There are several great attractions in Stockholm and one might question were to start, especially if on a time crunch or budget. Below you will find our top 10 attractions in Stockholm that are not free. We suggest that you look at our list and decide which ones catch your eyes the most in order to include them in your Stockholm itinerary.
It includes a unique and well preserved warship from the 17th century. The Vasa ship sank in Stockholm in 1628 and after 333 years on the seabed, the ship was salvaged. Today, Vasa is the world’s only preserved ship from the 17th century. The Vasa museum is one of the most visited museums in Scandinavia, however, ticket queuing is quite fast and efficient.
We highly recommend it, and suggest to allocate around 1 hour for the visit. It was one of our favourite museums we visited. We were astonished by the amazing ship and the other artefacts that were in the museums such as skeletons, colour pigments, maps and much more.
It is the most well preserved castle from the 1600s in Sweden. The palace is the King and Queen’s current permanent home residence, and the Southern wing is currently reserved for that purpose. It includes gorgeous rooms, a beautiful garden, and stunning views surrounding all the castle. It is a World Heritage Site due to its beauty and historical importance.
It is definitely a must visit, it is easily accessible by public transport such as bus or boat and takes around 2 hours to explore. We really enjoyed exploring this Palace and we wished to have allocated more time to it to simply just sit, relax and enjoy the stunning views.
The Royal Palace is the workplace of the King and Queen. It is baroque style, formed as a Roman palace with more than 600 rooms. It includes a stunning treasury filled with swords and enchanting crowns. The palace is found in Gamla Stan, a historic beautiful old town in Stockholm. A guided tour or audio description can be chosen however if not, each room has a small explanation of what the room/item was used for and whether it is still used today.
There is also the changing of guards ceremony daily, which has been a tradition since 1523. It is a beautiful palace which takes around 2 hours to explore. Unfortunately when we visited, the main entrance and part of the palace were under restoration, however, it was still definitely worth.
It is located in the cellars of the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The Armoury shows the history of Sweden’s Kings and Queens. It displays weapons, armours and carriages that tell events of 500 years of Swedish and international history, such as King Gustav III’s masquerade costume with the bullet hole where he was shot. It is a stunning attraction, that takes you through time with its interactive objects and ambiance.
A must visit and will take around 1 hour. We have to admit, this was one of the best attractions we ever did. The ambiance takes you right through history, you can touch swords and wear helmets and the artefacts were some of the best we have ever seen.
It is an interactive museum that tells the story of Vikings in Scandinavia. It depicts not only the brave seafarers and raids from the Viking age, but also the women, children and men who stayed at home and the farms. There is a museum ride, Ragnifrid’s Saga, which is a journey back in time. During this ride, you get to follow in Harald’s footsteps as he goes on a viking raid through 10th century Europe.
This museum is full of mythology, adventure and exploration through movies, artefacts and sound effects. It was a cool museum to visit however, the museum ride was definitely what made it worth visiting. We also enjoyed the fact that there was referencing to the series Vikings, as we are big fans.
It depicts how the world we live in changed and developed thanks to researchers, writers and activists who worked in the fields of science, literature and peace. It is a medium sized museums, full of medals, inventions and also some interactive games such as puzzles for adults and kids.
Each item includes a description, explaining what it is, who found it, and how it is used today. Inside there is also a small gift shop with small memorable trinkets, postcards and books. In our opinion, this was not the best museum we visited and we did not spend more than 30 minutes in it. However, we still think it is something that people should do especially enthusiasts.
It is a frozen room, where everything, including the drinking glass, is made out of ice. The temperature inside is -5 degrees celsius, and you are given a coat and gloves before you enter. In the admission price, there is a drink included, were you can choose from a list of alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails.
Icebar Stockholm is a once in a lifetime experience and truly an unforgettable one. There are also several ice sculptures like buildings and creatures made out of ice. We stayed inside for around 30 minutes and the cocktails were delicious, however we had to leave as we were feeling too cold. It was an amazing experience and will for sure remain a tale to tell in the future.
Gröna Lund is an amusement park full of rides, games, food and drinks. Since 1883 it has been the ultimate destination for fun and excitement, offering thrilling rides, amazing performances and delicious food.
It is a family friendly park, were everyone will surely find something to his liking. It is located on the island of Djurgården, and is easily accessible by public transport such as the ferry.
Read more about Stockholm’s public transport here.
Overall it is an adrenaline pumping experience, were you can win many things such as huge chocolate bars and stuffed animals ranging in many sizes, at a reasonable price.
We enjoyed this attraction a lot and would have stayed much more if we had the time. We suggest that you allocate 2-3 hours for this especially if you are one that likes to try many rides.
Skansen is the world’s first open-air museum, founded in 1891. It is a place were you can stroll through five centuries of Swedish history, through its historical buildings, dwellings, and people in period dresses. It is an area of 300,000m2, so be prepared to walk. There is also a zoo were you can find both domestic and wild Nordic animals such as bears and lynx. Inside there are also many food stands that you can enjoy.
We did this in a hurry after a long day of exploring, which we do not suggest. We suggest to allocate half a day for this attraction, wear comfortable clothes and be ready to walk a lot if you want to get your money’s worth. It is definitely something to do, however we found it a bit disappointing that for example some of the animal cages were empty or were so big that you can hardly spot any animals.
Nordiska Museet is a highly aesthetic building full of colours, that tells stories about life andpeople in the Nordics. Every room has its own theme and colours that goes perfectly welltogether, that shows life in the past of the Nordics. It is a very big building, full of items onevery corner. In fact it is Sweden’s biggest cultural history museum. There is also a restaurant, which offers traditional cooking and freshly baked bread and pastries.
It will take you around 2-3 hours to fully enjoy this museum without any rush. It was overall an amazing experience for us. We enjoyed the colourful rooms, different textures and materials that compliment perfectly theitems on display.
We did all these attractions, and a bit more in roughly two days. Some of them we had to rush through due to the time restraint as we wanted to see the most museums as possible since we bought the Go City Pass and wanted to get our money’s worth. More information on the Go City Pass and whether it was worth-it is included in “Go City Pass Stockholm, is it worth it?” article. Stockholm is the ultimate city for attractions, so we suggest that you plan your holiday well before visiting as to visit and enjoy the most as possible.
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