When visiting Stockholm and explore its many museums, we recommend you include the astonishing Vasa Museum in your itinerary. This museum, which houses the wreck of a magnificent ship, is sure to impress young and old alike!
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.
We give you below all the practical information to facilitate your visit (price, time of visit, opening day and schedule) ….
The Vasa ship: an inglorious wreck
This ship, commissioned by King Gustav II Adolphus in 1625, was to be the symbol of Swedish power. Construction took 2 years, supervised by the King and an experienced Dutch site manager.
Despite initial doubts about its stability, the boat did make it out of the harbor, but sank in a sudden gust of wind just 20 minutes after its first outing. It then remained submerged for over 3 centuries.
Visit the Vasa Museum: location, opening hours and prices
Where is the Vasa Museum?
The Vasa Museum is a must-see, located at the following address: Galärvarvsvägen 14, on the island of Djaurgarden, nicknamed “Museum Island”, in the heart of the Swedish capital.
This is the area of Stockholm you won’t want to miss. Close to the Abba Museum, Viking Museum, Grona Lund Tivoli (funfair) and Skansen Park. You’ll also see the masts protruding from the outside.
Opening hours
- September to May 10am – 5pm (Wednesdays until 8pm)
- June to August 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Closed on December 24 and 25, and on December 31 (10 a.m.-3 p.m. only).
The museum is open all year round, so it’s a great activity option when it’s raining or in the Stockholm winter, to keep dry and warm!
Remember to check this information on your ticket before you arrive.
Vasa Museum rates and reservations
This is Stockholm’s most visited museum, so we advise you to buy your admission ticket directly online on the official booking site to avoid the long queues at the booking kiosks.
We visited at the end of July, and the automatic terminals were closed when we arrived, giving the museum time to empty out. We were able to return, as we had bought our tickets online.
Price: 190 SEK (approx. €16) from May to September and 170 SEK (approx. €12 ) from October to April – free for under-18s – photos possible without flash. Museum included in“Go City” pass
➡️Nous recommends 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…
➡️ You can also opt for a combined ticket for the Vasa Museum and the Vrak Museum, or a guided tour of the Old Town, Djurgården Island and the Vasa Museum.
How to prepare for your visit
How to organize your visit?
On arrival, we recommend that you go to the reception desk (located near the lockers and toilets) to ask for the film schedule in French, and to pick up the small booklet in French for children.
Ideally, you should start by watching the 15-minute film. The French timetable did not correspond to our time slot. So we watched it in English (with English subtitles) at the end of our visit. In short, don’t be like us, be a little more organized, if you can.
The film is really great. It shows impressive footage of the boat’s emergence from the water, the first divers (of the time) to descend, explains the boat’s conservation methods and shows the objects exhumed from the boat.
Then connect to the museum’s website, with your headphones on. A free audio guide is available in French, with around 15 tracks to listen to. We recommend that you let us guide you through the entire museum, with exhibits organized around the boat. The entire tour is based around theshipwreck.
Throughout your visit, you’ll learn more about the ship’shistory, the causes of the sinking and theinvestigation. The museum is very visual, with models of the boat, the shipyard, various statuses recreated in color, a sectional drawing of the boat with small figurines…
Our tips for preparing your visit
Here is some information we think you should know to help you prepare for your visit:
- Book your tickets on the official online booking site
- Bring your headphones to enjoy the free audio guide on your phone
- Ask for the schedule for the French-language explanatory film on arrival
- Pick up the children’s booklet at reception
- Key locker (no token or padlock required)
- Toilets next to children’s area less frequented
Family visits
We’re in Sweden, so of course there’s an area dedicated to children, with a little cartoon in English and a few books.
If your child doesn’t understand English, ask for the booklet in French at reception. In which a visit is proposed, in the form of small investigations, with about ten small texts to be read with questions/things to be observed in the museum, for example “98% of the boat is intact – can you find the lighter parts on the boat? ”
Older children can read the booklet on their own. It’s not incredible compared to other museums in Sweden, but at least it exists. In the end, thanks to the booklet, our daughter, aged 3 and a half, was able to understand the different sections we visited.
Our opinion and visiting time
We stayed 1h15. We had plenty of time to enjoy the different areas, and our daughter loved them too. We loved the relaxing atmosphere thanks to the subdued lighting. The entire tour takes place around the boat on several levels, and at times we were very close to the boat. It’s the only museum in the world to preserve a 17th-century ship virtually intact, so go for it!
Where to sleep in Stockholm?
Where to sleep in Stockholm?
For easy access to the main points of interest, we recommend the Norrmalm district (today’s city center) .
Hotel Birger Jarl: Noormalm district: the hotel’s location is perfect for visiting central Stockholm on foot. In a beautiful, completely renovated building, our accommodation was spacious with a mini fridge and carefully decorated, excellent value for money where you’ll feel right at home. We would definitely go back. (with breakfast)
We wish you a excellent trip to Stockholm and one last little tip: don’t miss its incredible archipelago! Don’t hesitate to leave us a quick note or 5 stars below, to let us know 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.
