace of the rooms are distinctly Swedish. The walls and furniture of a princess’s bedroom are upholstered in exquisite Chinese floral silk, while the floors are scrubbed pine. Queen Sophia Magdelena’s bedroom is painted, gilded and paneled in crimson damask, while the windows are dressed in red and white checked silk.

Two unique aspects of Gripsholm are 28 sets of rooms for the courtiers decorated in simple Swedish style and the Court Theatre, built within one of the castle’s massive round towers. Due to limitedspace, the architect Eric Palmstedt, ingeniously attached half columns to the curved back wall of the auditorium and inserted mirrors between them, which aided in creating the illusion of fully rounded columns and a larger space. The theatre is considered one of the finest Neo-classical interiors in Sweden that has survived intact.

Thureholm Castle

The tour includes a stop at Thureholm Castle, privately owned by Eva and Christer Bonde. Dr. Johan Cederlund, author of several publications on Thureholm, will lead visitors through this magnificent building designed by Carl Hårleman in 1730. Thureholm was Hårleman’s first commission upon returning from his studies in France. The exterior is typical of the Swedish Baroque style, however, the interior floor plan models the French interior floor plans of the period. This is thought to be the first “modern French” floor plan to be introduced in Sweden. It eventually became the standard in later Swedish architecture. At Thureholm, the typical Hårleman variation of the French mansard roof can be seen, along with beautifully painted wall coverings and the original 18th-century “porcelain kitchen,” the only surviving example in Sweden.

Tullgarn Palace

Tullgarn Palace was purchased in 1772 by Gustav III’s younger brother Prince Fredrick Adolf. The prince was a talented artist and honorary member of the Swedish Academy of Arts. Influenced by his travels to Rome, Herculaneum, and Pompeii, the palace interiors feature some of Jean-Baptiste and Louis Masreliez’s finest work.

Elghammar

Participants will enjoy a private tour of Elghammar, designed by Giacomo Quarenghi in St. Petersburg for Curt Von Stedingk, Sweden’s ambassador to Catherine the Greats court. It is considered to be one of Sweden’s finest Palladian houses. The house is still occupied by descendants of the original builders and contains all of the original Russian and Swedish 18th century furnishings and interiors. Our exclusive visit will be hosted by the owner, Duke Charles-Louis d’Otrante, at this privately owned home, which is not open to the public.

Olivehult

Participants will enjoy a visit and brunch at Olivehult manor, hosted by the owner. It originally consisted of a 17th century one story Baroque house. In the Gustavian era a second story was added. This amazing property, which is still in private hands and not open to the public, boasts original 17th century wall coverings and textiles along with a fine collection of Baroque and Gustavian period furniture.

Gunnebo

Participants will experience a private tour of Gunnebo, a mansion designed by Carl Wilhelm Carlsberg in 1784-86 for a wealthy merchant by the name of John Hall. Gunnebo is one of the finest examples of a Neo-Classical country residence and the exquisite style available to an 18th century landowner. The house is perfectly positioned on the property and takes on the look of a Palladian villa in the Italian countryside. From the front the house resembles a Greek temple with the portico with coupled ionic columns and on the garden façade it has a central bay under a pediment featuring a frieze inspired by antiquity along with a monumental double staircase leading into the gardens. Gunnebo retains many exquisite original furnishings that reflect the cool and harmonious austerity of the late Gustavian period.

Ovedskloster

The tour concludes with a farewell dinner at Ovedskloster, one of the greatest privately-owned manor houses from the Gustavian era. It was designed by the royal court architect Carl Hårleman and built in 1769. When the original owner Hans Ramel died in 1799, he stipulated in his will that the house and specifically the piano nobile should remain intact and untouched. Still owned and occupied by the Ramel family the house retains all the original furnishings and interiors designed by Jean Eric Rehn, one of the finest interior designers of the period. The interiors and the furniture are of the same if not better quality than that found in the Royal Palace itself. It is said that Gustav III himself expressed contempt over the interiors rivaling his own in Stockholm.