Experiences
Djurgården in Stockholm: the Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA and Gröna Lund
Djurgården is the green island east of the centre where Stockholm's most visited museums sit a few minutes' walk apart. Here is how to make the most of a day there, and where to stay to beat the queues.
In short
The Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum and Gröna Lund are all on Djurgården, within a ten-minute walk of each other. Start at the Vasa Museum when it opens, spend the afternoon at Skansen and finish at Gröna Lund if the park is open. One full day covers three of them; allow two to see everything.
Our first choice: Hotel Hasselbacken, on Djurgården itself and a five-minute walk from Skansen and Gröna Lund. You are there before the day visitors cross the bridge.
Book your stay: See available rooms at Hotel Hasselbacken
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How to get to Djurgården
Tram 7 runs from Sergels Torg via Norrmalmstorg and Nybroplan out to Djurgården, with stops by the Vasa Museum, Skansen and Gröna Lund. The Djurgården ferry leaves from Slussen and Skeppsholmen and docks at Allmänna Gränd, right by Gröna Lund. It is the nicest way to arrive, with Gamla Stan and Strömmen behind you.
If you would rather walk, follow Strandvägen from Nybroplan and cross Djurgårdsbron. It takes about twenty minutes, past the boats in Nybroviken and the 19th-century façades.
The Djurgårdsbrunn canal, Stockholm
The Djurgårdsbrunn canal winds through the green parkland of Djurgården in the heart of Stockholm.
The Vasa Museum
Vasa was meant to be the pride of the Swedish navy. In August 1628 the warship heeled over and sank after a few hundred metres, in front of thousands of spectators on the quays. She lay on the bottom of Stockholm harbour for 333 years before being raised in 1961, and today she stands inside a museum hall built around her.
The first thing you notice is the size. The ship is 69 metres long and fills the hall from floor to ceiling, with carved lions, emperors and mermaids across the stern. Around 98 per cent of what you see is original.
How to do it: Arrive at opening time or late in the afternoon, as the middle of the day is busy. Watch the short film about the salvage first, and join one of the guided tours, which run in several languages. Allow an hour and a half to two hours.
The Vasa Museum, Stockholm
The Vasa Museum was built around the warship from 1628, the best-preserved ship of the 17th century.
Skansen
Skansen opened in 1891 and is considered the oldest open-air museum in the world. Artur Hazelius moved houses and farms here from all over Sweden, and today you walk from a Sámi camp to a 19th-century town quarter with a bakery, a glassblower and a printer at work.
The zoo has Nordic animals such as elk, brown bears, wolves, lynx and wolverines, and they are most active early and late in the day. In summer, Allsång på Skansen is broadcast on Swedish television from the Solliden stage, and at weekends in Advent there is a Christmas market among the old houses.
How to do it: Take Bergbanan, the little funicular, up from the Hazeliusporten entrance if you want to save your legs. Allow half a day, and have lunch at one of the cafés inside the park.
Skansen, Stockholm
Skansen sits on a hill above Djurgården, with old houses from all over Sweden.
ABBA The Museum
ABBA The Museum shares a building with the Swedish Music Hall of Fame, right next to Gröna Lund. It has the stage costumes, the gold records and a copy of the Polar studio where the band recorded, and you can sing, dance and share the stage with the band as holograms. It is one of the few museums in the city that people leave humming.
How to do it: Buy your ticket online before you go, and allow an hour and a half. Afternoons are quietest, once the school groups have left.
Gröna Lund
Gröna Lund is the oldest amusement park in Sweden and sits at the tip of Djurgården, with water on three sides. There are roller coasters over the water, a free-fall ride with a view over the whole city, and summer concerts with Swedish and international artists.
How to do it: The park opens from spring to early autumn, with Halloween at weekends in October. Entry and the ride pass are sold separately. Come early if you have children with you, and come in the evening for the lights and the view.
More to see on Djurgården
Junibacken
Junibacken is Astrid Lindgren's world for children, with the Story Train running through her books and Villa Villekulla, where Pippi Longstocking lives. It is right by the Vasa Museum and best for children under ten.
The Nordic Museum
The Nordic Museum occupies the vast, palace-like building by Djurgårdsbron and shows how Swedes have lived, dressed and celebrated over the past 500 years. A good choice on a rainy day.
Rosendals Trädgård
Further into the island is Rosendals Trädgård, a biodynamic garden with greenhouses, an orchard and a café where you eat the vegetables grown around you. Go here when you have had enough of museums.
Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde and the Djurgårdsbrunn canal
The painter prince Eugen's villa on the southern tip of the island is now an art museum with a garden running down to the water. If you would rather be outdoors, follow the canal east by bike or on foot.
Where to stay near Djurgården
Hotel Hasselbacken: in the middle of the island
Hotel Hasselbacken is on Djurgården, a five-minute walk from Skansen and Gröna Lund. It has a restaurant, a bar and a sauna, and bikes are included, so you can explore the island before and after the museums close.
Book your stay: See available rooms at Hotel Hasselbacken
Villa Källhagen: on the water at Djurgårdsbrunnsviken
Villa Källhagen stands where Djurgården meets Djurgårdsbrunnsviken, with water and parkland outside the windows and a fifteen-minute walk to the Vasa Museum and Skansen. A quieter choice if you want nature close by and the centre within reach.
Book your stay: See available rooms at Villa Källhagen
Hotel Diplomat: Strandvägen
Hotel Diplomat occupies an Art Nouveau building on Strandvägen, a ten-minute walk from the museums, with views over the boats in Nybroviken. Östermalm and its food hall are on one side, Djurgården on the other.
Book your stay: See available rooms at Hotel Diplomat
Hotel Skeppsholmen: take the ferry
Hotel Skeppsholmen is on the small island just west of Djurgården, and the Djurgården ferry stops at its quay. Take the boat over to Gröna Lund in the morning and walk back across Skeppsholmsbron in the evening.
Book your stay: See available rooms at Hotel Skeppsholmen
A day on Djurgården
Morning: the Vasa Museum at opening time, then Junibacken if you have children with you.
Lunch: Rosendals Trädgård, or one of the cafés at Skansen.
Afternoon: Skansen, or ABBA The Museum if you would rather be indoors.
Evening: Gröna Lund if the park is open, and dinner at Hasselbacken.
Djurgården: frequently asked questions
How long do you need at the Vasa Museum?
An hour and a half to two hours is enough for the ship, the film and a guided tour. Come early or late in the day to avoid the biggest crowds.
How much time should you spend at Skansen?
Half a day covers the animals, the town quarter and the view. In summer and at weekends in Advent, when events are on, you can easily spend a whole day.
How do you get to Djurgården?
Take tram 7 from Sergels Torg or Norrmalmstorg, or the Djurgården ferry from Slussen or Skeppsholmen. From Nybroplan you can also walk along Strandvägen in about twenty minutes.
When is Gröna Lund open?
Gröna Lund opens from spring to early autumn, with Halloween at weekends in October. Check the opening days before you travel, as the park is closed in winter.
Where should you stay to be close to Djurgården?
Hotel Hasselbacken and Villa Källhagen are on Djurgården. Hotel Diplomat on Strandvägen and Hotel Skeppsholmen are good options close by. See also the hotels we recommend in Stockholm.