The 7 Best Museums in Stockholm: Which Are Worth Your Time
Stockholm has a lot of great museums, but on a short visit, which ones are actually worth your time? We’re ranking the best museums in Stockholm, including Skansen, the Vasa Museum, the ABBA Museum, and the Viking Museum, and tell you which travelers will enjoy them most.
Stockholm is home to an absolutely massive number of museums – nearly 100! Many of them are excellent, but most visitors only have time to hit a few of them. So, if you’re visiting Stockholm for 5 days or less, which of the best museums are worth your limited time?
In this post, we’ll outline a few of the most popular museums in Stockholm and key you in to which types of travelers they’re best for. We’ve ranked them into Can’t-Miss standouts, Next-Best additions, and also included One Museum to Skip to make deciding easy.
Too busy to read it all? We’ll make things even easier – the absolute best of the best museums in Stockholm are Skansen and the Vasa Museum – don’t miss these ones!
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Quick Picks - The Best Museums in Stockholm
- Best Overall:Â Vasa MuseumÂ
- Close Second Place: Skansen
- Most Fun Museum: ABBA Museum
- Most Educational Museum:Â Swedish History Museum
- Not Worth Your Time: Nobel Prize Museum
Jump Ahead
Can't-Miss Museums in Stockholm
If you only have time for one or two museums during your visit to Stockholm, these are the ones you absolutely have to see.
In our opinion, the Vasa Museum is the #1 best museum in Stockholm, so make sure to leave time for it in your Stockholm itinerary. This museum showcases a massive and nearly completely intact Swedish warship that sunk off the coast of Stockholm in 1628.
Both hilariously and tragically, this spectacularly decorated ship sunk only 1,300 m (1,400 yd) from shore mere minutes into its maiden voyage thanks to structural integrity issues. However, because of the conditions of the harbor waters, the Vasa was practically untouched by time when it was excavated in 1961, and it’s now considered the world’s best-preserved 17th-century ship.
The Vasa Museum is open every day with varied hours depending on the day and season. Tickets are 240 SEK (~$25) during peak season (May-Sep), 195 SEK (~$20) in the off season, and free for kids 18 and under. You can tour with a guide, enjoy the included audio guide (bring your headphones!), or join free tours offered by the museum every 30 minutes.
Best for: History and architecture lovers, kids
Time Spent: 1.5-2 hours
Location: Djurgården
Another top-tier choice is Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum. This one misses the top slot on our list as it’s best enjoyed during the summer season, and a little less fun if you’re visiting Stockholm during the brisk autumn weather like we did. It can also be considered a bit kitschy, but this makes it great for kids and just adds to the charm, in our opinion.
Visiting Skansen gives you a glimpse into Sweden’s past, with preserved historical buildings, handicrafts, and a zoo with Nordic animals, all run by staff in traditional costumes. Lots of demonstrations, interactive exhibits, and, of course, the zoo, make it an excellent choice for kids and families. It’s also fun during the holidays, as they run Christmas markets and Midsummer celebrations.
Skansen opens at 10am and closes between 3pm and 6pm, depending on the season. It’s open from June 1 to mid-January, and tickets range from 240 SEK to 305 SEK (~$25 to $32), depending on the season. Seniors and students enjoy a discounted rate and kids 15 and under enter free.
Best for: Families and getting outdoors
Time Spent: Half-day to full-day
Location: Djurgården
Next-Best Stockholm Museum Additions
If you’ve got more time in your Stockholm itinerary, these are the next-best museums in Stockholm we would add to the agenda.
We’ll be straight with you – the Viking Museum is not a particularly academic museum. It’s a bit more of a museum-meets-amusement park, with interactive displays, immersive storytelling, and even a 10-minute ride that takes you through a fictional story of a Viking voyage. But not every museum needs to be stuffy! We thoroughly enjoyed how the Viking Museum brought Sweden’s Viking Age to life, and think it’s definitely worth a visit.
The Viking Museum is open from 10am to 6pm during peak season (Jun-Aug), and 10am or 11am to 5pm the rest of the year. Tickets cost 199 SEK (~$21), with discounts for seniors and kids 7 to 15 years old and kids 6 and under entering for free. In addition to a free audio guide (bring your headphones!), the Viking Museum also offers free guided tours throughout the day – check the schedule and align your visit to enjoy it!
Best for: Family-friendly fun
Time Spent: 1-1.5 hours
Location: Djurgården
Possibly the most iconically Swedish experience of all the museums in Stockholm is a visit to the ABBA Museum. Even if you’re not a superfan, this museum is just pure fun. There are tons of interactive exhibits like karaoke stalls, VR performances, and set pieces from the Mamma Mia! movie that make it enjoyable for all ages.
To this day, we still notice anytime ABBA is playing – which happens in literally every country we’ve visited around the world – and we delightfully blame this museum visit for it.Â
The ABBA Museum is open every day of the year, with varying hours by season but generally at least from 10am to 6pm. Ticket prices also vary throughout the year, from 249 SEK to 329 SEK (~$26 to $34), with discounts for students, seniors, and kids aged 7-15. Kids 6 and under enter for free!
Best for: Families, music lovers, and just a really fun time
Time Spent: 1.5-2 hours
Location: Djurgården
The Swedish History Museum can be considered the academic alternative to the more touristy Viking Museum discussed above, though it covers a longer time period than just the Viking Age.
This museum showcases the history of Sweden from the prehistoric era to the Middle Ages and features one of the world’s largest Viking exhibitions. A stand-out is the Gold Room, where 52 kilos (115 pounds) of gold artifacts are on display – over 3,000 of them in fact!
The Swedish History Museum is open every day from 10am to 5pm during peak season (Jun-Aug), with modified hours from Sep-Dec. Tickets cost 180 SEK (~$19) for adults and are free for kids 18 and under.
Best for: History buffs and Viking enthusiasts
Time Spent: 1-1.5 hours
Location: Östermalm
The Fotografiska Museum is one of the best museums in Stockholm for contemporary art and photography enthusiasts. The museum features rotating collections from world-renowned photographers alongside thought-provoking artworks. It has a beautiful waterfront cafe, and it’s also an excellent late-night alternative to hitting up one of Stockholm’s top cocktail bars, as its open from 10am until a staggering 11pm!
Tickets to the Fotografiska Museum cost 195 SEK to 225 SEK (~$20-$23) depending on the season, with discounts for students and seniors and free entrance for kids 16 and under. They also offer free guided tours on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so try to coordinate your visit for then!
Best for: Art lovers and photography enthusiasts
Time Spent: 2-3 hours
Location: Södermalm
One Museum in Stockholm to Skip
Even if you’re spending 5 days in Stockholm, you still don’t have time to waste on museums that aren’t worth it. Though it may surprise you, our top tip is to skip the Nobel Prize Museum.
As the birthplace of the prestigious Nobel Prize, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the Nobel Prize Museum is a must-visit. However, what the museum displays is not what you’d expect.
Instead of focusing on Alfred Nobel’s life or the science behind the inventions and discoveries of past winners, it’s mostly populated with random knick-knacks donated by the winners themselves. You’ll find items as mundane and meaningless as ties they wore or purses they loved.  In addition to the strange exhibitions, the museum is quite small and confusing to navigate.
Instead, we highly recommend you take a tour of Stockholm’s City Hall, where the annual Nobel Prize banquet is held. You’ll learn more about the Nobel Prize here than on a visit to the museum, and the building itself is spectacularly beautiful. Learn more about touring City Hall in our Stockholm itinerary and travel guide.
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