Stockholm’s best museums: which ones to visit?

When visiting Stockholm, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to museums. You’re bound to find what you’re looking for, with themed museums, children’s museums and parks. It’s obviously an ideal activity when it’s raining (and it does rain quite a bit in Sweden) or in winter to keep warm!

The Swedes know how to showcase their heritage and make museums attractive, with interactive spaces that are often child-friendly.

Below, we’ve listed the best museums and activities to do indoors, with all the practical information you need (price, free day, family-friendly, ticket booking link…) and their location, on our map, to make your stay in Stockholm as easy as possible!

Our favorite museums in Stockholm

The good news is that most of the museums are located on the island of Djaurgarden, nicknamed “Museum Island”, just a few minutes’ walk away, so you can schedule a 1-day visit to the museum of the Vasa shipthe museum Abba and the open-air museum Skansen or the museum Vikingif the weather doesn’t cooperate.

We visited the Swedish capital twice, once in winter and again in summer. So we visited a lot of museums, especially during our winter stay in Stockholm. Since 2023, most national museums have been charging admission.

OUR RECOMMENDATION : We recommend the“Go City” Stockholm Pass, which pays for itself after the third museum ticket purchased. Your ticket will give you free access to many of Stockholm’s museums, such as the Vasa Museum, the Skansen Museum, the Nobel Museum…

1. Vasa: the museum not to be missed

A must-see during your stay in Stockholm, this museum houses the 98%-preserved wreck of a magnificent 17th-century ship . Throughout your visit, you’ll learn more about the ship’shistory and the causes of its sinking. The Vasa Museum is very visual, with models of the ship, the shipyard, various statuses recreated in color, a sectional drawing of the ship…

Read our detailed article with all our tips to help you organize your visit to the Vasa Museum and make sure you don’t forget anything.

As you’d expect, it’s one of Stockholm’s most visited sites. To avoid the crowds at the ticket office, we advise you to book your tickets on the official online booking site, to save precious time on the day of your visit.

Price 190 SEK (approx. €16) from May to September and 170 SEK (approx. €12) from October to April – free for under-18s – audio guide by telephone free of charge – included in the“Go City” Pass

Our time-saving recommendation:

2. ABBA: the Swedish disco band

This is the most informative, fun and interactive museum to visit in Stockholm. The museum is devoted entirely to the famous Swedish disco band ABBA, with explanations in English and Swedish.

It retraces the history of the group, presenting a host of exceptional items including costumes, previously unseen photos and personal objects. We stayed 1h30, so don’t forget to sing along in the karaoke area with the holograms of the band members, even if you’re likely to have the songs stuck in your head for a few days “moneeeey moneeeey moneeeey”! In short, if you want to laugh and have a good time, go for it!

We advise you to buy your ticket online before you arrive to be sure of getting tickets in high season, as it’s really crowded.

Price : from 230 to 290 sek depending on the period and day of the week (19 to 25€) – Reduced price

3. Paradox: a museum of illusions

This is the Instagrammable museum to do in Stockholm. You’ll have a great time watching and enjoying the various illusions on offer. Don’t forget the “inverted room”, where you can take some really funny photos. Allow 1 hour for the visit, as it can be very busy in high season.

It’s not easy to find the entrance: you have to enter the gallery and go down to level N-1. Remember to book your tickets in advance, as the museum is not very large.

Price : €19 full price – free under 4 – ideal for families.

4- Skansen: the open-air museum

This is Stockholm’s open-air museum, so if the weather’s nice, go for it. It’s a little concentrate of Sweden. You’ll see a variety of traditional habitats from all over the country. There’s even a zoo with Scandinavian animals, where you can see reindeer and elk.

In short, the Skansen Museum is a must-see when visiting Stockholm!

Price : €21 full price April to September – €16 full price October to March – free for children under 4 – ideal for families – included in the“Go City” Pass

5. The Viking Museum: immerse yourself in Swedish history

You can’t come to Sweden without trying to learn more about Viking culture. This museum traces the history of the Vikings, and as is often the case in Sweden, it’s an interactive experience. The little extra, a train that allows you to discover different scenes from Viking life, audio guide in French included, take your headphones.

Price: €16 full price, €14 reduced price students – under 6s free – included in the“Go City” Pass

6. SkyView glass gondola ride

You won’t want to miss this impressive white dome and its gondolas, from which you can soar high for a 360-degree view of Stockholm. We recommend going at sunset, as the view is even more beautiful. The dome is easily accessible by metro.

