The guide to Stockholm's best museums

Experience the acclaimed Vasa warship at the Vasa museum. You can see close up the almost untouched, intact ship, which sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 to be salvaged from Stockholm harbour 333 years later. Artifacts from the ship provide fascinating insights into life in 17th century Sweden.

Livrustkammaren - the Royal Armoury - is a cellar vault connected to Stockholm Palace. Experience royal and military Swedish history through more than 30,000 artefacts, most of which have a connection to Swedish kings from Gustav Vasa up until the current king. There are some truly impressive exhibits, from ceremonial armour and unique weapons to ceremonial gowns from royal coronations, weddings and christenings.

Alongside the waterfront at Stadgårdskajen, in a listed, Art Deco former customs building, you'll find Fotografiska, the Swedish Museum of Photography. Everyone is welcome here - photography nerds, art experts and curious amateurs alike. As well as impressive photographic exhibitions, you can also take photography classes here, take part in workshops or listen to talks on the subject. Fotografiska also has an ambitious restaurant with wonderful views over the water.

With more than ten million artifacts, the Swedish History Museum is one of Sweden's largest museums. The collection includes archeological finds and Swedish ecclesiastical art from different historical periods, among other things. Don't miss the impressive Viking exhibition.

Enter the army museum's impressive premises on Riddargatan for a history lesson stretching from Viking times to the present day. The focus is, not surprisingly, on the major battles and wars in which Sweden has been involved. While you're there, don't miss Restaurang Artilleriet, right next door to the museum.

Skansen-Akvariet is part of Skansen. Inside the aquarium, visitors come face to face with a wonderful collection of exotic creatures. Not only marine life, such as fish, sharks and corals, but also rainforest mammels, spiders, snakes, lemurs, apes and many more. NB! Admission to the aquarium is charged separately. 

Stockholm City Museum in Slussen displays the history of Stockholm and its development. It includes a three-floor exhibition detailing the city's journey from the outskirts of Europe to a Scandinavian metropolis. The museum also arranges temporary exhibitions, talks, city walking tours and more.

Egyptian tombs, Greek vases, archeological treasures and expeditions. Children and adults alike can learn more about ancient Greece and Rome, view marble statues, shining weapons and strange trophies. Some of the artefacts are even older than the pyramids.

At Sweden's largest museum of technology, visitors fo all ages can touch and test a variety of technological gadgets. It includes the huge science centre exhibition Megamind, where visitors can train their brains and carry out experiments using their entire bodies. The exhibit won the Children in Museums Award.

Baron Carl Gustaf Wrangel and Baroness Anna Margareta von Haugwitz had Skoklosters castle built in the 17th century, a project that was to take more than 30 years. It's now one of the world's best preserved Baroque castles and visiting feels like being transported back in time. Explore the noble family's everyday and luxury artefacts, walk in the beautiful surroundings and admire the painting Vertumnus by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, which is one of the world's most famous artworks. 

Junibacken is a wonderfully playful children's cultural centre with plenty of human interaction. Most of it centres around the world created by Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lindgren's books. One of the most popular attractions is the story train which takes children on a magical journey through Lindgren's best-loved sagas.

Whatever the time of year, the city's oldest open air museum is open to tourists, Stockholmers, families and anyone who wants to experience Skansen in its seasonal colours. The museum's aim of showing how people lived and worked in Sweden throughout different periods of history is achieved through a wide-reaching cultural-historical experience complete with bandstand and funfair. The 75 acre site also houses Stockholm's only zoo, with mainly Scandinavian animals.

The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities on the island of Skeppsholmen displays art and other objects from Japan and China. They also have a Korean gallery, as well as a sculpture hall with religious sculptures from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Mongolia and Burma (Myanmar). The museum arranges lots of activities for children.

Situated on the island of Skeppsholmen, this stylish building conceals a unique art collection. 20th and 21st century art in all its forms and guises has been collected and displayed here. The collection is mainly arranged in chronological order with more in-depth focus on certain themes as well as temporary exhibitions.

