Must-see attractions in Stockholm

  • Outer courtyard at Stockholm's Royal Palace

    Kungliga Slottet

    Gamla Stan

    A massive structure with more than 600 rooms on 11 levels, Kungliga Slottet (the Royal Palace) dominates the north end of Gamla Stan. The official…

  • Fotografiska in Stockholm.

    Fotografiska

    Södermalm

    Since opening its doors in 2010, Fotografiska has become one of the world’s leading photography museums and one of Stockholm’s most popular attractions…

  • Traditional house in Skansen open-air museum.

    Skansen

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Often called 'Sweden in miniature', Skansen is an unmissable Stockholm highlight. Expect to spend a full day wandering this hilltop open-air museum, with…

  • City Hall building in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Stadshuset

    Kungsholmen

    The imposing Stadshuset (City Hall) defines the Stockholm skyline, with its blocky silhouette and waterside perch. It looks stern and weighty from afar,…

  • Exterior detail of Vasamuseet.

    Vasamuseet

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    A good-humoured glorification of some dodgy calculations, Vasamuseet is the custom-built home of the massive warship Vasa; 69m long and 48.8m tall, it was…

  • Greta Garbo's gravestone at Skogskyrkogården in Stockholm.

    Skogskyrkogården

    Stockholm

    One of Stockholm’s most unexpected attractions, Skogskyrkogården (the Woodland Cemetery) is an arrestingly beautiful graveyard set in the soothing pine…

  • Part of "Four Elements" sculpture, Moderne Museet.

    Moderna Museet

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Moderna Museet is Stockholm’s modern-art maverick, its permanent collection ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography, video art and…

  • Entrance at Millesgarden with statues of the sculptor Carl Milles.

    Millesgården

    Stockholm

    Beautiful Millesgården was the home and studio of sculptor Carl Milles, whose delicate water sprites and other whimsical sculptures dot the city landscape…

  • Historiska Museet

    Stockholm

    From Iron Age skates and a Viking boat to medieval textiles and Renaissance triptychs, Sweden's national historical collection spans over 10,000 years of…

  • Antique spirit bottles at Spritmuseum in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Spritmuseum

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    The surprisingly entertaining Museum of Spirits is dedicated to Sweden's complicated relationship with alcohol, as mediated over the years by the state…

  • The Nordic Museum (Nordiska Museet) building at Djurgarden Island.

    Nordiska Museet

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    The epic Nordiska Museet is Sweden’s largest cultural-history museum and one of its largest indoor spaces. The building itself (from 1907) is an eclectic,…

  • The Museum of Medieval Stockholm, a museum depicting Stockholm medieval history and society. Located right in front of the Swedish parliament.

    Medeltidsmuseet

    Gamla Stan

    Tucked beneath the bridge that links Gamla Stan and Norrmalm, this child-friendly museum was established when construction workers preparing to build a…

  • Historic carriage on display at the Royal Armoury in Stockholm.

    Royal Armoury

    Gamla Stan

    The Royal Armoury is housed in the cellar vaults of the palace but has separate hours. It’s a family attic of sorts, crammed with engrossing memorabilia…

  • Riddarholmen Church and ornamented spire in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Riddarholmskyrkan

    Gamla Stan

    The strikingly beautiful Riddarholmskyrkan, on the equally pretty and under-visited islet of Riddarholmen, was built by Franciscan monks in the late 13th…

  • Waldemarsudde museum, scenic former residence of Prince Eugen, on Jurgarden island.

    Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, at the southern tip of Djurgården, is a soul-perking combo of water views and art. The palace once belonged to the painter…

  • Egyptian Mummies and sarcophagus in Medelhavsmuseet.

    Medelhavsmuseet

    Stockholm

    Housed in an elegant Italianate building, Medelhavsmuseet lures history buffs with its Egyptian, Greek, Cypriot, Roman and Etruscan treasures. A large…

  • The lake Isbladskarret in Djurgarden island of Stockholm City in Sweden, as seen from the bird watching point, in the Royal National City Park.

    Ekoparken

    Stockholm

    The vast Ekoparken, or Royal National City Park, is the world’s first national urban park. Established in 1995, it incorporates 26 sq km, stretching all…

  • Kulturhuset in Stockholm.

    Kulturhuset

    Stockholm

    This architecturally divisive building, opened in 1974, is an arts hub, with a couple of galleries and workshops, a cinema, three restaurants, and…

  • Hallwyl Museum inner courtyard.

    Hallwylska Museet

    Stockholm

    A private palace completed in 1898, Hallwylska Museet was once home to compulsive hoarder Wilhelmina von Hallwyl, who collected items as diverse as…

  • Evert Taubes Terrass in Stockholm.

