Vasamuseet

Lonely Planet review

No true Scandinavian experience is complete without an understanding of its historical seafaring livelihood. Vasamuseet allows you to simultaneously look into the lives of 17th-century sailors and to appreciate a great achievement in marine archaeology. You'll need several hours to appreciate this amazing place.

Salvaged objects from the ship, including shoes, cannonballs and pill boxes, provide a vivid glimpse into the lives of 17th-century sailors, but none more so than the forensically reconstructed faces of the ill-fated passengers. Guided tours in English run hourly from 09:30 in summer and at least twice daily at other times.

On the entrance level, there's a model of the ship at scale 1:10 and a cinema that shows a 25-minute film, covering topics not included in the exhibitions.

There are three other levels of exhibits including temporary exhibitions (two or three annually) life on board (displays of artefacts salvaged from the Vasa), naval warfare, sculptures, and 17th-century sailing and navigation.

Just outside the museum, there's a walkway to two more modern ships. The vessels are Sweden's first sea-going icebreaker Sankt Erik (launched in 1915) and the characteristic red-and-white lightship Finngrundet (1903).