Visiting the Skansen Open-Air Museum: My Experience, Review, and Tips

Since I used to live in Stockholm and continue to regularly visit, I’ve visited most of the major attractions. I enjoyed going to some, while others felt a bit underwhelming despite their hype elsewhere. The Skansen Open-Air Museum, for me, was one of those places that I “enjoyed”. 

I was initially supposed to visit the museum back in 2018 for New Year’s Eve. However, I decided to watch the fireworks at the Royal Palace instead. Since then, though, I’ve had the opportunity to actually visit the museum and see what it’s like.

I had the idea to write this article for one October trip to the Swedish capital, since I feel like others would wonder if Skansen was worth visiting. Based on my experiences, I’ve put together this guide talking about what it’s like there. You’ll also get an idea of my pros and cons, along with some extra tips to help you plan your trip. 

My Experience Visiting Stockholm’s Skansen Open Air Museum

Before going into what I liked and didn’t like about the museum, I’ll first talk about my overall experiences visiting Skansen. My girlfriend and I chose to visit on a Sunday morning as we figured that this would be the quietest time. We were staying close by at Backstage Hotel Stockholm, so we had a bit more flexibility in this respect. It was still somewhat busy, but by no means crowded.

For this particular trip, we actually used GoCity’s Stockholm Essentials pass. Skansen is one of the attractions you can choose. Once we arrived, we went to the entrance gate on the same street as the tram / bus stops. We were then admitted into the museum. 

On the other side, we were greeted by a staff member who gave us a map. I wasn’t expecting Skansen to be so big, but it’s larger than you might expect. After that, we started wandering around the park.

Just as a side note: You can download a visitor map online. However, you have to “upload to download”, which I think is quite annoying. So, I’d suggest just picking up a map in person when you arrive. 

Seeing Sweden Throughout the Years

I’ve been to Sweden 10+ times in total, and I can tell you from experience that each part of the country is quite different. Southern Sweden is very different from Höga Kusten in the north, which itself isn’t the same as Stockholm. 

In the park, you can see house examples from different parts of the country. You’ll also see architecture from different periods, too. To be honest, we didn’t follow the museum in any logical route; we basically just went wherever we wanted to. 😄

Besides looking at the houses and different buildings, you can actually go inside many of them. We went to the bakery, along with the post office and many of the houses and workshops. Again, we didn’t do things just because; we only went to the ones that we wanted to. I have to say that while the bakery pastries were okay, I don’t think they were as good as a lot of other places in Stockholm. 

Skansen Has Some Nice Views of Stockholm

Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum and has lots of reasons to visit, but one of the more left-field reasons I went was for photography. Besides taking pictures inside the park itself where it was allowed, Skansen also has some nice views of Stockholm. 

You can get views of the Gröna Lund amusement park from here, along with the beautiful Sofia Kyrka church behind it. Elsewhere, you’ll get views over the water toward the brutalist TV tower Kaknästornet. 

I wouldn’t say that these were the absolute best views you can get in Stockholm, but they are still nice. If you want better views, you can also go to Monteliusvägen—which is free. 

Seeing the Animals at Skansen

While at Skansen, we saw lots of different animals from other parts of Sweden. Sadly, the elk weren’t there for this particular visit. However, we did see some bears.

My personal favorites were the goats and cows. The goats were particularly friendly and enjoyed being petted, which was quite nice if you ask me 🙂. 

We also saw other farm animals while we were there, such as geese. However, we did not get too close to these; we saw some signs saying that the geese can be aggressive, though in fairness we definitely didn’t need that sign to tell us what we already knew. 😄

Do I Think That Visiting the Skansen Museum Is Worth It? (Short Answer: It Depends)

Like everything, visiting the Skansen Open-Air Museum has benefits and drawbacks. While I really enjoy going here, not everyone will necessarily feel the same. This will, of course, largely depend on your own specific interests. 

Reasons You Should Consider Visiting Stockholm’s Skansen Open-Air Museum

If you ask me, the Skansen Open-Air Museum is one of the most child-friendly activities you can do in Stockholm. It’s very interactive, for starters, and I felt like most of the museum was designed with families in mind. 

First and foremost, admission for children up to 15 years old is free with a paying adult, student, or senior. Beyond that, you’ll also find a children’s zoo and lots of activities for kids throughout the year. 

