# Things to do in Stockholm with kids Written 2026-09-28 by Play Day. Junibacken, the Vasa, Skansen and Gröna Lund on Djurgården, the museums for a dark winter afternoon, playgrounds with animals, a city beach, and where to eat and stay. See which ones have changing tables, stroller parking or a room for your packed lunch before you go. Picture it: a city spread over islands, a ferry that takes the same ticket as the metro, and a four-year-old who has just spotted a funfair across the water. Where do you start? On Djurgården, the green island east of the center, where Junibacken, the Vasa Museum, Skansen and Gröna Lund sit a short walk apart. Most people with kids give it a day. We'd give it two. What decides the rest of the trip is the season. Summer means light until late, city beaches and Gröna Lund open. Winter means dark by mid-afternoon and the funfair shut, so the plan moves indoors: Tekniska, the natural history museum, the kids' library at Kulturhuset. Skansen is the one big outdoor day that runs all year. And the stroller question? Stockholm is pretty easy on wheels. The big museums below have lifts and stroller parking (the Royal Armoury is the exception, and we say so), the Djurgården ferry rolls you on and off, and the city runs staffed playgrounds with toilets and toys to borrow. Every entry says what a place is like with kids, which ages it suits and what catches people out, and each part of town gets somewhere to eat. ## How we picked Think of these as the places we'd send a friend flying in with a four-year-old and a stroller. Each one was checked on its own site in September 2026 (visitor, family and accessibility pages), and the playgrounds and the beach on the city's own park pages. The yes and no answers under each place come from those pages and the Play Day listing. Plenty of Stockholm listings are still light on facts, so if one's missing, we couldn't confirm it either way (not that the answer is no). We kept it to the city itself. The archipelago deserves a page of its own, and anything that's really for teenagers, or a chain play center you could find in any town, didn't make the cut. ## Djurgården, the museum island Get there on the Djurgården ferry from Slussen. It stops at Skeppsholmen on the way, any SL ticket works on board, and the crossing takes about ten minutes, which for a lot of kids is the best part of the day. The other way in is tram 7 from Sergels torg, which stops right outside Junibacken and the Vasa Museum. All four places below are walkable from each other, though Skansen sits up a hill. ### [Junibacken](https://ourplayday.com/places/junibacken) Area: Djurgården If your kids know Pippi Longstocking, Emil or Karlsson-on-the-Roof, this is the one. It's built around Astrid Lindgren's stories, and the Story Train carries you through scenes from her books (pick the language, and in Swedish it's Astrid herself reading). It lets you off at Villa Villekulla, Pippi's house, where kids get to climb around the rooms. It's made for about 0 to 8, with theater shows every day for different ages, play areas, a restaurant and stroller parking inside. The bookshop at the entrance is the biggest kids' bookshop in Sweden, and you don't need a ticket to go in. It's right next door to the Vasa Museum, so the two make an easy morning. Tip: Read them a Pippi book the week before. The train is a lot more fun when they know who everyone is. ### [Vasa Museum](https://ourplayday.com/places/vasa-museum) Area: Djurgården A real warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, was raised from the harbor centuries later and now fills a building of its own. Honestly, the ship does the work. Even kids who hate museums tend to stop and stare. Strollers are allowed, with lifts and ramps to every floor, and there are changing tables in the accessible toilets (by the information desk, in the entrance hall, on the third floor and in the restaurant). The restaurant has a kids' lunch menu and a sea view. Strollers stay in the parking area outside it, so bring a lock. Large bags and wheeled cases aren't allowed in, which matters if you're coming straight from the airport. Tip: There's a free audio guide just for kids that you stream on your own phone. Pack headphones. ### [Skansen](https://ourplayday.com/places/skansen) Area: Djurgården An open-air museum and a zoo in one. Old farmhouses and workshops moved here from all over Sweden, and between them the Nordic animals: brown bears, moose, wolves, lynx, reindeer, seals and otters. It's open all year, which makes it the one big outdoor day that still works in winter. Lill-Skansen, the kids' zoo, is included in the ticket and has been the small kids' favorite since 1955. Rabbits, guinea pigs, mini goats and pigs, plus snakes and stick insects, and in summer a paddock where they can pat the sheep. The Baltic Sea Science Center is included too. Skansen is on a hill. Bergbanan, the funicular at the Hazelius gate, has been hauling people up the hill since 1897 and saves small legs the climb. It runs from spring to early autumn, then takes the winter off. There are changing