Top 10 Things to Do in Stockholm

The Vasa Museum houses the remarkably well-preserved warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour in 1628 and was raised from the seabed in 1961 after 333 years underwater. It is the world's only preserved 17th-century ship and is 95% original, complete with original gilded wood carvings and hundreds of artefacts found on board. The museum is Sweden's most visited attraction, drawing over 1.5 million visitors annually.

ABBA The Museum on Djurgården island is an interactive experience dedicated to the music and legacy of Sweden's most successful band, who have sold over 400 million records worldwide. Visitors can sing along with ABBA holograms, try on costumes, step into a recording studio, and explore memorabilia from the group's 1970s heyday. The museum opened in 2013 and has attracted millions of fans from around the world.

Skansen is the world's oldest open-air museum, founded in 1891, and brings together over 150 historic buildings relocated from across Sweden to create a living showcase of traditional Scandinavian life. The 75-acre site on Djurgården island also functions as a zoo for Nordic animals including brown bears, wolves, moose, and lynx. It hosts traditional seasonal festivals throughout the year, including midsummer celebrations and Christmas markets.

The Royal Palace of Stockholm (Kungliga slottet) is one of the largest palaces in the world, with 1,430 rooms spread across seven floors, and remains the official residence and primary workplace of the Swedish monarch. Built in the Baroque style in the 18th century on the site of a medieval fortress that burned down in 1697, it contains five separate museums including the Treasury, the Armoury, and the Tre Kronor Museum. The daily Changing of the Guard ceremony in the outer courtyard is a popular spectacle.

Djurgården is a peaceful green island in central Stockholm, once a royal hunting ground and today home to many of the city's greatest attractions, including the Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum, and the Nordiska museet. The island is crisscrossed with cycling and walking paths through ancient oak forests, and its waterfront offers stunning views of the Stockholm skyline and archipelago. In summer, the outdoor amusement park Gröna Lund operates at its southern tip.

Östermalms Saluhall is Stockholm's most beautiful indoor food market, a grand brick-and-terracotta Victorian market hall opened in 1888 and extensively renovated and reopened in 2020. The hall's ornate Neo-Gothic architecture features stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings, providing a stunning backdrop for some of Sweden's finest purveyors of fish, meat, cheese, and delicatessen products. It is a must-visit for food lovers and remains a living working market with authentic Swedish culinary culture.

Stockholm City Hall (Stockholms stadshus) is a masterpiece of National Romantic architecture completed in 1923, and is where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held each December in the magnificent Blue Hall — which is paradoxically not blue. The tower rises 106 metres above Riddarfjärden and is topped by three golden crowns, the symbol of Sweden; visitors can climb it for panoramic city views. The building's Golden Hall, with its stunning Byzantine-inspired mosaic of 18 million pieces of gold leaf, is one of Stockholm's most awe-inspiring spaces.

Fotografiska is one of the world's largest photography museums, housed in a stunning early-20th-century Art Nouveau customs building on the Södermalm waterfront with spectacular views of the Stockholm skyline. Since opening in 2010 it has staged over 100 major exhibitions featuring the world's most celebrated photographers, attracting around 500,000 visitors annually. The museum also has a highly acclaimed rooftop restaurant and bar, making it a must-visit even for those less passionate about photography.

The Stockholm Archipelago is one of the world's largest archipelagos, comprising approximately 30,000 islands, islets, and rocks stretching 60 kilometres into the Baltic Sea from the Swedish capital. Regular ferry services operated by Waxholmsbolaget connect hundreds of inhabited islands, many of which have charming fishing villages, red-painted wooden summer cottages, and pristine swimming spots. The outer archipelago offers dramatic open sea scenery while inner islands are lush and green, making this a world-class destination for sailing, kayaking, and island-hopping.

The Vasa Museum houses the remarkably well-preserved warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour in 1628 and was raised from the seabed in 1961 after 333 years underwater. It is the world's only preserved 17th-century ship and is 95% original, complete with original gilded wood carvings and hundreds of artefacts found on board. The museum is Sweden's most visited attraction, drawing over 1.5 million visitors annually.

ABBA The Museum on Djurgården island is an interactive experience dedicated to the music and legacy of Sweden's most successful band, who have sold over 400 million records worldwide. Visitors can sing along with ABBA holograms, try on costumes, step into a recording studio, and explore memorabilia from the group's 1970s heyday. The museum opened in 2013 and has attracted millions of fans from around the world.

Skansen is the world's oldest open-air museum, founded in 1891, and brings together over 150 historic buildings relocated from across Sweden to create a living showcase of traditional Scandinavian life. The 75-acre site on Djurgården island also functions as a zoo for Nordic animals including brown bears, wolves, moose, and lynx. It hosts traditional seasonal festivals throughout the year, including midsummer celebrations and Christmas markets.

The Royal Palace of Stockholm (Kungliga slottet) is one of the largest palaces in the world, with 1,430 rooms spread across seven floors, and remains the official residence and primary workplace of the Swedish monarch. Built in the Baroque style in the 18th century on the site of a medieval fortress that burned down in 1697, it contains five separate museums including the Treasury, the Armoury, and the Tre Kronor Museum. The daily Changing of the Guard ceremony in the outer courtyard is a popular spectacle.

Djurgården is a peaceful green island in central Stockholm, once a royal hunting ground and today home to many of the city's greatest attractions, including the Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum, and the Nordiska museet. The island is crisscrossed with cycling and walking paths through ancient oak forests, and its waterfront offers stunning views of the Stockholm skyline and archipelago. In summer, the outdoor amusement park Gröna Lund operates at its southern tip.

Östermalms Saluhall is Stockholm's most beautiful indoor food market, a grand brick-and-terracotta Victorian market hall opened in 1888 and extensively renovated and reopened in 2020. The hall's ornate Neo-Gothic architecture features stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings, providing a stunning backdrop for some of Sweden's finest purveyors of fish, meat, cheese, and delicatessen products. It is a must-visit for food lovers and remains a living working market with authentic Swedish culinary culture.

Stockholm City Hall (Stockholms stadshus) is a masterpiece of National Romantic architecture completed in 1923, and is where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held each December in the magnificent Blue Hall — which is paradoxically not blue. The tower rises 106 metres above Riddarfjärden and is topped by three golden crowns, the symbol of Sweden; visitors can climb it for panoramic city views. The building's Golden Hall, with its stunning Byzantine-inspired mosaic of 18 million pieces of gold leaf, is one of Stockholm's most awe-inspiring spaces.

Fotografiska is one of the world's largest photography museums, housed in a stunning early-20th-century Art Nouveau customs building on the Södermalm waterfront with spectacular views of the Stockholm skyline. Since opening in 2010 it has staged over 100 major exhibitions featuring the world's most celebrated photographers, attracting around 500,000 visitors annually. The museum also has a highly acclaimed rooftop restaurant and bar, making it a must-visit even for those less passionate about photography.

The Stockholm Archipelago is one of the world's largest archipelagos, comprising approximately 30,000 islands, islets, and rocks stretching 60 kilometres into the Baltic Sea from the Swedish capital. Regular ferry services operated by Waxholmsbolaget connect hundreds of inhabited islands, many of which have charming fishing villages, red-painted wooden summer cottages, and pristine swimming spots. The outer archipelago offers dramatic open sea scenery while inner islands are lush and green, making this a world-class destination for sailing, kayaking, and island-hopping.