Museums for history buffs in Stockholm

Museums about Swedish History

• Skansen Open Air Museum – One of Stockholm's most popular family attractions, in any category. The Skansen Outdoor Museum has collected genuine homesteads and buildings from all over Sweden, illustrating how Sweden has changed throughout history. There's also a zoo with Nordic fauna, a petting zoo, a tropical aquarium and terrarium, and an aquarium with Baltic sea animals.
• Nordiska Museet – Nordiska Museet on Djurgården follows the last 500 years of traditions, folklore, and everyday life in Sweden and Scandinavia. Learn about everything from life in the polar regions, post-war city planning, and Sápmi culture. The permanent exhibition "Nordic Life" is a great place to start.
• The Viking Museum – As the name implies, the museum is dedicated to the infamous seafarers from Scandinavia. The Viking Museum tells about the daily goings-on in a Viking settlement, separating fact from fiction. A highlight is the "Ragnfrids Saga" – a storytelling ride about a crew of Vikings and their misfortunes in 11th-century Europe.

• The Police Museum – A museum for true crime fans. The Police Museum takes a historical view of how the Swedish police have evolved through history, and how crime fighting in general has changed thanks to technical advances. The museum also takes a deep dive into famous crimes and current social issues, through temporary exhibitions.
• The Royal Armoury – Located under the Royal Palace (itself a museum open to the public) is the Royal Armoury's treasure of royal splendor. The collections include uniforms, dresses, armor, carriages, crowns, scepters, jewelry, and other personal items.
• The Swedish History Museum – A great place to start for your Swedish History 101. The History Museum takes you through the biggest events and milestones in Swedish history, from pre-history to the modern day. There are also several in-depth exhibitions about specific eras, like the permanent Viking exhibition.

• ArkDes – ArkDes, once known as the Museum of Architecture, is located in the same building as Moderna Museet on Skeppsholmen. Here you'll learn why Swedish architecture looks the way it does, how design and city planning have changed through history, and how they have been used to solve social issues.
• The National Sports Museum of Sweden – Learn about some of the most popular and beloved sports in Sweden. The National Sports Museum highlights some of Sweden's best athletes and highest achievements in sports and has interactive exhibitions that let visitors compete against each other. Located at the museum is also Konsthall 16, which focuses on sports photography and art.
• The Jewish Museum – The Jewish Museum in Gamla stan tells about a rich cultural heritage going back more than 300 years. Located in Stockholm's oldest synagogue, visitors get to learn when the Jews first came to Sweden and how they became an important part of Swedish society.

• Postmuseum – Postmuseum (Swedish: The Mail Museum) in Gamla Stan is about communication and how Swedes have communicated throughout history. From horsebound messengers to classic yellow mail bikes and digital forms of communication. The museum reopened in 2024, after years of renovations, with several brand-new exhibitions.
• The Vasa Museum – A museum focused on the most infamous Swedish warship in history; The Vasa. Having sunk during her maiden voyage in 1628, the Vasa was painstakingly recovered in 1961. The museum on Djurgården, where the ship is displayed, opened in 1990 and has become one of Sweden's most popular attractions.
• Vrak – Museum of Wrecks – The Baltic Sea is a hotspot for wreck divers, due to its unique salt composition. Vrak on Djurgården takes a peek beneath the waves to see what's hidden at the bottom. The museum is a sister museum of the nearby Vasa Museum, and you can buy a combo ticket to visit both attractions at a discount.

• The Econmy Museum and the Royal Coin Cabinet – Located in the same building as the Swedish History Museum, is a museum examining Swedish economic history. How has money looked and what will be the currency of the future? What are the foundations of the Swedish economy and how have they changed through history? The museum also features the Royal Coin Cabinet and its vast collection of coins, bills, medals, and other monetary objects.
• ABBA The Museum – A museum wholly dedicated to one of Sweden's most beloved music exports. Learn how Anni-Frig, Björn, Benny, and Agnetha met and how their music conquered the world.
• The Army Museum – Although a diplomatically neutral country during modern-day conflicts, Sweden has a fascinating military history. At the Army Museum, you'll learn about its role in European battles and wars of the 16th-18th centuries, to UN peacekeeping missions in the 21st. The museum also has a permanent exhibition about Raoul Wallenberg and his heroic deeds during WWII.

Museums about world history

• Museum of Ethnography—The Museum of Ethnography highlights folklore, traditions, and everyday life of cultures worldwide. Founded in 1900, it has over 220,000 objects in its collection, from traditional clothes and weapons to tableware, tools, and other everyday objects. Located on Gärdet in "The Museum Park," several other great museums are right next door.
• The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities – Features one of the largest collections of Asian antiquities in Europe. The Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities has amassed over 100,00 archeological finds from China, Japan, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia and also has a large library of East Asian literature.
• The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities
  Founded in 1958 when the Stockholm Egyptian Museum and Cypriotic Collection merged. Has a large collection of archeological objects from the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean; Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Cyprus. The museum also curates temporary exhibitions, about Northern Africa and The Middle East.

• The Swedish Holocaust Museum – The Swedish Holocaust Museum opened in 2023 in central Stockholm. The museum looks at the horrific events of the holocaust through a Swedish lens, with objects and documents donated by survivor families and individuals, who in one way or another ended up in Sweden following WWII.
• The Living History Forum – A public agency and a museum, located in Old Town. The agency advocates democracy and tolerance through various school programs and workshops, and the admission-free museum offers exhibitions about history and social struggles
• The National Maritime Museum – Located on Gärdet, by the Djurgården Canal. A museum about Swedish and international maritime history. Covers a range of topics such as Naval art, sea battles, piracy, modern trade and shipping, and more. The Museum also has a collection of historical ships and boats, docked at Djurgården
• The Toy Museum and The Stockholm Toy Museum – Two separate museums on the same subject; toys and how humans have played with them. The Toy Museum is located in Fisksätra and features toys from the collections and donations from several avid toy collectors. The Stockholm Toy Museum, on the other hand, displays the private collection of the von Schinkel family (Northern Europe's largest toy collection). It was previously exhibited at Tidö Palace until it moved to Skeppsholmen in 2018.