Skansen – Open-air museum

A personal experience with Swedish history

When you visit Skansen, which sits on the beautiful island of Djurgården, you can escape the confines of 21^st-century life and explore a simpler life. As you step through the gates, you’re transported to pre-industrial Sweden, where you’ll find yourself surrounded by around 150 houses and farmsteads from every part of the country.

The world changed rapidly in the 19^th-century and many feared that traditional live would disappear. That is why Skansen was created in 1891, to preserve traditional customs and occupations. At this unique museum in Stockholm, you can still see how the Swedes once lived according to the changing seasons and learn about the customs and traditions, work, celebrations and everyday life of times gone by. You can visit traditional crafts workshops like butter-churning, weaving, shoe making and glassblowing.

As the place where Swedish traditions are maintained, Skansen is also the place where traditional festive occasions are celebrated by many who live in Stockholm, including the Royal Family. For Easter, Midsummer, Lucia, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and all other Swedish holidays, people come here to celebrate.

Life amongst the native Nordic animals

Skansen is not only the home Swedish traditions, it is also the home of many wild Nordic animals, which makes Skansen both a zoo and a museum. As you walk through traditional rural Swedish life, you’ll find yourself face-to-face (at a safe distance) with brown bears, moose, wolves, reindeer and lynxes.

Your ticket to Skansen also gives you access to the Children’s Zoo – Lill Skansen- where you can introduce your kids to about thirty different animal species up close. There are mini pigs, roslag sheep, guinea pigs, rabbits, toads, lizards and even cats. There is also a playground and a small stage for theatre, music and lessons about animals.

Another site you can visit with your Skansen ticket is the Baltic Sea Center, where you can discover the underwater world from the Stockholm Archipelago to the open sea. The Center has multiple aquariums with different water systems and habitats that show the various Baltic Sea environments which make it unique. Your ticket does not give you access to the Skansen Aquarium.

Get your Skansen open-air museum tickets here

If you want to explore this one of a kind place, then get your tickets in advance. You can easily spend up to half a day in this great attraction, as there are several restaurants and cafés where you can buy a delicious meal to keep you going. Don’t forget to visit the museum shop on your way out to find traditional handicrafts and Swedish-designed items.