Nobel Prize Museum

Where Nobel's legacy comes alive

The Nobel Prize Museum (known as Nobelmuseet until 2019) sits at Stortorget 2, in the heart of Gamla Stan, Stockholm's oldest square. It's dedicated to the founder Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) and the Nobel laureates since 1901 – in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.

The museum is small and can be covered in about an hour. It's not a sprawling museum like the Royal Palace, but a focused, single-theme stop – ideal if you're already exploring the lanes around Stortorget.

Alfred Nobel and his legacy

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who made his fortune inventing dynamite. In his will, he stipulated that the returns on his estate should go, every year, to people who had made outstanding contributions in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. That's how the Nobel Prize came about, awarded every year since 1901.

The museum takes this material and makes it tangible: it's less about glass cases full of objects than about the ideas, life stories and breakthroughs of the laureates.

What to expect

The centrepiece is an overhead cable gallery, where portrait cards of every laureate to date glide slowly through the rooms – a gallery of faces above your head. Alongside it:

• short films on the laureates' research, literature and peace work,
• selected objects belonging to individual prize winners,
• changing themed exhibitions on science and society.

One quirk is Café Satir: prominent guests traditionally sign the underside of their chairs here – worth a peek underneath. Photography and filming are allowed, though staff may not be filmed.

For more depth, there are audio guides in eight languages, plus a children's version in English and Swedish. A guided tour is included in admission – a good reason to join one.

Opening hours, admission and tickets

Hours are staggered by season. From September to May, the museum is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday (until 21:00 on Fridays). In summer (June to August), it opens daily, including Mondays. Last admission is 15 minutes before closing.

Admission costs 160 SEK for adults, 120 SEK for students and seniors; it's free under 18. Worth knowing: regular tickets are sold only on site at the entrance and only by card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Maestro). Booking online in advance isn't possible for standard admission, and there's no skip-the-line service. The official booking system covers memberships and special events only. Check current details at nobelprizemuseum.se.

Best time to visit

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours. It's quietest on weekday mornings shortly after opening; the long Friday evening hours are also more relaxed. It gets busy in summer and especially during Nobel Prize Week in October, when special hours apply.

The museum is fully accessible: the exhibitions, film room and bistro are wheelchair-friendly, and the accessible entrance is at the rear, via the courtyard of Storkyrkan or Slottsbacken, with an intercom and two loan wheelchairs. For families, there are dedicated children's activities and a children's audio guide; find more ideas in the guide to Stockholm with kids.

Getting there and combining your visit

The address is Stortorget 2 in Gamla Stan. The nearest Tunnelbana (metro) station is Gamla Stan (green and red lines), just a few minutes' walk away.

The location on Stortorget makes it easy to combine with other sights: right next door is Storkyrkan, the central square Stortorget is right outside, and a short walk leads to the Royal Palace. For planning your route, see the overview in the guide to Stockholm attractions.