    Evert Taubes Terrass

    Gamla Stan

    Evert Taubes Terrass is a tranquil and relaxed spot and one of the best viewpoints in Stockholm, at eye level with lake Mälaren on the quiet island of…

  • Riksdag Parliament Building and Norrbro Bridge in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Riksdagshuset

    Gamla Stan

    Technically situated on Helgeandsholmen, the little island in the middle of Norrström, rather than on Gamla Stan, the Swedish Parliament building is an…

  • Entrance to Junibacken in Stockholm.

    Junibacken

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Junibacken whimsically recreates the fantasy scenes of Astrid Lindgren’s books for children. Catch the flying Story Train over Stockholm, shrink to the…

  • Nationalmuseum, or National Museum of Fine Arts, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm, Sweden.

    Nationalmuseum

    Stockholm

    Sweden’s largest art museum is home to the nation’s collection of painting, sculpture, drawings, decorative arts and graphics from the Middle Ages to the…

  • Tantolunden park on Södermalm, in Stockholm, Sweden.

    Tantolunden

    Södermalm

    Located in southwest Södermalm, adjacent to trendy Hornstull, Tantolunden is one of Stockholm's most extensive and varied parks. Its combination of…

  • Armémuseum in the district of Ostermalm in Stockholm.

    Armémuseum

    Stockholm

    Delve into the darker side of human nature at Armémuseum, where three levels of engrossing exhibitions explore the horrors of war through art, weaponry…

  • The famed rotunda of the Stockholm Public Library (Stadsbiblioteket) in Observatorielunden.

    Stadsbiblioteket

    Vasastan

    The main city library is just north of the city centre. Designed by architect Erik Gunnar Asplund and sporting a curvaceous, technicolor reading room, it…

  • Thielska Galleriet

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Thielska Galleriet, at the far eastern end of Djurgården, is a must for Nordic art fans, with a savvy collection of late-19th- and early-20th-century…

  • Nobelmuseet

    Gamla Stan

    Nobelmuseet presents the history of the Nobel Prizes and their recipients, with a focus on the intellectual and cultural aspects of invention. It's a…

  • Etnografiska Museet

    Stockholm

    The Museum of Ethnography stages evocative displays on various aspects of non-European cultures, including dynamic temporary exhibitions and frequent live…

  • Bonniers Konsthall

    Vasastan

    This ambitious gallery keeps culture fiends busy with a fresh dose of international contemporary art, as well as a reading room, a fab cafe and a busy…

  • Tekniska Museet

    Stockholm

    Tekniska is a sprawling wonderland of interactive science and technology exhibits. The Teknorama is a vast room of kinetic experiments and stations…

  • Wetterling Gallery

    Stockholm

    This cool gallery space at the edge of Kungsträdgården always has something interesting going on – usually a boundary-pushing contemporary painter, but…

  • Glassblowers' Workshop

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    The Glassblowers' hut, built in 1936, is one of the top attractions within Skansen. It's also possible to book your own glassblowing session – reserve…

  • Skansen Zoo

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Inside Skansen is this excellent zoo, with native Nordic animals, farm animals and a kid-friendly petting zoo.

  • A boat pulls up at the entrance to the Grona Lund Tivoli fun park in Stockholm.

    Gröna Lund Tivoli

    Djurgården & Skeppsholmen

    Crowded Gröna Lund Tivoli has some 30 rides, ranging from the tame (a German circus carousel) to the terrifying (the Free Fall, where you drop from a…

  • Storkyrkan and Gamla Stan seen from Riddarholmen Island.

    Storkyrkan

    Gamla Stan

    The one-time venue for royal weddings and coronations, Storkyrkan is both Stockholm’s oldest building (consecrated in 1306) and its cathedral. Behind a…

  • Tyska Kyrkan

    Gamla Stan

    Founded by a guild of German merchants in the 15th century, Tyska Kyrkan (The German Church) hints at Stockholm's multicultural past and present. The…

  • St Jakobs Kyrka

    Stockholm

    St Jakobs kyrka is one of Stockholm's most notable and oldest – though often overlooked – churches, away from the central islands of the old town and…

  • Riddarhuset

    Gamla Stan

    The House of Nobility once hosted some of the most influential and powerful people in Sweden's history. Built in the 17th century, this magnificent and…

  • Hedvig Eleonora's Church

    Stockholm

    A perfect example of Swedish baroque architecture from the late-17th to early-18th centuries, Hedvig Eleonora church is an often-bypassed landmark in…

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