Easter in Stockholm- 2013

Photo by Marie Andersson, Skansen

(EDIT: This article is from 2013, for this year's info... click here!) This year Easter falls on the last weekend of March. As a visitor to Stockholm, here are some practical things to know: both Friday March 29th (Good Friday - Långfredag) and Monday April 1st (Annandag Påsk) are bank holidays in Sweden, which means that banks, smaller shops & boutiques as well as liquor stores (Systembolaget) will be closed. Easter Sunday (Påsk) is, of course, a holiday. But, besides the above mentioned, most museums, department stores, restaurants and shopping centers are open as usual... with maybe shorter opening hours certain days. Thursday April 5th (Skärtorsdag) is a special day. While not a holiday, many office workers use it as a half-day in anticipation of their long weekend. The only main museums I can find that have unusual opening hours during the Easter Holidays are Historiska (history museum) which is closed on Friday and Saturday and Livrustkammaren (the royal armoury) which is closed on Friday. Be aware that several museums are closed on Mondays during the low season. The sightseeing tours will run as normal. The Vasa Museum and The National Museum are closed during this period for renovations/expansion.

The best place to experience a traditional Swedish Easter is Skansen on the island of Djurgården. There will be music in Seglora church, Easter activities for children as well as an Easter Market (11am to 4pm Thursday-Monday) where you can buy traditional arts & crafts, foods and Easter decorations. It is easy to get to Skansen from the Rival Hotel... regular ferries to Djurgården from Slussen (10 minute walk from the hotel, ferry ride is also 10 minutes). If you are guest of the hotel and need specific opening hours for a store or museum, contact me directly at the hotel!

Happy Easter!