The Amusement Park Gröna Lund

I had a friend from London visiting this past weekend and I showed her around the city. We are having beautiful weather in Stockholm this week and she wanted to visit Gröna Lund, Stockholm's large amusement park. I hadn't actually visited the park in a long time (except for a concert or two) and it was fun to revisit it and get back in touch with my inner child. And, hey, makes for a good blog article!

To start off with, it is quite hard to visit Stockholm and not see the amusement park. Several of the rides are part of the city's skyline (we don't have high buildings here) and can be seen from many points in the city. Gröna Lund is located on the waterfront of the island of Djurgården, in Stockholm harbor. It is literally just a stone's throw from many of the city's main attractions like Skansen, ABBA the Museum and the Vasa Museum. So you will get close enough to hear people's screams of delight (terror?) as they ride the rollercoasters if you visit any of the other attractions.

Gröna Lund was founded back in the 1880's. It is quite unique in that several of the buildings in Gröna Lund were found here before it became an amusement park... so that they incorporated the buildings (restaurants, homes, commercial structures) into the park, giving Gröna Lund an historic feel. As it is located within the main part of the city, with no real opportunity of expansion, it is not a huge amusement park along the lines of Disneyland and Six Flags. But the park is filled with lots of rides, attractions, games and restaurants!

Before we get to the kiddie fun... Gröna Lund is also a popular attraction for adults due to it being a big summer concert venue. Many famous artists have performed here, like Bob Marley, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Kiss and Jimi Hendrix. This summer they will have over 70 concerts! Many Swedish acts (like Icona Pop and Lena Philipsson) but also international artists like Billy Idol, Ziggy Marley and the Offspring. See the full schedule by clicking here. No special tickets needed, just entry to the park.

In Gröna Lund, you will find a whole range of rides... 2 free falls, several roller coasters and classic rides like "tea cups" and a "flying carpet". And speaking of classic attractions, they also have carnival staples like a fun house, haunted house, bumper cars and carousels as well as typical tivoli games. In other words, fun for the whole family. If you are traveling with children, this could be a good treat for them after a day at museums. Lots of dining options as well (and bar options for the adults!).

The easiest way to get to Gröna Lund from the Hotel Rival is with the Djurgård Ferry from nearby Gamla Stan. In fact, the ferry terminal on Djurgården is right at the entrance of Gröna Lund! The ferries depart around every 15 minutes or so and the trip just takes 9 minutes. If you are in the downtown area, you can take the tram/trolley/street car out to Djurgården.

Gröna Lund is generally open from May to September, daily during the summer months. Click here for their calendar. Prices: entrance tickets to the park currently cost 120 SEK for guests ages 7 to 64 (free for others!). After that you buy scrip to use for the rides and attractions. Click here for more ticket information.