We were one of the only couples without children there, and Skansen is definitely somewhere we’ll return to when we do have our own kids. 

I also think that Skansen is one of the best places to see how Swedes used to live. We enjoyed visiting the different houses and shops, and it was also cool to see people in traditional clothing still practicing multiple crafts. I think that these museums in general are great for these kinds of things; we went to a similar one in Umeå.

Even though you have to pay for admission, Skansen is generally a nice place to have a morning walk, too. The museum is pretty spacious, and you can also enjoy the fresh air with some views of the city. I see it as quite similar to Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, in this respect; even though I don’t usually go on the rides there, for example, but I’m still happy to pay the entrance fee and wander around.

When May You Want to Reconsider?

Even though I like Skansen and will go there multiple times in the future as well, I don’t think it’s worth visiting for everyone. Even though it is one of the most popular attractions in Stockholm, I don’t think that you should ever visit any place just because you feel like you have to. 

First and foremost, Skansen isn’t the place for you if you find open-air museums boring. I’d also say that you should skip it if you don’t like museums in general. There are plenty of other things to do in Stockholm, and I’d rather that you do something that you’ll find more interesting. 

Skansen might also be worth skipping if you don’t have much time in Stockholm and you have other priorities. If you’ve got longer in the city and you have some extra time, by all means go. The same goes for if it’s something you would genuinely like to see and feel like you’d regret if you didn’t. 

If you have just a few days, though, you’ll need to prioritize. In those cases, I’d only recommend visiting Skansen if it’s a “hell yes” experience for you. 

My Top Tips for Visiting Skansen

Now that you’ve got a better idea of what to expect—along with who should and should not visit—I’ll give you my top tips for visiting Skansen. 

If you’re flexible with your time, I think that autumn is a great time to visit. We still had some fall colors when we went on this particular trip, and the museum was also less crowded than during the peak season. Just before Christmas can also be a nice time to come here; from Friday through Sunday between late November and December, you’ll find a Christmas market here.

That said, Skansen is year-round; if you don’t have flexibility, any time is a good time to visit. The museum holds events throughout the year, too. 

Since it’s an open-air museum, you will be outside most of the time. As a result, you should dress accordingly. If you’re visiting Stockholm in the winter, bring a good jacket, some gloves, a beanie, and warm layers. Basically, dress how you would elsewhere in the city.

I also recommend arriving early in the morning as it will be less busy; we got here around 10:00. We also allocated around three hours for our stay, but we also could have spent longer if we wanted to. As I mentioned earlier, picking up a free map is a good idea as well. 

You can get to the museum via bus, tram, or ferry. If you need to use public transport, you’re much better off using the SL app (iOS and Android) than buying physical tickets. It’s way more convenient.

Buying Tickets for Skansen

You can buy tickets for Skansen either on the day or in advance. If you buy tickets on the day, you cannot use physical cash. Most shops and vendors inside also only accept cashless payments. 

As I mentioned earlier, I used GoCity’s Stockholm Essentials pass for this particular visit. If you’re planning to visit 3+ other attractions in the Swedish capital, I recommend doing the same. You can choose from either the Essentials pass or All-Inclusive; the latter includes entry to many more places. If you’re interested, you can compare both options here. 

Getting to Skansen

You can take the bus or tram to Skansen; it’s very easy to reach by public transport. Both stops are right outside the museum, so you should have no issues finding your way there. 

Another option is to take the ferry to Allmänna Gränd. From here, it’s a six-minute walk to the museum. The ferry is the most scenic way to reach the museum, in my opinion, and it’s what I’d recommend if you have some extra time (or if you’re staying in Gamla Stan).

Regardless of whether you take the bus, tram, or ferry, your public transport ticket will cost the same. You can also use the same ticket if you’re transferring from one transport method to the other. 

Final Thoughts

For me, Skansen is one of my favorite places to visit in Stockholm. You’ll find plenty of interesting events here year-round, and even if you don’t go to any of them, it’s still worth visiting for many people. If you’re in the Swedish capital as a family, it’s something that I recommend in particular. 

Getting to the museum is very easy, and you’ll get to see a good example of Sweden from previous eras. While it’s not for everyone, I do think that many people will enjoy coming here.