A small museum explains the construction of this incredible structure.

Price : approx. €14 full price – included in the“Go City” Pass

7. Nobel Prize Museum

Located in the heart of Stockholm’s historic center (Gamla Stan district), we recommend a quick stop at this small, informative museum. It traces the history of the Nobel Prize and its various winners. Free audio guide on the phone.

Each year, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature is unveiled in the museum. The awards ceremony takes place in Stockholm on December 10 (except for the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo). In our opinion, the Nobel Museum is not suitable for young children.

Price : €12 full price – free audioguides on the phone – included in the“Go City” Pass

8. Fotografiska: Stockholm’s finest museum

It’s a magnificent museum of photography, featuring several temporary exhibitions of photographers with totally different styles. We advise you to go there at the end of the day (the museum is open until 11 p.m.), as the bar/restaurant offers a beautiful view of the city.

Price : €14 full price – €9 concessions for 18 to 25 year olds – €6 concessions for 6 to 18 year olds – free for children under 6 – included in the“Go City” Pass.

9. Museum of Natural History

The Natural History Museum, housed in a magnificent building, offers a fine collection of the flora and fauna of the far north, in breathtaking settings. This interactive museum is ideal for children. I visited this museum on my first visit to Stockholm, and have very fond memories of it. The National Museum will start charging in early 2023.

Price: full price approx. €12 – free under 18 – ideal with children

10. National Museum: art museum

This is Stockholm’s museum of art, particularly European art, where you can admire six centuries of masterpieces, displayed in chronological order in different rooms and spaces.

You’ll be able to admire works by the great painters Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Cézanne… We were there before the museum started charging, and loved wandering around the galleries, even though we’re far from art experts. The National Museum will start charging in early 2023.

Price: full price approx. €12 – free under 18 – included in the“Go City” Pass

11. The Palais-Royal: one of the royal residences

Stockholm’s Royal Palace is one of the residences of the King of Sweden. It also houses the Court offices, staffed by around 200 people, and hosts numerous royal receptions.

It is located in the historic center (Gamla Stan) of Stockholm. The palace, a little austere on the outside, is packed with treasureson the inside, so don’t hesitate to visit.

It comprises over 600 rooms, spread over seven floors. Of course, you won’t be able to go through it in its entirety. We advise you to concentrate on the following areas: the royal apartments, the treasure room and the royal armory (entrance fee introduced in 2023).

We recommend that you attend the Changing of the Guard ceremony (free of charge), which lasts around 30 minutes and takes place from Monday to Saturday at 12:15 pm, and at 1:15 pm on Sundays and public holidays, from June to August. Make sure you check before you come, as we don’t take over every day in winter.

Price : 220 SEK (approx. €19) – students 200 SEK (approx. €17) – free for children under 7. Museum included in Citypass Stockholm

12. Junibacken: the Children’s Museum – Fifi Longstocking

If you’re a fan of Fifi Longstocking, this is the museum for you. A museum primarily for children, even big kids will get a kick out of it. The world of books is reproduced with magnificent sets, and the highlight of the show is a little train that tells lots of stories (you can choose the language) as it travels through incredible scenery!

Price : €16 to €19 full price depending on season – free for children under 2 – ideal for families

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The best museums on our map

Which museums will be free in Stockholm in 2023?

Before 2023, national museums were free. Now to visit the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of History… you’ll have to pay a ticket. There are still a few free museums:

• Stockholm Medieval Museum
• The Swedish Parliament
• Stockholm City Museum (Stadsmuseet)

Children and under-19s can visit national museums free of charge.

What to do in Stockholm when it’s raining or in winter?

Let’s answer that question! Of course, in addition to learning a lot and seeing a lot, visiting one or more of the 10 museums listed above will also give you shelter from the rain and cold (because yes, it does get very cold in January and February…)!

To give you an example, we were there for a weekend in January, and had time to visit the Vasa Museum, the Abba Museum and the Viking Museum all in the same day. Then we went to the Nobel and Fotografika museums on the second day.

We explored the other museums during our summer stays, alternating outdoor and indoor visits.

Where to sleep in Stockholm?

For easy access to the main points of interest, we recommend the Norrmalm district (today’s city center) .

We wish you an excellent trip to Stockholm, and one last word of advice: don’t miss its incredible archipelago!

Feel free to leave us a quick note or 5 stars below, to tell us if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, here or on Instagram, we’ll get back to you with great pleasure.