Vasa Museum + Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

Vasa: the only fully intact 17th-century ship

The Vasa Museum is the only place in the world where you can see an almost fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged. The 64-gun warship Vasa sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, after only sailing around 1,300 metres. In the late 1950s, she was rediscovered and, 333 years after it sank, in 1961 the Vasa was salvaged from the harbour floor.

For almost thirty years, the ship was on display at a temporary museum. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Vasa got its own permanent museum, specially designed to with stylised masts on its roof which represent the actual height of the original ship. Inside, you can see the ship from six different levels, from the keel to the very top of the aftercastle.

With the ship at the centre of the museum, there are other exhibits set up around the ship throughout the museum. Some of the exhibits focus on the ship itself, with models portraying the construction, sinking, location and recovery of the Vasa. Other exhibits show you life on board the Vasa, as there would have been 145 sailors and 300 soldiers on board.

Explore the bottom of the Baltic Sea at Vrak – Museum of Wrecks

The Baltic Sea has more well-preserved wooden wrecks than anywhere else in the world. Vrak – Museum of Wrecks takes you on a journey to discover their stories. With the help of digital technology, you can stay on the surface as you discover the wrecks on the bottom of the sea.

With Virtual Reality (VR) dives, holograms and games you will gain a deeper understanding of maritime archaeological investigations which are still happening at the bottom of the sea. You will see the tracks that explorers have left behind in Sweden’s seas, lakes and streams. You will never look at the water in the Baltic Sea again without remembering what lies beneath the surface.

A ticket to Vrak – Museum of Wrecks also gives access to their new exhibition Vikings Before Vikings, an exhibition about recent findings that show that vikings were active earlier than we thought. The exhibition shows findings from a Viking burial ground on the island of Saarema in Estonia, which prove that vikings where active in the Baltics earlier than was talked about by historians. This is an exciting exhibition, with interactive opportunities such as dressing up as a viking yourself, but also historical pieces from the time period. 

Tickets to two museums at a discounted price

With this one ticket you can visit both museums but you don’t have to visit them on the same day. Your visit to the second museum just has to fall within 72 hours of your visit to the first museum. Get your combination ticket today to see a famous ship wreck up close and learn more about the other ships still at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Both the Vasa Museum and Vrak – Museum of Wrecks have free audio guides available to download on their websites. At Vrak you can also take a free guided tour, there is a free 20-minute tour every day at noon and 15.00 in English and at 11.00 and 14.00 in Swedish.