11 Best Sights in Stockholm, Sweden

Viking treasures and the Gold Room are the main draws at this historical museum, which features well-presented exhibitions covering various periods of Swedish history, including prehistoric bronze and tin artifacts, medieval artworks, and a Baroque hall that also plays host to events.

Once the city's actual hay market, this is now a popular gathering place where you're more likely to find apples, pears, and, in summer, to-die-for Swedish strawberries. Crowds come here to meet, gossip, hang out, or pick up goodies from the excellent outdoor fruit-and-vegetable market. On the east side of the square is Konserthuset (Concert Hall), fronted by a magnificent statue by Swedish-American sculptor Carl Milles, portraying Orpheus playing his lyre while floating over a group of male and female figures—a representation of music’s power to elevate us above the struggles and concerns of everyday life.

In this storybook house, you travel in small carriages through the world of children's book writer Astrid Lindgren, creator of the irrepressible Pippi Longstocking, among other characters. Lindgren's tales come alive as various scenes are revealed. Parents can enjoy a welcome moment of rest after the mini-train ride as the children lose themselves in the near-life-size model of Pippi Longstocking's house. It's perfect for children ages four and up.

Since it opened in 1974, architect Peter Celsing's cultural center, a glass-and-stone monolith on the south side of Sergels Torg, has become a symbol of modernism in Sweden. Stockholmers are divided on the aesthetics of this building—most either love it or hate it. Here there are exhibitions for children and adults, a library, a theater, a youth center, and a handful of eating spots. Head to Café Panorama, on the top floor, for a lunch or coffee break with a great view of Sergels Torg down below. Though still commonly referred to simply as Kulturhuset, the institution officially changed its name in 2013 to reflect its merger with the on-site Stockholm City Theater.

In the vaults under the massive stone bridge of Norrbro is Medeltidsmuseet, a museum built around the surviving city wall that once protected the growing city of Stockholm. The museum explores Stockholm's medieval past, with exhibits on life in the city's narrow, winding streets, religion, crime, and trade, in the centuries after Stockholm took the mantle from Sigtuna as the base of power in Sweden.

Inside an imposing late-Victorian structure, the Nordic Museum holds exhibits on many aspects of Swedish life, including trends, traditions, clothing, costumes, folk arts, and the culture of the Sami (pronounced sah-mee)—the formerly seminomadic reindeer herders who inhabit the far north. Families with children aged 5--8 years should visit the delightful "village life" play area (lekstugan) on the ground floor.

Dating from 1270, Riddarholmskyrkan, the Greyfriars monastery, is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm. It's the burial place for two medieval kings, as well as every Swedish sovereign since 1632 except Queen Kristina, who abdicated and died in Rome, and Gustav VI Adolf, the current king's predecessor, who is buried at Haga Park. The redbrick church, distinguished by its delicate iron-fretwork spire, is rarely used for services and is more like a museum now. The most famous figures interred within are King Gustavus Adolphus, hero of the Thirty Years' War, and the warrior King Karl XII, renowned for his daring invasion of Russia, who died in Norway in 1718. The most recent of the 17 Swedish kings to be put to rest here was Gustav V, in 1950. The different rulers' sarcophagi, usually embellished with their monograms, are visible in the small chapels dedicated to the various dynasties.

When in session, the Swedish Parliament meets in this neoclassical building, which was inaugurated in 1905. Above the entrance, the architect placed sculptures of a peasant, a burgher, a clergyman, and a nobleman. Take a tour of the building not only to learn about Swedish government but also to see the art within. In the former First Chamber are murals by Otte Sköld illustrating different periods in the history of Stockholm, and in the current First Chamber, a massive tapestry by Elisabet Hasselberg Olsson, Memory of a Landscape, hangs above the podium. An English-language guided tour is the only way to gain admission; tours, held at 1:30 on Saturday and Sunday are first come, first served, and limited to 28 people, so arrive early.

Dedicated to alcohol and Sweden's relationship with it, this museum comes with tasting rooms, a bar, and a restaurant as well as permanent exhibits that include Sweden: Spirits of a Nation, which passes through the seasons of the year via scenes, scents, and sounds—all while explaining how alcohol is produced.

Hidden away over a secondhand bookstore, this museum is dedicated to Sweden's most important author and dramatist, August Strindberg (1849–1912), who resided here from 1908 until his death four years later. The interior has been expertly reconstructed with authentic furnishings and other objects, including one of his pens. The museum also houses exhibits about various aspects of Strindberg’s life, from his relationships and social engagement to his multifaceted talents, which, apart from writing, also included painting, photography, and music.