Things to do in Stockholm with Kids | Visiting Sweden as a Family
I’m Swedish, I grew up in Stockholm, I spent many years working as a nanny in Stockholm and now I often visit Stockholm with my own children. Stockholm is a very family friendly place with plenty to do for families with young children. If you’re planning a visit to the capital of Sweden, then you might be wondering what these things are.
In this article, I’ll cover some of my favourite Swedish things to experience and explore in and around Stockholm.
- When to visit?
First, let’s chat about when to visit. Stockholm can be charming during all the different seasons of the year but nothing beats the summer. Since Stockholm is a city built on islands and is naturally surrounded by water, the summer time is the most beautiful time to visit. The days are long up North with daylight that lasts until late at night, allowing you to fit more activities and fun into your days while the days in winter are extremely short (and very cold). Unless you’re really into snow and winter activities, I highly recommend visiting Stockholm in the summer.
- Visit the Archipelagos
When visiting Stockholm, make time to visit the archipelagos. Not far from the city, you’ll finds lots of cute islands with small red houses and lots of beautiful nature. You can reach these islands from the city centre by taking a Waxholmsbåt to your chosen destination. I recommend Sandhamn for its beautiful beaches, great ice creams and traditional bakery. On my list for our next visit is Grinda which is an island that comes highly recommended. You can camp there too if you want to! If you don’t have enough time for boat trips, there are also beaches available in Stockholm where you can go swimming in the summer.
- Museum Trips
There are lots of brilliant museums in Stockholm and some have free entry – at least for children. Whether your family is into art, science or history, there are plenty of museums to explore. Some of my favourites include Naturhistoriska Riskmuseet, Tom Tits Experiment and Junibacken. Skansen is another must-visit destination. It’s the world’s oldest open-air museum and a great place for learning about Swedish culture and history. It also has a zoo that has lots of Nordic animals to see as well as some more exotic ones.
- More City Fun
There’s lots more city fun to explore too. Public transport is amazing in Stockholm so it’s very easy to get around – and if you are travelling with a pram/pushchair, one adult and other young children get to travel on the buses for free. The underground, tunnelbana, is a great option too and many of the stations are a work of art in themselves too!
There are several brilliant libraries to visit in the city and most cafés and restaurants are suitable for families with young children too. In Stockholm, many restaurants do great lunch deals Monday-Friday with very reasonable prices compared to the usual evening and/or weekend prices. Fika is a big deal in Sweden – it pretty much means taking a break to enjoy a coffee (or other drink) and a bun (or similar) with friends or family. You’ll find lots of options for this in all cafés in Sweden. Kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) are especially popular. The ones from cafés (and 7Eleven shops) in Sweden are loads better than the ones you can buy from IKEA!
Stockholm is also famous for having lots of great playgrounds and parks for children to use. In Scandinavia children play outdoors in all weathers – there’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!