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Museums

The Viking Museum

Interactive museum on the Viking Age on Djurgården

The Viking Museum (opened as Vikingaliv) on Djurgården tells the story of the Viking Age through archaeological finds. The centrepiece is the Ragnfrid saga ride through a village in the year 963.

Exterior facade of the Vikingaliv Viking Museum on Djurgården, with a rune stone sculpture in front of the entrance.
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What to expect

The Viking Museum (long known as Vikingaliv) sits on Djurgårdsstrand on the museum island of Djurgården, right next to the Gröna Lund amusement park and within sight of the Vasa Museum. It's designed as an interactive museum that aims to make the Viking Age tangible – with hands-on stations rather than long rows of glass cases.

The museum deliberately builds on current research: it shows Viking everyday life, trade, seafaring and belief through archaeological finds, and clears up common clichés – the famous horned helmets, for instance, never existed. The exhibition is labelled in Swedish and English; a free audio guide in ten languages, including German, fills the gap for other visitors.

The Ragnfrid saga ride

The centrepiece is the Ragnfrid saga ride, an around 11-minute journey through a reconstructed village belonging to a fictional Viking family in the year 963. Ragnfrid's story is told with audiovisual effects and runs in nine languages, including German. Children under seven are accompanied on the ride.

The ride is the main reason the museum is especially popular with families. If you're after the historical depth of the Vasa Museum, adjust your expectations: here the experience takes centre stage, not the individual original artefact.

Opening hours, admission and tickets

Outside peak season the museum is open Monday to Friday from 11:00 to 17:00 and at the weekend from 10:00 to 17:00. In summer (13 June to 30 August) it opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and daily from 10:00 to 17:00 during Swedish school holiday periods. It's closed on 23 and 24 December.

Admission costs 199 SEK for adults, 175 SEK for students and seniors, and 159 SEK for children aged 7 to 15; children up to 6 go free. A family ticket (two adults, two children) is 599 SEK, an annual pass 415 SEK. Hourly guided tours are included in the ticket. Payment is by card only – no cash. Book tickets in advance via the official booking page; current times and prices are on thevikingmuseum.com.

On site

The museum has the restaurant Eld, serving Nordic cuisine with vegetarian options, plus a shop – both are accessible without a museum ticket. A cloakroom and lockers are available. In peak season (1 June to 31 August), prams and pushchairs are not allowed in the museum or restaurant.

The museum is fully wheelchair accessible: the exhibition, shop and restaurant are all accessible, and there are two wheelchair-accessible carriages on the saga ride. Loan wheelchairs and two accessible parking spaces are available.

Best time to visit and getting there

It's quietest on weekday mornings right at opening; there's noticeably less crowding outside the summer peak season (June to August). Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for the exhibition and the saga ride – the museum is more compact than its larger neighbours and works well as the second stop of a Djurgården day.

Get there by tram 7 to Liljevalchs/Gröna Lund, or by the Djurgården ferry from Slussen or Gamla Stan; the museum recommends public transport or walking. Right next door are Gröna Lund and the Vasa Museum, and a short walk further on are the Nordiska Museet, the ABBA Museum and the open-air museum Skansen. Families might also enjoy Junibacken. For an overview of the island, see the Djurgården neighbourhood guide, and for planning with children, the Stockholm with Kids guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Viking Museum?+
An interactive museum on Djurgården that tells the story of the Viking Age based on archaeological finds and current research – not the horned-helmet cliché, but everyday life, trade and belief. The exhibition is labelled in Swedish and English, and a free audio guide is available in ten languages, including German.
What is the Ragnfrid saga ride?+
The centrepiece of the museum: an around 11-minute ride through a reconstructed village belonging to a fictional Viking family in the year 963. The narration runs in nine languages, including German. Children under seven are accompanied on the ride.
What does admission cost?+
Adults pay 199 SEK, students and seniors 175 SEK, children aged 7 to 15 159 SEK. Children up to age 6 go free. A family ticket for two adults and two children costs 599 SEK, an annual pass 415 SEK. Payment is by card only, no cash.
How much time should I set aside?+
1.5 to 2 hours is usually enough for the exhibition and the saga ride. The museum is considerably more compact than the neighbouring Vasa Museum and combines well with another attraction on Djurgården.
Is the museum accessible?+
Yes, comprehensively. The exhibition, shop and restaurant are all accessible, and there are two wheelchair-accessible carriages on the saga ride. Loan wheelchairs are available, along with two accessible parking spaces.
How do I get there?+
The museum sits on Djurgårdsstrand close to Gröna Lund. Take tram 7 to Liljevalchs/Gröna Lund, or the Djurgården ferry from Slussen or Gamla Stan. The museum explicitly recommends public transport or walking.

Nearby

Liljevalchs konsthall

Municipal art gallery on Djurgården, in the 1916 Bergsten building plus the glass-bottle Liljevalchs+ wing. Changing exhibitions and the Vårsalongen since 1921.

Hologram stage inside ABBA The Museum on Djurgården, where the four ABBA members appear as projections.

ABBA Museum

ABBA The Museum on Djurgården celebrates Sweden's most famous pop band: original costumes and stage recreations alongside a karaoke booth, hologram stage and mixing station.

The Vasa Museum on Djurgården seen from the water, with the warship Vasa's distinctive red masts rising above the roof.

Vasa

The Vasa Museum on Djurgården houses the only nearly intact 17th-century ship afloat – a warship that sank in 1628 and was raised in 1961.

The Djurgården ferry 11 passes in front of the Nordiska museet on Djurgården, its distinctive tower visible in the background.

Nordiska Museet

Palace-like museum on Djurgården covering 500 years of Swedish cultural history, with folk costumes, home life and the country's largest Sami collection.

View from the water of the chain carousel and roller coaster at Gröna Lund amusement park on Djurgården.

Gröna Lund

Gröna Lund, known to locals as "Grönan", is Sweden's oldest amusement park (since 1883) on Djurgården – 30 rides, seven roller coasters and summer concerts.

The Junibacken children's museum on Djurgården seen from the water, with the neo-Gothic Nordiska museet building behind it.

Junibacken

Storybook house on Djurgården built around Astrid Lindgren's characters, with the overhead story train Sagotåget and Pippi Longstocking's walk-in Villa Villekulla.