rooms and several places to eat inside. - Restroom: Yes ### [Gröna Lund](https://ourplayday.com/places/grona-lund) Area: Djurgården An old amusement park right on the water, and closed in winter. A lot of it is for big kids with strong stomachs, but there's a proper set of rides for small ones. The old circus carousel, the veteran cars, the Tunnel of Love and Pettson och Findus Värld have no height limit, and the kiddie coaster takes kids from 90 cm on their own. You're allowed to bring your own picnic, which helps a lot. Summer evenings are concert nights, so with little ones, go in the daytime. The Djurgården ferry stops at Allmänna gränd, right by the gate. - Restroom: Yes ## Museums for a dark or rainy day In January it's dark by mid-afternoon and nobody wants a playground at four. These are the places that fill a day indoors. Tekniska and the natural history museum are north of the center, a bus or metro ride out. The other three are right in town. ### [Tekniska museet](https://ourplayday.com/places/tekniska-museet) Area: Norra Djurgården Sweden's national museum of science and technology, and the easiest museum in the city to lose a whole day in. Teknoleket is the part for small kids: marble runs, colored cogs to fit together and a train room with wooden track and magnetic couplings. Older kids head for MegaMind and Play Beyond Play, the one about computer games. There's stroller parking, baby changing and a room for packed lunches, plus a restaurant. Kids under 7 get in free. Bus 69 to Museiparken drops you at the door. - Free entry: No - Restroom: Yes - Wheelchair access: Yes ### [Swedish Museum of Natural History](https://ourplayday.com/places/naturhistoriska-riksmuseet) Area: Norra Djurgården Dinosaurs, the deep sea and Swedish nature, in a huge old building by the university. The exhibitions are free for kids, which makes it an easy one to leave early if the mood turns. It's about as easy with a stroller as museums get. There are lifts between the levels, changing rooms and accessible toilets on every floor, and a few strollers to borrow at the information desk. There's a packed lunch room with microwaves, so you can warm baby food. Cosmonova, the dome cinema, is in the same building and has its own ticket. Strollers can't go into the auditorium, and it's not for babies. Tip: Take the metro to Universitetet. It's a short walk from there. - Restroom: Yes ### [The Royal Armoury](https://ourplayday.com/places/livrustkammaren) Area: Gamla stan Sweden's museum of royal history, in the corner of the Royal Palace with its door on Slottsbacken. Shining armor, royal costumes, gold carriages and Streiff, the stuffed horse a king rode into battle. That's a much easier sell to a seven-year-old than the palace rooms upstairs. Under a starry ceiling, the Children's Armoury is a play room where kids dress up in helmets, shields, tiaras and knight costumes and poke around a cabinet of curiosities. Admission is free for everyone under 19. Strollers don't go into the exhibitions. There are a few spots to park them by the entrance, or you can lock one outside with your own lock. - Restroom: Yes ### [Rum för Barn](https://ourplayday.com/places/rum-for-barn-kulturhuset) Area: Norrmalm The kids' library on the fourth floor of Kulturhuset, right on Sergels torg. It's free, and somebody in your group has to be under 10 to come in. There are books in dozens of languages (English included), cozy corners for reading together, and story and song sessions run by the staff. Strollers aren't allowed on the floor for fire safety reasons, so park yours on level E before you go up. It's the easiest free hour in the center when it's pouring. - Restroom: Yes ### [Stockholm City Museum](https://ourplayday.com/places/stockholm-city-museum) Area: Södermalm The story of the city, free to walk into, right at Slussen where the Djurgården ferry leaves. It's a good hour before or after the boat. Mellanrummet is a room for kids and grown-ups, meant for tired legs and hungry bellies. There's baby changing, a café for fika and lifts, and almost the whole museum works with a stroller. ## Parks, playgrounds and a beach Stockholm has something most cities don't: the parklek, a playground the city staffs, with a clubhouse, a toilet and toys to borrow while it's open. Three of these have one. The beach is for summer, and swimming in the lake right in the middle of a capital city is honestly one of the best things you can do here. ### [Stora Blecktornsparken](https://ourplayday.com/places/stora-blecktornsparken) Area: Södermalm A parklek with animals. Pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep and goats are out every day of the year. Around them: slides, trampolines, climbing frames and a zip line, with bikes, balls, stilts and board games to borrow. The parklek house has a kitchen and high chairs you can use, and an accessible toilet with a changing table. The weekly program runs to sausage grilling and waffles. It's on the southeast side of Södermalm, a walk from Skanstull, and nowhere near the tourist trail, which is part of the appeal. - Restroom: Yes ### [Vasaparken](https://ourplayday.com/places/vasaparken) Area: Vasastan The playground here is based on Astrid Lindgren's story about Peter and Petra, two tiny people who live under a tree in this very park. There's an obstacle course through the trees with slides, nets and hanging bridges, trampolines and hammocks, and a toy truck built from a real one. Littler kids get a fenced corner of their own with a sandbox, swings and a slide. The staffed parklek next door lends toys and opens its toilet while it's running. In winter there's an artificial ice rink, and Mon Village Caîo, below, is a few minutes' walk. - Restroom: Yes ### [Humlegården Playground](https://ourplayday.com/places/humlegarden-playground) Area: Östermalm A big playground in the park behind the Royal Library: climbing frames, slides, swings, playhouses, a sandbox, seesaws and basketball hoops. It suits pretty much every age. When the staff are in, toys come out to borrow, and there's an accessible toilet inside the playhouse. It's the place to let them run between the shops and the food hall on Östermalm. ### [Ivar Los Park](https://ourplayday.com/places/ivar-los-park) Area: Södermalm A small playground up on Mariaberget with one of the best views in the city, out over the water to Gamla stan and Kungsholmen. So the grown-ups get something too. The playground has a countryside theme: a farmhouse, a dairy and a barn kids can go into, and wooden animals to ride. In winter the slope turns into a sledding hill. Walk out along Monteliusvägen afterward for more of the view. ### [Långholmens Strandbad](https://ourplayday.com/places/langholmen-beach) Area: Långholmen A real beach on a green island a short walk from Södermalm, with sand for digging, grass for the picnic and the lake for swimming. There are toilets and a shower, but no changing rooms, so bring a towel to hide behind. Cafés and ice cream are close by, and the island is crisscrossed with paths for when they're done swimming. On a warm summer weekend the whole city has the same idea, so go early. ## Where to eat nearby Fika (coffee and a bun, pretty much a national habit) is the easiest meal to do with kids here. A cinnamon bun buys you a quiet twenty minutes almost anywhere. ### [Blå Porten](https://ourplayday.com/places/blaporten) Area: Djurgården An old restaurant and café next to Liljevalchs on Djurgårdsvägen, with a garden to sit in and a room that hasn't changed much since the 1900s. The food is Swedish home cooking with some Mediterranean in it, plus cakes. You just walk in (only groups of more than five need to book), which is what you want halfway between the Vasa and Gröna Lund. - Restroom: Yes ### [Rosendals Trädgård](https://ourplayday.com/places/rosendals-tradgard) Area: Djurgården A biodynamic garden further into Djurgården, with a garden café, a greenhouse restaurant and a farm shop. You eat out in the garden, and kids can wander the paths while you finish your coffee. It's open all year and it's a lovely walk out past Skansen, so plan it as the calm end of a busy island day. ### [Chokladkoppen](https://ourplayday.com/places/chokladkoppen) Area: Gamla stan A small café on Stortorget, the old square by the palace, and the hot chocolate stop in Gamla stan. Big sandwiches, cakes and ice cream too. It's tiny inside, so with a stroller the summer terrace out on the square is your friend. The Royal Armoury is a couple of minutes away. ### [Meatballs for the People](https://ourplayday.com/places/meatballs-for-the-people) Area: Södermalm The place to try Swedish meatballs without it being a whole thing. There are more than twenty kinds, from classic beef and pork to moose, wild boar and salmon, so the cautious eater and the adventurous one both get what they want. It's near Nytorget on Södermalm and takes bookings online, which is worth doing on a weekend night. ### [Mon Village Caîo](https://ourplayday.com/places/mon-village-caio) Area: Vasastan A café set up for parents, with a play area and changing tables, good coffee, matcha and pastries. It's the rare place in the city where a toddler on the floor is the point, not a problem. It's a few minutes from Vasaparken, so it's the obvious warm-up after the playground. ### [Vete-Katten](https://ourplayday.com/places/vete-katten) Area: Norrmalm Stockholm's classic konditori on Kungsgatan, for cinnamon buns, cakes and a proper sit-down fika. There's lunch too (sandwiches, soups and pies) if the bun needs backup. It's a short walk from Kulturhuset, so it pairs well with a rainy hour at Rum för Barn. ## Where to stay Stay on Djurgården or Skeppsholmen and you can walk to the museums, stay by Central Station for the airport train, or take an apartment if you'd rather cook. These are the short version. The Stockholm family hotels guide goes into rooms, cribs and pools for each. ### [Backstage Hotel Stockholm](https://ourplayday.com/places/backstage-hotel-stockholm) Area: Djurgården The walk-to-everything pick: it's in the same building as ABBA The Museum, next door to Gröna Lund, with Skansen and the Vasa a short walk away. Some loft rooms and luxury rooms