Museums · Stockholm · Sweden
8 best museums in Stockholm
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Julian Herzog ( Website ), CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Vasa Museum, Skansen and ABBA The Museum. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 15–19 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 15–19 hours
- Areas
- Djurgården, Södermalm and Skeppsholmen
Museums in Stockholm
Museum · Djurgården
1.Vasa Museum
The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, barely a kilometre into her journey, and was raised in 1961 almost intact.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Djurgården
2.Skansen
Founded in 1891, the world's first open-air museum brings together historic farmsteads, manor houses and a town quarter moved from all over Sweden, staffed by craftspeople in period costume.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
Museum · Djurgården
3.ABBA The Museum
An interactive museum about Sweden's most famous band, with original costumes, gold records and studio recreations.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Gallery · Södermalm
4.Fotografiska
Stockholm's photography museum, in a 1906 Art Nouveau customs building on the Södermalm waterfront, shows changing exhibitions by major international photographers.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Views
- Rainy day
- After dark
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Gallery · Skeppsholmen
5.Moderna Museet
Sweden's museum of modern and contemporary art on the small island of Skeppsholmen holds major works by Picasso, Dalí, Matisse, Duchamp and Warhol, as well as Nordic artists.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Museum · Norrmalm
6.Nationalmuseum
Sweden's national museum of art and design reopened in 2018 after a major renovation.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Djurgården
7.Junibacken
A children's museum built around the stories of Astrid Lindgren, with a story train that rides through scenes from her books, Pippi Longstocking's Villa Villekulla to climb around in, and play areas based on other Swedish children's characters.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Gamla Stan
8.Nobel Prize Museum
In the Old Stock Exchange on Stortorget, the museum tells the stories of Nobel laureates and their discoveries through objects they donated, films and changing exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Djurgården | Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum and Junibacken | 2 hours + Half a day + 1.5–2 hours + 2–3 hours |
| Södermalm | Fotografiska | 1.5–2 hours |
| Skeppsholmen | Moderna Museet | 1.5–2 hours |
| Norrmalm | Nationalmuseum | 2 hours |
| Gamla Stan | Nobel Prize Museum | 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 2 low cost, 5 mid-priced, 1 expensive. Book ahead for Vasa Museum and ABBA The Museum. The longest visit is Skansen; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Vasa Museum: Summer queues can be long; buying a ticket online speeds up entry.
- ABBA The Museum: Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially at weekends and in summer.
How to fit them into 5 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Djurgården): Vasa Museum, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Djurgården): Skansen, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Djurgården): ABBA The Museum → Junibacken, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Södermalm and Skeppsholmen): Fotografiska → Moderna Museet, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 5 (Norrmalm and Gamla Stan): Nationalmuseum → Nobel Prize Museum, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 2°C (36°F), about 7 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Often the snowiest month, with crisp clear days and lakes that may freeze for skating; semla buns fill the bakeries.
- January: highs of 1°C (34°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold and dark with about six to seven hours of daylight; snow and ice are possible.
- April: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 6 rainy days, quiet crowds. Spring arrives with cherry blossom in Kungsträdgården and outdoor cafés reopening on sunny days.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Gamla Stan — Medieval island old town of cobbled lanes, the Royal Palace and Stortorget
- Norrmalm — The modern centre: Central Station, department stores and Kungsträdgården
- Södermalm — Hilly island of independent shops, cafés, bars and cliff-top views
- Djurgården — Green royal park island of museums, an amusement park and waterside walks
More of Stockholm
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Stockholm?
Vasa Museum. The warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, barely a kilometre into her journey, and was raised in 1961 almost intact.