By HELEN NICHOLSON

Underworld: Stockholm's clean streets and cityscapes seem an unlikely setting for Stieg Larsson's dark tales


It doesn’t seem a likely setting for embezzlement, sex-trafficking and murder.

Staring out at the pretty cityscape, whose litter- and graffiti-free streets are bathed in brilliant autumn sunlight that dances on the water - as fishermen cast their rods and boats bob gently in the harbour - I can’t imagine anyone getting so much as a parking ticket in Stockholm.

Yet, it was here, in this seemingly wholesome city, that Stieg Larsson found inspiration for his violent, gripping, best-selling Millennium trilogy.

Where once it was the innocent stories of childhood favourite Pippy Longstocking that lured visitors to the Junibacken museum, tourists are now being captivated by tales of computer hacking, assassination attempts and bed-hopping - the dark events that have enthralled readers and cinema-goers alike in the first and most notable book of the trilogy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Fans of the book won’t be surprised to hear that Longstocking was a source of inspiration for Larsson: he dreamt up his unconventional heroine, computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, after imagining what the flame-haired little girl would be like as a grown-up. Continuing the theme, his hero, investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, is nicknamed Kalle Blomkvist - after the boy detective in Astrid Lingren’s children’s books.

This is just one of the nuggets of information supplied by our Millennium tour guide, Ylva da Silva, as we set out to explore the streets of Södermalm. The subject matter is a gift to da Silva. She describes Blomkvist’s bedroom antics with gusto as we gather at Bellmansgatan 1, an orange apartment building that boasts enviable views over Stockholm harbour and the old town - and is Blomkvist's home.


Seeing the sights: Millennium tour guide Ylva da Silva brings Larsson's books to life


The tour gives fans the chance to check out the locations in the books, and da Silva is aided by the fact that Larsson always gave exact addresses - although never his own. Having written for the anti-fascist Expo magazine he had to keep this a secret for fear of retaliation from right-wing fanatics.

We continue along to Monteliusvägen, which provides one of the best views of the city, including the islands of Gamla Stan and Kungsholmen. Here, we discover that all the good guys live on the island of Södermalm, where Larsson was based - while all the baddies live across the water in the east of the city and Kungsholmen. On the horizon, we can just pick out Stockholm District Courthouse, where Blomkvist is convicted of libel and Salander is tried for attempted murder.

After being given a brief history of a failed assassination attempt at a little Lebanese restaurant on a narrow back street, we head to Mellqvist’s Kaffebar on Hornsgatan 78, a regular haunt for the fictional characters - and for Larsson, whose Expo offices used to be based upstairs.

Outside the coffee shop we are joined by a Reuters film crew who are here to capture da Silva in action (such is the interest in her tour). Once the microphone is clipped in place, she continues her gripping narrative of sex, corruption and Ikea shopping tips - as we walk past the Synagogue at St Paulsgatan 13 to Södermalm’s main street, Götgatan, the location of Larsson’s fictional Millennium magazine and the 7-Eleven store where Salander buys her Billy’s Pan pizzas and Malboro cigarettes.


Light relief: Gamla Stan is one of Stockholm's more colourful islands


Costing 120 Swedish Krona (£12), the tour is good value (although there is also a cheaper DIY version - for SEK 40 (£4) you can buy a Millennium map and embark on a self-guided jaunt around the island).

Location number eight on the map is Kvarnen (www.kvarnen.com), a bar where Salander meets up with the rock band Evil Fingers on Tuesday nights. It is one of Stockholm’s oldest taverns, and a good place to refuel on traditional Swedish food, but it’s very popular so you’ll have to book.

There is no room at the inn for us, but we do manage to get a table at sister restaurant Pelikan (www.pelikan.se), a couple of streets down the road. Here, an impressive dining room features 16-foot high ceilings, black and white tiled flooring, simple wooden tables lit by candlelight and menu prices that are a lot more reasonable than the restaurants in the more touristy old town, Gamla Stan.

Save the pennies when you can because, like most Scandinavian cities, Stockholm is not cheap (a 10-minute taxi ride from the harbour to Södermalm cost £25 – I think we were on the gullible tourist rate) - although a rapidly dwindling supply of krona is likely to be the only downside to your visit.


Novel attraction: Mellqvist's Kaffebar is a regular haunt for the fictional characters in the Millennium trilogy


You can make your money go a bit further by buying a Stockholm Card. It costs SEK 395 (£40), and you’ll get a guide book and entrance to over 80 attractions, including City Hall (Ragnar Östberg’s impressive red-brick building where the annual Nobel Banquet is held), Gröna Lund’s Amusement Park, the Royal Palace, the Junibacken museum and the Vasa Museum (home to the world’s only preserved 17th-century ship).

You’ll also get unlimited free trips on the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing boats, which come in very handy - Stockholm is built on 14 islands so a boat trip is the best way to see the city.

Of course, the temperature is dropping and things can get very chilly indeed - the water between the islands completely freezes over in the winter - but the larger boats continue to sail out in all weather. Those who brave a snowy archipelago trip are supplied with thick blankets, and fortified with schnapps and a ‘julbord’ buffet (meatballs, venison pate, smoked reindeer and gravlax).

Back on dry land, a distinctly festive atmosphere is beginning to pervade Stockholm.
The Swedish capital is one of Europe’s greenest cities - so green that it was the first city to be awarded the title of European Green Capital this year. But, at this time of year, it has pulled on its winter coat, and the trees have become a kaleidoscope of russets, coppers and gold. These varied hues are a welcome addition to the cityscape – during my visit, the trees positively glowed as the sun’s rays streamed through them, and cast long shadows on the cobbled streets below.



Kaleidoscope of colour: Stockholm is resplendent with many-varied oranges and browns in autumn


Christmas markets begin to pop up at various locations across the city in late November, including Skansen Open-Air Museum, Gröna Lund (where there are carousels and an ice-skating rink), and the medieval Gamla Stan.

You can’t fail to feel festive in the old town, with its atmospheric narrow streets and cosy coffee shops. Vendors will be setting up their stalls in Stortorget square from 20th November.

There, you’ll be able to shop for Christmas decorations and traditional Swedish handicrafts - and sample smoked reindeer meat, roasted chestnuts and ginger cookies, or ‘pepparkakor’, which locals dip into steaming cups of spicy Glögg (mulled wine) on frosty winter nights.

For something with more of a designer edge, try the trend-setting markets at Beckmans and Konstfack design schools, or Kungsträdgården Christmas market, in the heart of the modern shopping district.

The shops nearby will present you with plenty of ideas for stylish stocking fillers, or you can practice your figures of eight on the Christmas ice rink in the park – just the thing for burning off all those ginger cookies.

Travel Facts
The Millennium Tour takes place in English on Saturdays at 11am and Wednesdays at 6pm from Bellmansgatan 1 in Södermalm. Tickets cost SEK 120 and can be purchased from Stockholm City Museum (www.stadsmuseum.stockholm.se) or the Stockholm Tourist centre (www.stockholmtown.com).

The Millennium tour map can also be bought from the Stockholm City Museum or Stockholm Tourist Centre and costs SEK 40.


source: dailymail