connect, and the Veranda Suite has two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, plus a private veranda. Cribs and extra beds are available. ### [Hotel Skeppsholmen](https://ourplayday.com/places/hotel-skeppsholmen) Area: Skeppsholmen The quiet one: a small green island in the middle of the city, with the hotel's own garden and water all around. Moderna Museet is next door, and the Djurgården ferry stops at Skeppsholmen, so the museum island is one short boat ride away. The biggest room, the officer's suite, sleeps four. The rest top out at three, so with two kids, ask for that one or two rooms. ### [Clarion Hotel Sign](https://ourplayday.com/places/clarion-hotel-sign) Area: Norrmalm Right by Central Station, with the Arlanda Express from the airport a few minutes' walk away, which is what you want at the end of a long flight with tired kids. Family rooms sleep four. There's a heated rooftop pool, but it costs extra, has to be booked ahead and has age limits for kids, so check before you promise anyone a swim. - Wheelchair access: Yes ### [Biz Apartment Hammarby Sjöstad](https://ourplayday.com/places/biz-apartment-hammarby-sjostad) Area: Hammarby Sjöstad The kitchen pick. Studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, all with a fully equipped kitchen, and laundry you can book. The two-bedroom means the kids go down while you stay up. It's a newer waterside neighborhood just south of Södermalm, so you'll ride in for the sights and come home to somewhere calm. - Wheelchair access: Yes ## Put a day together Djurgården day: the ferry from Slussen, Junibacken when it opens, the Vasa next door, lunch at Blå Porten, then Skansen or Gröna Lund for the afternoon depending on the season. Old town day: the Royal Armoury, hot chocolate at Chokladkoppen, the ferry from Slussen just for the ride, and Ivar Los Park for the view. Rainy day: Tekniska in the morning, the natural history museum after lunch. Or stay central with Rum för Barn and a fika at Vete-Katten. ## Summer or winter Summer is long, light evenings, the city beaches and Gröna Lund. Everything outdoors on this page works, and you'll be out later than you meant to (bring an eye mask for the kids, since it barely gets dark). Winter is short days and museums. Skansen and the parklek playgrounds stay open, Vasaparken has its ice rink and Ivar Los Park its sledding hill. Gröna Lund is closed, and the funicular at Skansen takes a break. Plan one big indoor place a day and you'll be fine. ## Getting around with a stroller The Djurgården ferry, the trams and the metro all take strollers, and one SL ticket covers the lot. Most of the places on this page have lifts and stroller parking. Two things to know: the Royal Armoury keeps strollers out of the exhibitions, and Rum för Barn has you park yours downstairs first. Gamla stan's cobbles are charming and bumpy, so a carrier is handy there. ## Questions ### What is there to do in Stockholm with toddlers? Junibacken is made for ages 0 to 8, with the Story Train and Pippi's house. Lill-Skansen, the kids' zoo inside Skansen, has rabbits, mini goats and a sheep paddock in summer. Teknoleket at Tekniska is built for the smallest kids, and Rum för Barn at Kulturhuset is a free kids' library. For outdoors, Stora Blecktornsparken has animals and Vasaparken has a fenced toddler corner. ### Is Stockholm stroller friendly? Mostly, yes. The ferry, trams and metro take strollers, and the Vasa Museum, the natural history museum and Tekniska have lifts, changing tables and stroller parking. Skansen is on a hill, and its funicular only runs from spring to early autumn. The Royal Armoury doesn't allow strollers in the exhibitions, and Gamla stan's cobbles are bumpy. ### What is free to do in Stockholm with kids? The Vasa Museum is free for under-18s, and the natural history museum's exhibitions are free for kids. The Royal Armoury is free for everyone under 19, and Tekniska for under-7s. Stockholm City Museum and Rum för Barn at Kulturhuset are free for everyone, and so are the playgrounds, the parklek animals at Stora Blecktornsparken and the beach at Långholmen. ### How do you get to Djurgården with kids? Take the Djurgården ferry from Slussen, which stops at Skeppsholmen and then Allmänna gränd by Gröna Lund. It takes about ten minutes, runs all year and any SL ticket works on board. Tram 7 from Sergels torg stops outside Junibacken and the Vasa Museum. ### Is Gröna Lund open in winter? No. Gröna Lund is a summer park and closes for the winter. Skansen next door is open all year, with the Nordic animals and Lill-Skansen, so that's the Djurgården outdoor day in the colder months. ### What can you do in Stockholm with kids when it rains? Tekniska museet and the Swedish Museum of Natural History are the two big indoor days, both with packed lunch rooms. In the center, the Royal Armoury has a dress-up play room, Rum för Barn at Kulturhuset is a free kids' library, and Stockholm City Museum at Slussen is free. Junibacken and the Vasa Museum on Djurgården are indoors too. Page: https://ourplayday.com/guides/stockholm/things-to-do-with-kids