Museums in Stockholm

Fotografiska- the photography museum

As the weather gets cooler, it is time to concentrate more on indoor activities instead of the outdoor variety. One great way to spend an afternoon in Stockholm is to visit one of the many wonderful museums. And I do mean "many"... there are around 75 museums, historic churches, gardens and cultural landmarks in the greater Stockholm area! And they cover about every subject of interest imaginable... not only history, art, religion, culture and nature but even more off beat subjects such as alcohol, post, toys, dance and sport.
The top ten most popular museums (in no particular order- though Skansen & Vasa are the top 2) in Stockholm are:

1. Skansen- open air museum of Swedish culture as well as the zoo.
2. Vasa Museum- impressive museum built around the 17th century warship Vasa.
3. National Museum- classic art & design museum.
4. Fotografiska- photography museum.
5. Historiska- museum of Swedish history (including Vikings).
6. Nordiska- museum of Nordic culture.
7. Moderna- museum of modern art.
8. Naturhistoriska- museum of natural history
9. Medeltidsmuseet- museum of medieval Stockholm.
10. Nobel Museum- museum of Alfred Nobel and the Nobel prizes.

EDIT: Since I wrote this in 2011, a new museum has opened and sailed up to the top 5 in popularity: ABBA the Museum! Fun place to visit..

National Museum

The Royal Palace also has a great collection of museums... including the Treasury and Armoury. I have written about all of the top ten museums (as well as others), click here to see my blog entries regarding these museums. Otherwise the website stockholmmuseum.com has all of the museums and palaces in Stockholm listed by category. The Stockholm Visitors Board has a great fold out map as well where all of the museums are marked, listed and described. We have this map here at the Rival Hotel for our guests, otherwise you can pick up a copy at the Tourist Information Center on Sergelstorg or at the Arlanda airport (terminal 5).

Nordiska- Nordic museum