5 Top Tips for Visiting the Stockholm Royal Palace
Planning to visit the Swedish Royal Palace in Stockholm? We’ve got 5 things you need to know before you go, including entrance fees, opening hours, recommended tours, and how to catch the changing of the guard.
Touring the Swedish Royal Palace is one of the top things to do in Stockholm. However, making the most of your visit requires more than just showing up and buying a ticket. With three included attractions, multiple confusing ticket types, and varying opening hours and schedules for the changing of the guard, it’s important to do your research first.
In this post, we’ll highlight the top 5 things we wish we knew before touring the Stockholm Royal Palace so that you can get it right the first time.
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Stockholm Royal Palace - What You Need to Know
- Recommended Tour: Third-party guided tour
- When to Book: 1-7 days in advance
- Cost Per Person: $23-$40 (cheaper for kids)
- Visit Length: 2-3 hours
- Best For: Families, history buffs
Jump Ahead
1. Understand Your Tour Options
There are three main ways to tour the Swedish Royal Palace. Understanding your options is key here, because it’s not just about whether you prefer a guide or touring solo, it also matters when you are visiting.
Option 1:Â Join an official, public tour hosted by the Royal Palace staff.
These tours are offered in English daily at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm from June to August. However, if you’re visiting Stockholm in October (our favorite), or any other month of the year, tours become more limited. In fact, from September to May, they don’t even offer tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays! The only day in these months that still gets two tours is Sunday, while on M/W/F tours are only offered at 2:30 pm and on Saturday only at 10:30 am.
Option 2:Â Book your tour through a third-party provider like Get Your Guide.
Because of the public tour schedule limitations, we highly recommend booking your tour through a third party. This tour is available at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm every day of the year, regardless of the month, which makes planning your Stockholm itinerary much more flexible. This tour is also a great option if the public Royal Palace tour is already fully booked, as there is limited availability each day.
Option 3:Â Self-tour with the free audio guide.
If you prefer to rock your visit solo, you also have the option to download the Stockholm Royal Palace free audio guide (App Store, Google Play). We recommend downloading the guide in advance while you have strong WiFi, and don’t forget your headphones!
2. Buy the Right Ticket
If you’ve decided to book a tour through a third party like Get Your Guide, this part is simple – just pick your date and time and click purchase!
However, if you’ve decided to tour solo or with the public Stockholm Royal Palace tour, we’ll warn you now – the official Palace website can be confusing. This site sells tickets to 13 different Royal sites, and within each of these are various ticket options. For the Swedish Royal Palace alone, you could see as many as 7 or more ticket types.
For most people, you’ll want to buy either the “Kungliga slottet – The Royal Palace” (entrance fee only) or the “The Royal Palace – Admission & Guided tour” (entrance fee and public guided tour). Here’s a quick overview of Stockholm’s Royal Palace entrance fees (2026):
Age & Season
Adult (May-Sep)
Adult (Oct-Apr)
Child 7-17 (May-Sep)
Child 7-17 (Oct-Apr)
Kids 0-6
Entrance Only
240 SEK (~$25)
220 SEK (~$23)
120 SEK (~$13)
110 SEK (~$12)
FREE
Entrance & Tour
290 SEK (~$30)
270 SEK (~$28)
170 SEK (~$18)
160 SEK (~$17)
FREE
3. Plan Around the Changing of the Guards
For many people, watching the changing of the guards is the highlight of their tour of the Swedish Royal Palace. As this only happens once per day, it’s best to plan your visit around it.
The changing of the guard at Stockholm Royal Palace occurs in the courtyard at 12:15 pm on Monday through Saturday and at 1:15 pm on Sundays and public holidays. It lasts about 40 minutes, culminating in a performance by the band that sometimes includes popular songs by Swedish performers like ABBA and Avicii!
The schedule for the changing of the guards is subject to change, so it’s always best to check the official site before your visit. We recommend either starting or finishing with the changing of the guard and the Royal Palace tour, visiting the other sites on the ticket in between.
4. Don't Forget the Other Attractions!
Speaking of other sites, don’t forget that whether you bought your tour on Get Your Guide or purchased it directly from the Palace, it includes access to two other attractions – the Tre Konor Museum and the Imperial Treasury.
The Tre Konor Museum is dedicated to the original Swedish Royal Palace, which was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1697. Here you can see some recovered objects and ruins of the original palace, along with the story of how the current Royal Palace came to be.
The Imperial Treasury, located in the cellar vaults of the castle, is where the crown jewels and other royal regalia are stored. You’ll see precious jewelry and armory up to 500 years old, along with tapestries, capes, and crowns.
Both of these museums are small but worth a visit. Expect to spend about 15-20 minutes in each.
5. Be Aware of Opening Hours
Stockholm Royal Palace’s opening hours vary by season, but the schedule is pretty straightforward. During the peak season of May to September, the Royal Palace is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. From October to April, it closes one hour earlier at 4:00 pm. The Palace is open every day of the year, so no matter when you visit Stockholm, make sure to include this top site in your itinerary!
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