Different cultures, world views and traditions come togother at the Museum of Ethnography. Learn about America's indigenous people, Japanese samurais and African masks, for example. As well as exhibitions the museum also holds workshops and other activities for both children and adults. 

At the Nordic museum you'll find an interesting mixture of objects and exhibits that represent the Nordic lifestyle from the 16th century onwards. Visit exhibitions on traditions, customs, table settings, fashion, interiors, transport and dolls' houses throughout the ages. Perfect for anyone wanting to take a deep dive into life in Scandinavia.

The lines between what's real and what's not disappear at the Paradox Museum. There are more than 70 different interactive rooms and objects here that create paradoxical points of view and skew your perspective, while stimulating your creativity and imagination. Groups of friends, work teams, couples and families alike are welcome here for a fun, memorable and educational experience. 

At the far end of Djurgården you'll find this stately palace, which was once the home of Prince Eugen. Waldermarsudde was designed for Prince Eugen by Ferdinand Boberg and built between 1903 and 1905. These days the palace and its surrounding gardens are an art museum where you can admire the Prince's own artworks and private collections.

At Hamngatan 4 you'll find a magnificent private "palazzo" which Wilhelmina von Hallwyl and her husband Walther had built to live in. In 1938 the palace became a museum and opened to the public. The Hallwyl Museum houses large collections of art, porcelain, ceramics, rugs and other everyday items.

The Swedish Holocaust Museum tells the stories of survivors and descendents of the Holocaust. The exhibitions include dairies, photographs, witness accounts and artefacts which, together with modern media techniques, illustrate the historical context of the Holocaust. Opened in 2022, the museum is one of Stockholm's newest.  

Visit Avicii Experience - a tribute museum to musical icon Tim Bergling, aka Avicii, at Space Stockholm, Stockholm's digital meeting place. The internationally renowned DJ lives on through this museum's experiences and stories. See the exhibitions, find out about Avicii's life and work, listen to his music and much more.

The National Museum exhibits paintings, sculptures, crafts and design from the 1500s to the present day and their collection consists of around 700 000 objects. Their long-awaited re-opening in 2018 has given the museum a huge boost.

Are you an ABBA fan? Then don't miss ABBA The Museum, a museum totally dedicated to the infamous Swedish pop group. The museum includes everything from the singers' stage costumes to a cinema showing films about ABBA. You can also take guided tours and try out interactive experiences.

If you're an incurable model ship geek, or have a strong interest in how humans have made their way across the world's oceans over the centuries, you're guaranteed to wax lyrical about a visit to Stockholm's Maritime Museum. As well as model ships, art, photographs and objects with a maritime connection you can also visit the museum's temporary exhibitions.

This art museum is beautifully situated on the waterfront at Blockhusudden in Djurgården. The house was built at the turn of the last century for financier Ernest Thiel and his unique art collection. Wander around and discover works by some of Sweden and Scandinavia's most important artists, including Bruno Liljefors, Edvard Munch and Carl Larsson.

A beautiful little artist's museum by Brunnsviken on the outskirts of Vasastan. The specially designed wooden house used to be the studio of sculptor Carl Eldh and later became a museum. Go on a guided tour and admire both the sculptures and the house with its wonderful light.

In a beautiful 17th century listed building in the Old Town you'll find Postmuseum, which is regarded as one of the world's leading post museums thanks to its unique and comprehensive history and philatelic collections. Learn about how Sweden and the Swedish postal service has changed since the 17th century. And as well as permanent collections, the museum also occasionally shows temporary exhibitions.

At Tom Tits in Södertälje everyone can be a child. Surrounded by masses of interactive experiments, optical illusions and fantastical settings visitors can touch, feel and try out. Experience, for example, the feeling of being weightless in a Space Ball or climb a digital climbing wall. 

Explore the history of Stockholm's public transportation in a fun and playful way. The transport museum gives you an overview of the development of the city's public transportation from the first horse-drawn trams in 1877 until the present day. The museum is designed to appeal to both children and adults, and don't miss the veteran vehicle section where you can experience the veteran vehicles up close and take a sensory trip back in time