The historic 7 tram
Vintage cars crossing from the centre.
Holger.Ellgaard — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Matti Blume — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Matti Blume — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rhododendrites — CC BY-SA 4.0
Djurgarden is an entire island inside Stockholm that was a royal hunting reserve from the sixteenth century — hence its name, literally the animal garden. Staying outside urban development for five centuries is what makes it the city's lung today: old oak woodland, waterways and open meadows just ten minutes from the centre. It is also by far the densest concentration of Stockholm's attractions: the Vasa Museum, Skansen, ABBA The Museum, Grona Lund, the Maritime Museum and the Nordic art museum are all here, within walking distance of each other. You could realistically spend three days in Stockholm without leaving this island. Its eastern half is another matter entirely: genuine forest nearly empty of visitors, with walking and running trails, summer cafes on the water and swimming spots. You reach it by a direct bridge, the historic number 7 tram, or the ferry from Gamla Stan — and it forms part of the world's first urban national park, designated in 1995.
Vintage cars crossing from the centre.
Oak forest and trails nearly free of visitors.
Djurgarden, 115 21 Stockholm
Prins Eugens WaldemarsuddeWaldemarsudde is Prince Eugen's house at the far end of Djurgården, and its stor7 minutes walk4.6
SkansenSkansen is the world's first open-air museum, opened in 1891 on an idea that was11 minutes walk4.4
ABBA The MuseumABBA The Museum is devoted to the most successful band Sweden has ever produced,14 minutes walk4.6
Grona LundGrona Lund is Sweden's oldest amusement park, running since 1883 on a very small15 minutes walk4.3
The Viking MuseumThe Viking Museum on Djurgarden is a modern narrative museum rather than a colle15 minutes walk4.4Between the Vasa Museum, Skansen and Grona Lund the distances are short and walking beats waiting. But the wooded eastern end sits about three kilometres from the museum cluster, so use bus 67 or hire a bicycle to reach it — the island is nearly flat with dedicated cycle paths.