The Skansen Museum in Stockholm

The Skansen Museum in Stockholm is the world’s oldest open-air museum. At the Skansen museum, you will find the history of Sweden shown both in historical buildings as well as intriguing crafts displays. Every part of Sweden is represented at the Skansen museum, from a southern farm on Skåne to the Sami camp in northern Sweden. The museum takes you back to a Sweden before our time. Most buildings and farmsteads at the Skansen Museum are from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.

The Skansen museum isn't your run-of-the-mill museum, and you'll find yourself spending most of the day outdoors. Besides the collection of historic buildings, there are shops, cafes, a lovely church, a zoo, and an aquarium as well as a children's play area.

If you come during summer, there's a special treat for you. Dressed in authentic costumes, the volunteers at the Skansen museum display the old ways of crafting; it's fascinating to watch them. Most everybody here speaks English. Make sure to grab an English language brochure instead of the Swedish ones, and definitely bring your camera to this one-of-a-kind Swedish museum.

The admission price to the Skansen museum largely depends on the time of year as there will be more to see out-of-doors in the summer months, of course. Ticket prices for adults are as follows: January - April 70 SEK. May & September 90 SEK. June - August 110 SEK. October - December 65 SEK.

Admission for children is 40% of the adult ticket price.

You can get free admission with a Stockholm Card, which is a great money saver for any visitor staying in Stockholm 2 days or longer. The card even includes free local transportation and discounts to a variety of other sightseeing destinations in and around the Swedish capital.

Visitors find the Skansen museum easily - it's located on Djurgården, the popular island in central Stockholm. You can get here on foot as well as by bus (line 44 or 47 from Central Station), by tram (Route 7 from Norrmalmstorg or Nybroplan), or by car. Keep in mind that there is limited parking available on Djurgården island and take a look at the map of Stockholm to find Skansen.

The Skansen museum is open year-round, and the museum's opening hours vary by season. The Skansen museum can be visited January and February on weekdays from 10:00-15:00, weekends 10:00-16:00. In March and April, it is open daily 10:00-16:00. From May until June 19, the museum's daily hours are 10:00-20:00.

For June 20 until August, daily times are 10:00-22:00. Later in the year, the hours are: September daily 10:00-20:00, October daily 10:00-16:00, and November on weekdays 10:00-15:00, weekends 10:00-16:00. The December hours on weekdays are10:00-15:00, weekends (Christmas Market Days) 11:00-16:00, and weekends after December 23, 10:00-16:00. It is closed on Christmas Eve.

• Wear comfortable footwear; there's a lot of walking involved.
• In the summer, visit the museum on weekdays to avoid crowds.
• Dress in layers so you'll be comfortable even if it gets cold.