Vasa Museum
Vasamuseet
Home to the Vasa, a warship that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 and was raised after lying on the seabed for 333 years. It is the best-preserved 17th-century ship in the world.
The Vasa was a warship commissioned by Swedish King Gustavus II Adolphus. On her maiden voyage in August 1628, she sailed only about 1,300 meters before capsizing and sinking in Stockholm harbor, because her top-heavy design made her unstable. The low salinity of the Baltic Sea and the scarcity of shipworms helped preserve the hull. She was fully raised in 1961, and after decades of conservation treatment, about 98% of the ship today is original. The museum opened in 1990 and is the most visited museum in Northern Europe.
Highlights: the hull itself, about 52 meters tall including the masts, with its stern covered in hundreds of finely carved wooden sculptures. A colorful 1:10 scale reconstruction shows how the ship was painted when new. Exhibits reconstruct the faces of crew members from their remains, display recovered artifacts, and explain the reasons for the sinking and the salvage process. Chinese-language audio guides and brochures are available. Admission is about SEK 230 (free for visitors under 18). Allow 1.5–2 hours.
Getting there: the museum is on Djurgården island. From the city center, take tram 7 to the Nordiska museet/Vasamuseet stop, or take a ferry from the Old Town or Slussen to Djurgården. It can be combined in one day with the Nordiska Museum, ABBA The Museum, and Skansen.
Note: the interior is kept cool and dimly lit to protect the ship, so please turn off flash when taking photos.
Opening hours
Jun–Aug 08:30–18:00; Sep–May 10:00–17:00 (Wed until 20:00)