With kids · Stockholm · Sweden
Stockholm with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: AleWi, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Stockholm is one of Europe's most child-friendly capitals, with Skansen's animals and old farms, Junibacken, Gröna Lund and the Vasa all on Djurgården, plus ferries, playgrounds and city beaches. Public transport is pushchair-friendly and restaurants welcome children. Top picks: Skansen, Junibacken and Gröna Lund. Families usually base themselves in Östermalm.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 7
- Best area for families
- Östermalm
- Rainy-day options
- 3
- Busiest months
- July
Best things to do with kids
Museum · Djurgården
1.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. Its hilltop setting includes Nordic animals such as moose, brown bears, wolves and reindeer, and it hosts the city's traditional Midsummer and Lucia celebrations.
Take the funicular up from the Hazelius entrance and walk downhill through the park.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
Museum · Djurgården
2.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.
Ride the story train first, then let children loose in Villa Villekulla.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Theme park · Djurgården
3.Gröna Lund
A compact amusement park on the Djurgården waterfront since 1883, with roller coasters, a drop tower with views over the city and gentler rides for small children. It also hosts outdoor summer concerts. The park opens seasonally, from spring to early autumn.
Ride the drop tower for a few seconds of the best view in Stockholm before the fall.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- After dark
- Active
Museum · Djurgården
4.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. The 69-metre ship, about 98% original, fills a purpose-built hall surrounded by galleries on life aboard, the carved sculptures and the salvage.
Arrive at opening or in the last hours of the day in summer, and watch the short film first for context.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Summer queues can be long; buying a ticket online speeds up entry.
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Museum · Djurgården
5.ABBA The Museum
An interactive museum about Sweden's most famous band, with original costumes, gold records and studio recreations. Visitors can sing on stage with holographic band members, record in a studio and dance in a mock-up of a 1970s disco.
Use the code on your ticket to collect your recordings and performances online afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially at weekends and in summer.
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Park · Djurgården
6.Djurgården and Rosendals Trädgård
Away from its museums, most of Djurgården is royal parkland with oak meadows, waterside paths and the Rosendal Palace. Rosendals Trädgård is an organic garden with orchards, glasshouses and a café where you can eat lunch among the fruit trees.
Walk or cycle the waterfront path round the island, then stop for fika at Rosendals Trädgård.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
- Food
Experience · Norrmalm
7.Metro art
Most of Stockholm's metro stations are decorated with art, earning the network its reputation as a long underground gallery. Highlights include the blue vines painted on the bare rock at T-Centralen, the red sky and forest of Solna Centrum, the rainbow of Stadion and the archaeological displays at Kungsträdgården.
With a 24-hour ticket, ride the blue line from T-Centralen to Kungsträdgården, then the red line to Stadion.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Vasa Museum — Arrive at opening or in the last hours of the day in summer, and watch the short film first for context.
- ABBA The Museum — Use the code on your ticket to collect your recordings and performances online afterwards.
- Junibacken — Ride the story train first, then let children loose in Villa Villekulla.
Where families should stay
$$$$ · Best for luxury, food lovers, families and nightlife
Östermalm
Östermalm is the city's most affluent district, with grand 19th-century apartment blocks along Strandvägen, designer shops on Biblioteksgatan, the Östermalms Saluhall food hall and the Stureplan nightlife hub. Djurgården is a short walk over the bridge, which makes it a convenient base for the main museums.
- Good
- Walk to Djurgården's museums; Excellent restaurants; Calm, attractive streets
- Watch out
- Among the most expensive areas; Stureplan is loud on weekend nights
- Nearby
- Östermalms Saluhall, Strandvägen, Djurgården, Stureplan
Family travel tips
- Children under 7 travel free on SL when accompanied by a paying adult; older children and teenagers pay a reduced fare.
- Spend a full day on Djurgården and travel there by the ferry from Slussen, which children love.
- Tekniska museet, the National Museum of Science and Technology, has hands-on galleries that suit rainy days.
- Gröna Lund opens only from spring to early autumn; check before promising it.
- In summer, city beaches such as Smedsuddsbadet have shallow, calm water for younger children.
Day trips for families
- Drottningholm Palace (About 1 hour by boat, or 30–40 minutes by metro and bus) — The UNESCO-listed home of the Swedish royal family on an island in Lake Mälaren has baroque gardens, a Chinese Pavilion and a palace theatre from 1766 that still uses its original stage machinery.
- Fjäderholmarna (About 25 minutes by boat) — The closest archipelago islands to the city have smooth rocks for swimming and sunbathing, craft shops, a smokehouse and restaurants.
- Vaxholm (About 1 hour by boat or 50 minutes by bus) — A small archipelago town of painted wooden houses, with a 16th-century fortress on its own islet guarding the sea approach to Stockholm.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–September. July is the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Stockholm good for kids?
Stockholm is one of Europe's most child-friendly capitals, with Skansen's animals and old farms, Junibacken, Gröna Lund and the Vasa all on Djurgården, plus ferries, playgrounds and city beaches. Public transport is pushchair-friendly and restaurants welcome children.
+What can kids do in Stockholm?
Skansen, Junibacken, Gröna Lund, Vasa Museum and ABBA The Museum.
+Where should families stay in Stockholm?
Östermalm: Elegant boulevards, a historic food hall and the waterfront of Strandvägen.