SWEDEN, Stockholm with Kids – From amusement parks and green space for running loose to museums and libraries just for kids, Stockholm is arguably one of the top family-friendly cities in the world and it seems Stockholm was built for families.
Specifically families with small children. Beyond making public places, transportation, and buildings easily accessible for strollers, there’s also an innate thoughtfulness that goes towards making the city family-friendly. For example, parents pushing infants and toddlers in strollers can ride for free on public buses because parents aren’t supposed to leave their stroller-bound child unattended in the back of the bus while having to pay the bus driver.
For your trip to Stockholm with kids, here are some activities and places worth checking out.
Activity 1: Visit Junibacken Storybook Museum and Playground
Inside the world of Junibacken in Stockholm.
Sweden itself has a strong literary culture geared towards children with world renowned authors like literary icon Astrid Lindgren who have penned dozens of classic children’s books. If your kid is a fan of Pippi Longstocking, be sure to stop by Junibacken, a children’s playground and storybook museum on the island of Djurgården.
Junibacken is a themed attraction filled with vibrant settings and live performances. Kids get to take the story train on a journey through Pippi’s world and the characters and settings from writer Astrid Lindgren’s books. There’s an extensive bookstore here with tons of Swedish children’s books as well as interactive exhibits to keep them busy.
Activity 2: Check Out Rum för Barn Activity Center and Library for Kids
When visiting Stockholm with kids, you’ll find plenty of places where you will all feel welcome.
Rum för Barn (Room for kids) is an exclusive library just for kids and it has children’s books in close to a dozen languages as well as activities like painting, crafts, and sing-alongs.
Located on the fourth floor of Stockholm’s iconic Kulturhuset, it has three sections for children of different age groups – from stumbling toddlers to bumbling preteens – and the rooms have nooks, crannies, and hideaways for kids to play in as well as hammocks, bean bags, and shelves of vibrant children’s books to read and thumb through.
The focus is on cognitive development, motor skills, and other creativity boosters so you’ll be hard pressed to find computer games or computerized electronics here.
Activity 3: Explore Skansen Open Air Museum
Take a stroll through the world’s oldest open air museum at Skansen.
Located on the island of Djurgården, Skansen is the world’s oldest open-air museum. It was founded in 1891 to preserve and spotlight Swedish culture—from traditional artisans at work to period Nordic lifestyles.
Skansen’s main draw is its Nordic zoo. Here you’ll find Nordic wildlife such as reindeer, lynx, wolves, and moose, in addition to more than 150 traditional red Swedish cottages and historic buildings, barns with farm animals, artists’ studios and an aquarium filled with all sorts of marine life. Kids would love exploring this unique attraction which is one of Stockholm’s most interesting experiences.
Activity 4: Explore Science at the “Tom Tits” Experiment
Named for the 19th century French character, the “Tom Tits” Experiment gets children seeing the world in new ways.
Optical illusions, earthquakes, storm winds, a robot-controlled mini roller coaster, and a slide that runs through the entire building are just a few of 600 different experiences at “Tom Tits” Experiment located in the town of Södertälje – a 30 minute train ride from Stockholm.
The concept is based on the French character “Tom Tit.” Tom is an imaginary figure who carried out a range of scientific experiments in the French magazine, l’Illustration, and in several books published at the end of the 19th century. Tom Tits Experiment’s mission is to awaken children’s interest in science and technology.
A few of the experiments and experiences on tap include a soap bubble blower with interesting formations and surface light reflections, and ball race where gravity comes to play with free falling balls. There are blow holes, mirror mazes, mind games, illusion galleries, periodic tables, slides, spaceballs, and enough geeky goodness to keep your kids entertained for hours.
1 Great Place to Stay in Stockholm with Kids: Scandic Hotels
A standard room in Stockholm’s Scandic Grand Central Hotel.
Beyond renting an apartment which is a great way to live like a local and save money, when it comes to overall value, it’s hard to beat Scandic Hotel chain’s roughly 20+ hotel locations that dot the city.
While rooms are modest and minimalist — you’re in Scandinavia, after all — each Scandic hotel is designed with efficiency and bang-for-buck mind. They have family rooms and suites in addition to fantastic breakfast buffet spreads with both cold and warm dishes, free high-speed wireless Internet in all rooms and access to gyms and saunas, all included in the price.
1 Great Place for Families to Eat: Rosendals Trädgård Café
The kid-friendly “kafe” located inside a large glass greenhouse, surrounded by flower and herb gardens and fruit orchards.
In terms of ambiance and a great place to eat as well as explore with the kids, Rosendals Trädgård Kafé and Bageri serves everything from freshly-baked eco-friendly pastries and breads to meat and seafood dishes, soups, and salads made with ingredients from their own gardens.
The café itself is located inside a large glass greenhouse. The surrounding flower and herb gardens and fruit orchards create a charming ambiance.
Their breads and pastries are baked with biodynamic flour from the Saltå Kvarn mill in nearby Järna, and their dishes are cooked using seasonal ingredients and organic produce from certified farms and growers. You can also picnic under their fruit trees in the large orchards as well.
2 comments
Thank you for this beautifully illustrated peek into Stockholm. I hope my family will get to experience it one year soon! It does look sound like a perfect family destination. Your blog posts tend to tickles the travel bug within me!
Thank you!
Thank you! It is fun to be able to share contributions from insider mom’s like this.
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