Sweden’s sights fall into three groups: a capital built on islands with the country’s best museums, medieval towns and royal sites within a day of it, and a north where the landscape is the attraction. This page sorts them by type, gives the price where one exists and links to the detailed page for each.
Historic towns and royal sites
Stockholm’s old town, Gamla Stan, was founded in the 13th century and is where most first visits start. The Royal Palace, the cathedral and the square Stortorget sit within a few streets of each other, and walking them costs nothing; the Gamla Stan page covers what is ticketed. West of the city on Lake Mälaren is Drottningholm, the palace the King and Queen live in. Sweden has 15 World Heritage properties and Drottningholm was the first, listed in 1991. Adult entry to the palace is 170 SEK, and in October and November it opens weekends only, 10:00–16:00; in December and early January only a handful of listed dates are open. More on the Drottningholm page.
Uppsala, a short train ride north of the capital, has the cathedral: entry is free and the doors are open 08:00–18:00 daily outside services. See the Uppsala Cathedral page and the Uppsala city page. Visby on Gotland is the other medieval survivor. Its ring wall, begun around 1250, is the oldest preserved town wall in northern Europe and the only one left in the Nordic countries, and the whole Hanseatic town has been on the UNESCO list since 1995. You walk round and through it freely; the Visby wall page and the Visby city page have the detail, including the ferry.
Museums
The museums worth a detour cluster on Djurgården in Stockholm. The Vasa Museum is built around one salvaged warship. Adults pay 240 SEK from May to September and 195 SEK the rest of the year, anyone 18 or under goes in free, and the museum takes cards only. Summer hours are 08:30–18:00; from September to May it is 10:00–17:00, Wednesdays to 20:00. Details: Vasa Museum page. Next door, Skansen is an open-air museum of relocated Swedish buildings with a Nordic zoo; its hours and prices change by season, so use the Skansen page. Across the water on Södermalm, Fotografiska stays open until 23:00 and charges 195 SEK for adults aged 26 and over; the Fotografiska page. In Gothenburg, the Universeum science centre opens 10:00–18:00 every day; see the Universeum page.
National parks and the far north
Sweden has 31 national parks, and each sets its own rules on top of the right of public access. That right lets you pitch a tent on open land for one or two nights out of sight and earshot of houses, and requires dogs on a lead from 1 March to 20 August. The best-known park for a first trip is Abisko, above the Arctic Circle by the Norwegian border, reached by train and covered on the Abisko National Park page. Up here the sun does not set in Kiruna from 29 May to 14 July, and the polar night lasts 27 days in midwinter. The Sweden climate guide has the monthly figures.
Kiruna itself is the base for the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi. A day ticket to the art suites costs 325 SEK for adults, and the new winter hotel opens on 11 December 2026; sleeping there is on the Icehotel page. Kiruna’s wooden church, the town’s landmark, was rolled to a new site on 19 and 20 August 2025, all 672.4 tonnes of it over a 5 km route. It is closed: the parish plans to reopen it in 2027, while the mining company said in August 2026 it was too early to name a date. The older church at Jukkasjärvi is open 09:00–15:00 daily instead; see the Jukkasjärvi Church page and the Kiruna city page.
West coast and modern landmarks
Gothenburg’s southern archipelago counts as public transport: a Västtrafik zone A single ticket at 38 SEK covers the tram to Saltholmen and the ferry out. The archipelago page lists the islands, and the fortress island of Marstrand to the north has its own page. In the city, Liseberg amusement park sells admission online from 125 SEK in the Halloween season, with rides extra and hours that change by date; the Liseberg page and the Gothenburg city page go further. Malmö’s Turning Torso is a residential tower, so there is no walk-in viewing deck: a pre-booked guided visit costs 195 SEK and is sold for listed dates only, with limited places. The Turning Torso page explains booking, and the Malmö city page covers the rest of the city.
Practical tips
- Carry a card. The Riksbank states that cash is rarely used, only 5 per cent of Swedes paid cash for their last shop purchase in 2025, and museums such as the Vasa take cards only.
- Churches, old towns, the Visby wall and the national parks cost nothing; the ticketed sights are museums, palaces and the Icehotel. Budget per the cost guide.
- Most sights cut their hours after September. Drottningholm drops to weekends in October and November and the Vasa Museum to 10:00–17:00 so check the calendar first.
- The north is a separate trip. Fly or take the night train from Stockholm; the transport guide covers both.
What to check before you go
- Seasonal calendars for Liseberg, Skansen and Drottningholm, which publish day-by-day hours rather than fixed ones.
- Whether Kiruna church has reopened, since the parish and the mining company give different answers.
- Turning Torso visit dates: public visits are pre-booked only and availability is limited, so check the ticket calendar before you plan around it.
- Tick protection if you hike in summer. The Public Health Agency recommends TBE vaccination for anyone from 3 years at risk of tick bites in its risk zones, and 250 to 350 people are hospitalised with the disease each year; see the health guide.
- Fire bans. Campfires are allowed under the right of public access only when safe and never during a fire ban; the county board announces them.