Things to do in Stockholm in your spare time
The top ten attractions in Stockholm include large, small, famous, original and modern museums. There is an ABBA museum, Fotografiska, the Vasa Museum.
Vasa Ship Museum
The construction of the warship Vasa, 69 meters long, commissioned by King Gustav II Adolf, began in 1626. A huge ship was supposed to show the whole world the greatness of the navy of the Swedish crown. In two years of construction, the ship was ready – beautiful, but, unfortunately, unstable. It is not surprising that Vasa sank in 1628 during her first voyage, holding out on the water at a strength of 1300 meters. After 333 years, in 1961, he was raised from the bottom of the sea. For almost half a century, painstaking work was carried out on the restoration of the ship, and now it appears before the visitors of the museum in almost its former grandeur. Vasa is the only sailing ship of the 17th century that has survived to this day in the world. More than 95% of the ship has come down to our days in its original form. The ship is decorated with more than a hundred figures carved from wood. Three masts built specifically for the ship on top of the museum show the size of the original ship’s masts. The Vasa Museum is considered the most popular museum in all of Scandinavia. More than a million people visit it every year.
Royal Palace
The palace is open to the public, there are as many as five museums open, but before you go, pay attention to the opening hours of the palace museums. This piece of Italian Baroque architecture was built in the 18th century on the same site as TreKronor Castle, which burned down in 1697. Visitors can see the magnificent reception rooms with interiors of the 18th-19th centuries, the State Hall (Rikssalen) with the silver throne of Queen Christina and the Order Halls (Ordenssalarna). It also houses the Antiquarian Museum of Gustav III, the TreKronor Museum and the Treasury.
In addition, the royal palace houses an arsenal of royal costumes and weapons, coronation carriages and other luxurious carts from the royal stables. We recommend watching the military parade and the daily changing of the guard ceremony.
Changing of the guard at the Royal Palace in Stockholm
The ceremonial changing of the guard of honor in front of the Stockholm Royal Palace is a very impressive sight and a classic of the Swedish cruise program. We will tell you when there is a chance to watch the changing of the guard ceremony with a parade accompanied by an orchestra.
DAILY ALL YEAR ROUND
The Royal Palace is located a couple of tens of meters from the Stockholm City Hall Square. Yes, it cannot be called majestic, and it may even seem that the residence of the Swedish king is too modest and unpretentious. Nevertheless, all year round, without days off and holidays, the soldiers of the royal guard carry an honor guard near the entrances to the palace, and on certain days its change is accompanied by a solemn ceremony. The duration of the ceremony of changing the guard of honor in front of the Royal Palace in Stockholm is about 40 minutes.
Fotografiska
Fotografiska is one of the largest contemporary photography museums in the world. The museum building annually hosts four original large-scale exhibitions and about 20 smaller exhibitions. There is a book and souvenir shop, a restaurant and a photo gallery. The caffe on the top floor offers one of the best views of Stockholm.
ABBA Museum
The ABBA Museum is more than just a museum. The permanent exhibition features many memorabilia associated with the ABBA group, namely: stage costumes, musical instruments, gold discs, awards and many other things. The museum also offers an interactive experience where visitors can sing, dance, mix music and try on virtual stage costumes. You can record your performance and then download it on the museum’s website using an entrance ticket.
Stockholm Globe Arena
Visit the Stockholm Globe Arena, or the Globe Arena, a huge spherical building that hosts concerts and other events.
It is part of the Swedish Solar System project. Its essence is that throughout Sweden you can find a whole cycle of attractions – spherical objects symbolizing the planets of the solar system. Globen Arena is the Sun.
Hostel Jumbo Jet
The most unusual hostel in Stockholm is located on the plane. Yes, the decommissioned Boeing 747 was turned into a hostel. And it’s definitely worth coming here. There are two types of rooms on board: business class and economy. The most beautiful room is in the cockpit.
Absolut Icebar
There are a lot of beautiful places in Stockholm, and one of those that are worth a look is the first Ice Bar. Everything here is made of ice: walls, chairs, a bar counter and even glasses for drinks. For the sake of such a spectacle, one can endure the cold.
Luna Park Gröna Lund
In total, the park has more than 30 different attractions for children and adults. Here are the most interesting ones:
The blue train is a train passing through a tunnel in which ghosts and dragons live.
The circus carousel is a classic attraction where you can ride a horse or even a giraffe and take beautiful photos.
In addition to the rides, the park has a 5-kamp zone with slot machines such as darts, a shooting range, water guns, slingshots and much more.
Also in the Gröna-lund park there are various performances and events for people of different ages. For adults – music concerts, themed evenings and parties, for children – performances and animation programs. You can view the current schedule of upcoming events on the official website.
Skansen Open Air Museum
Skansen is popular among both residents and guests of the Swedish capital. This museum is ideal for visiting with the whole family. This is the oldest open-air museum in the world, which also houses the Stockholm Zoo, which introduces visitors to animals that have lived in Scandinavia since ancient times.
Skansen is located in a picturesque location on the island of Djurgården, offering stunning views of the entire of Stockholm. At the same time, the museum resembles a miniature Sweden. Here you can see 150 farm buildings brought from different parts of the country. The buildings were dismantled for transportation, and then reassembled right in the museum.
Historic center of Stockholm
The entire Old Town, as well as the island of Riddarholmen located next to it, can be called a kind of living museum, full of attractions, restaurants, cafes, bars and shops. Gamla stan is also very popular among lovers of handicrafts, all kinds of rarities and souvenirs. Narrow, winding cobblestone streets and endless golden hues of old buildings give Stockholm’s Old Town a unique feel. Medieval cellars and frescoes are still hidden behind its ancient facades. And in snowy weather, the Old Town seems to be a real fairy-tale kingdom.
The Old Town is home to many picturesque churches and museums, including the Swedish National Cathedral, Stockholm Cathedral, and the Nobel Museum. The largest attraction of the area is the royal palace, which has more than 600 rooms and is one of the largest in the world. In addition to the reception halls, the royal palace houses several interesting museums, including an arsenal with royal costumes and weapons. We recommend not to miss the military parade and the daily changing of the guard ceremony.
Town hall
Stockholm City Hall, whose spire is adorned with three golden crowns, is one of the city’s most recognizable buildings. In addition, it is considered the best example of Swedish National Romantic architecture. The town hall was designed by the architect Ragnar Östberg and built with eight million bricks. The top of the 106 m high tower is decorated with three crowns depicted on the coat of arms of Sweden. Behind the majestic facade are the offices and offices of politicians and officials, large-scale meeting rooms and unique works of art. The meetings of the Stockholm City Council are held in the Town Hall (Rådssalen).
Every year, the Nobel Banquet is held in the town hall building. After lunch, Nobel Prize winners dance at a ball in the Blue Hall (Blå Hallen), while the royal family and guests of the ceremony dance in the Golden Hall (Gyllene Salen), decorated with 18 million gold mosaic details.
Moderna Museet
The museum’s extensive collections and temporary exhibitions bring contemporary art to the attention of visitors along with fashionable classics. Moderna Museet is located in a picturesque location on the island of Skeppsholmen. The building was designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. The museum offers a first-class selection of temporary exhibitions and a children’s workshop, as well as a shop and a pleasant restaurant with great views of Djurgården and Strandvegen.
