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Stockholm Old Town and the Vasa Museum, a Small Group Walking Tour
4.8
88 Ratings
Södermalm
Explore Stockholm’s Old Town and the Vasa Museum on this small group walking tour. Discover the history of Sweden and the captivating story of the Vasa ship. Don’t miss these must-see attractions!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Riddarholmen Historical Marker - We start the tour at Gamla Stan Metro station, inside/underground, in front of the Pressbyrån kiosk. We discuss the early history of Stockholm and Sweden, from the ice age to the first settlements on the islands. From Riddarholmen (The Knights Island), we enjoy a stunning view of Lake Mälaren and the City Hall, a famous Stockholm landmark.
- Riddarholm Church (Riddarholmskyrkan) - The story continues… Outside Riddarholmen Church, we encounter the presumed founder of Stockholm, Birger Jarl, or at least a statue of him. The year 1252 marks the first time “Stockholm” was mentioned in a preserved written text, signed by Birger Jarl.
- Riddarhuset - We pause outside Riddarhuset, the House of Nobility, to admire the statue of Gustav Vasa, “the father of Sweden.” Since Gustav Vasa marched into Stockholm in 1523, Sweden has remained a sovereign state, never occupied by foreign powers. After his father and between 80 to 100 other noblemen were killed in “The Bloodbath of Stockholm,” Gustav organized an uprising against the southern neighbor who had taken control of Sweden. He also transformed Sweden’s religion from Catholicism to Lutheran Protestantism.
- Royal Palace - Our next stop is the Royal Palace. We will enter the outer courtyard to see the guards, often dressed in elegant uniforms from bygone days. We will also visit “Slottsbacken,” offering a beautiful view of Stockholm’s inner harbor.
- Jarnpojken - The smallest and most charming statue in Sweden!
- Stortorget - The Nobel Prize Museum is located at Stortorget. The Swedish Royal Academies designate the winners of the most prestigious prizes in various important fields of science and art.
- Stockholm Old Town - Below the statue of Carl XIV Johan, we continue the story of Sweden. This king, the first of the Bernadottes, was brought to Sweden from France in the early 19th century to reclaim what was lost to the Russians. Instead, he focused on diplomacy, building infrastructure, and developing education! In 2014, Sweden celebrated 200 years of peace. The industrial revolution, natural resources, and significant Swedish inventions laid the foundation for a welfare state, with several entrepreneurs continuing the development into the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Skeppsbron 26 - From Skeppsbron, we will take the ferry “Djurgårdsfärjan” to Djurgården. Time for some rest :) (This is a walking tour; in the Old Town, we walk about 1 mile, and after the boat trip, another 0.5 miles to the Vasa Museum. So, in total, about 1.5 miles (about 2.4 km). But we walk at a slow pace, stopping at different sites, taking photos, etc., and we are open to adjusting the pace.)
- Vasa Museum - Entrance to the Vasa Museum is included. Our guide will show you the ship and tell you the amazing story of how Vasa capsized and was salvaged more than 300 years later! This is the end of the guided tour, but you are welcome to stay in the museum after the tour concludes. (If you have time, why not spend the afternoon on Djurgården island, visiting the Abba Museum (“walk in, dance out”), the Viking Museum, the amusement park Gröna Lund, or Skansen? All these attractions are located on the beautiful island of Djurgården (but not included in this tour)).
What's Included
- Fee for the boat trip to Djurg den
- Entrance to the Vasa museum
Additional Information
The two “must see” attractions in Stockholm are the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and the Vasa museum. Few tourists leave Stockholm without visiting these two attractions!
This tour, which starts at Gamla Stan metro station, combine these two major attractions! During the walk, we will tell you the story of Stockholm and Sweden. This includes the time when Sweden was one of the greatest powers in Europe and the Vasa ship was built.
We will start our walk at Riddarholmen with a beautiful view of the lake Mälaren and the City Hall. We will pass the House of Nobility, the Parliament building, the Royal Palace and Stortorget in Old Town.
Then we will take the ferry “Djurgårdsfärjan”, a 10 minute trip to Djurgården, where the Vasa Museum is situated. In the museum, we will tell you the astonishing story about how one of the world’s most modern warship capsized after only 1300 meters of sailing!
After the trip, you can continue with some of the other museums or activities on Djurgården!
- This is a walking tour; about 1.5 miles (2.4 km). But we stop at different sites, take photos, etc. Good shoes are recommended, for walking on cobblestone streets
Location
Munkbrogatan 8
Munkbrogatan
Go downstairs, into the Gamla Stan metro station, underground. The guide will meet you in front of the "Pressbyrån" convenience store. (In Sweden, a tip of about 10% is common in restaurants and also for guided tours. However, you should ONLY tip if you are satisfied with the tour and the service.)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(88 Ratings)
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Jared_d
Jun 27, 2024
Highly recommend this tour - Natalie was our guide. She was terrific! Very informative. She gave maps and suggestions. Highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Shelley_b
Jun 27, 2024
A Great Tour - Bengt was a fabulous tour guide. Patient, incredibly knowledgeable and fun. The tour was comprehensive and well organized, a great introduction to Stockholm and Sweden’s history. Worth every penny,
Review provided by Viator
Barry_h
Jun 19, 2024
Really informative, organised and professional guide. A great introduction to the city and its history. - Natalie gave a comprehensive and interesting outline of and their historical importance. Enjoyable and would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Curious11881635288
Jun 11, 2024
Great walking tour around old town and visit the Vasa Museum - well organised itinerary.
our guide Natalie was very knowledgeable and looked after everyone in the group.
Nice walking tour to get a taste of Stockholm.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen_s
Jun 9, 2024
Do this tour!!!! - Was very impressed with our tour and our guide was awesome lady! Small group was able to see and do more than I expected. Could never have seen or understood all these points of interest without this tour. This was worth booking and much better than any "bus" tour set up by the cruise ship.
Review provided by Viator
Lbhouston11
Jun 6, 2024
In depth history of Stockholm and great Vasa Museum information - Natalie was our guide. She was extremely knowledgeable —gave us a wonderful history of the city as we walked through old town. Ferry to Vasa Museum. She stayed long enough to answer questions and tell us all about the ship. Again, very knowledgeable.
Three hours—great amount of time and reasonable price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chad_c
Jun 5, 2024
Great Tour! - Great tour with a wonderful guide, Natalie. She was so knowledgeable and entertaining. Totally worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Lsgagnon
May 29, 2024
Great introduction to Sweden. - This tour was the perfect introduction to Sweden. Natalie was knowledgeable, personable and led a wonderful walking tour of Gamla Stan ending at the Vasa Museum. It was a great 3 hour tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stacy_t
Jun 4, 2024
Overview of Old Town - About 2.5 hrs of the trip are spent walking through Old Town getting a history of Stockholm and a view on other places you may want to tour in more depth. The last 1/2 hr is spent on a guided tour of the Vasa museum and you are free to then spend additional time in the museum studying the ship. It is an excellent way to spend your first day in Stockholm and informs where you may want to focus any following days. If you are not prepared to spend 3 hours on the move, brisk walking this is not the tour for you
Review provided by Viator
Travelingbill
Jun 14, 2024
Natalie thought this was an architecture tour - Natalie was our guide with eleven
travellers. Natalie spoke softly and with a heavy accent
so, she was difficult to understand. She seemed to think we
were on an architecture tour, as she constantly talked about
the different buildings architecture, ignoring what event or
person made the building important. She also walked past
numerous statues and churches with no comment. After about 90 minutes
She pretty much lost her audience, some leaving the tour. Vasa
museum was fantastic.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
