Royal Djurgården
The island of Djurgården was a royal hunting ground back in the 17th century. Today it has become Royal Djurgården, Stockholm’s leading visitor attraction with entertainment, museums, restaurants and open countryside – all in the heart of the city.
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Photo: Hans Nelsäter/Stockholm Visitors Board |
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Royal Djurgården is easy to reach by boat or vintage tram, and it’s only a 10-minute walk from Stockholms city centre.
A visit to the area starts with Djurgården bridge, where you can rent canoes or roller-blades. A walk along the waterfront passes Junibacken, the National Museum of Cultural History (Nordiska Museet) and the Vasa Museum, and you can enjoy lunch at one of Royal Djurgården’s restaurants.
Djurgården has many art museums and galleries, including Liljevalchs’ Art Gallery and Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsudde. Anyone interested in handicrafts should make a beeline for Handarbetets Vänner” (Friends of Handicrafts).
A visit to the Gröna Lund amusement park, Skansen open-air museum or a concert at Cirkus rounds off this action-packed day, with something for all tastes and all ages.
Gröna Lund, Sweden’s oldest and happiest amusement park, dating from 1883, provides more fun than anywhere else in Stockholm. Take the family, ride on the roundabouts, enjoy some cotton candy, try a pentathlon, buy some souvenirs and have a really fantastic day out!
Skansen is the world’s first open-air museum, opened in 1891. Get to know Sweden’s past with traditional buildings from the different regions, including a typical 19th century town quarter, and see crafts people at work. Skansen is also Stockholm’s only zoo, where you can see Nordic animals like bears, wolves and lynx. It is also a popular venue for traditional ceremonies and festivals. Folk-dancing displays are staged every day during the summer. Skansen is open daily year-round.
On 10 August 1628 the royal warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage. After more than 300 years in the depths of Stockholm’s harbour she was salvaged in 1961. Vasa is the world’s best-preserved 17th century ship and is also an impressive artistic treasure. The ship was adorned with more than 700 wooden sculptures that depict the language of power. In 2002 a new exhibition about Vasas sculptures and their colours opens in the museum. Guided tours around the ship take place every hour, along with a film show, and there’s an award-winning restaurant and museum shop. Discover the splendour of bygone days in the Vasa Museum.
You’ll have an unforgettable day at Junibacken – a house full of fairytales, laughter, games and mischief. You’ll take a fairytale train into the magical world of the children’s author Astrid Lindgren and meet some of her best-loved characters like Pippi Longstocking. The youngsters can also learn about and test various gadgets in the year’s special exhibition, “Freddy Fixer at Junibacken”. There’s also Sweden’s largest children’s bookshop and a delightful café. It’s open year-round.