Stockholm with kids is easy peasy, lemon squeezy! It is by far the most kid-friendly city I have ever been to and I would come back here with my 6- and 4-year-old boys in a heartbeat (not something I say often when it comes to big cities).
It is not just that Stockholm has plenty of things to do for children, but that children are an essential part of society, not an afterthought or an inconvenience. What does that translate to in real life?
Wide pedestrian paths and barrier-free environment so you can walk around with a stroller easily, elevators in metro stations and dedicated space for strollers in buses and trams.
Green spaces everywhere and at the very least a teeny-tiny swing or sandpit in every park, more often — a playground that will blow your mind.
Restaurants offer smaller versions of dishes from the main menu, rather than creating a kids menu that consists entirely of chicken nuggets and French fries. I could go on and on, but we do have to get into actual things to do in Stockholm with kids, so here we go.
In case you haven’t yet, I would highly recommend to read children’s books written by Swedish authors! Some of the best children’s stories come from this part of the world, and your trip will be so much more fascinating and fulfilling when you connect the words from book pages to the real places in the city.
My absolute favorite book series written by a Swedish writer is Pettson and Findus, a story about an old man who lives in the countryside with his mischievous cat.
Not only is Nordqvist a talented writer, but an amazing illustrator too. A big part of the books’ appeal are extremely detailed illustrations of Pettson’s house, his workshop, and the kitchen where the man, the cat, and occasionally chickens have coffee and cake.
There are several books that are good for ages 2 and up. The majority of books are great from age 4 (but I started reading them much earlier).
This series needs no introduction. I have started reading it with my older son when he was almost 6 and he fell in love with Pippi’s rebellious spirit. I have to say, there are some moments in the books that I have to think about before reading them out loud, but those are few and far between. Astrid Lindgren is the most celebrated Swedish writer and you will find plenty of places to see and things to do connected to her life and art in Stockholm.
Karlsson is a “handsome, thoroughly clever, perfectly plump man in his prime” with a propeller on his back. He has a house on the roof and makes an acquaintance with a boy who lives in the same building. I love Karlsson-on-the-Roof more than Pippi, probably because I grew up watching a popular Soviet cartoon based on the book.
Mamma Moo and Crow is a series about an unlikely friendship between a fun-loving cow and a grumpy crow with illustrations by Sven Nordqvist, the author of Pettson and Findus. As far as I understand, only two books from the series are translated into English, but there are a lot more books in German and Russian (which is what I read with the boys).
The Moomins are a family of trolls and the books follow their adventures in Moominville and beyond. I am including this series with an important note: Tove Jansson is a Swedish-speaking writer from Finland. The books were written in Swedish and are very popular in the nordic countries. So while the writer is not from Sweden, you will see lots of Moomin-related play spaces and shops while exploring Stockholm with kids.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking the link I will earn a small commission at absolutely no extra cost to you.
1. When I travel with children, I try to find a centrally-located hotel to avoid commute in the morning and evening. On this trip we stayed at Generator Stockholm hostel, located not far from the main train station and about 20 minutes away on foot from the Old Town.
2. Public transport in Stockholm is reliable and clean. If you are staying in the city for just a few days, you can simply pay by tapping your credit card when entering buses, trams, or metro stations. If you are staying longer, it might make sense to get, for example, a weekly ticket from SL (Stockholm public transport authority) app.
3. Unlimited number of kids under the age of 6 can travel with a paying adult for free. Up to 6 children under the age of 12 can travel with a paying adult for free. You can read more about SL rules for traveling with kids on the official website.
4. Buying tickets for attractions online is almost always cheaper than on the spot.
5. Playgrounds are everywhere. Some are truly exceptional and I will tell you about our favorite ones below, but there’s always at least a basic play space in a park near you, in case your child needs to unwind.
6. You probably already know, but Stockholm is ridiculously expensive. It makes sense to pack some sandwiches and snacks for the day of exploring, as well as a bottle of water that you can ask to refill at cafes.
I have personally visited every attraction I mention below with my boys. At the time of the trip they were 4 and 6.
I have included a note after each kid’s attraction on cool things to do for adults nearby. Because it’s all about balance, right?
It takes me hours to do research and write my blog posts. So if you use this guide, do leave a comment below. It makes me really happy. And if you would like to further support my work, consider booking your accomodation or attraction tickets through my affiliate links. It will NOT cost you anything extra, and I will earn a small commission.
Let’s start with Junibacken, the most popular attraction for kids in Stockholm. But if I am being honest, this 38-year-old mom of two might have been even more excited about this place than the kids.
On their website, Junibacken is described as a house of stories, which I find fitting. It is a huge play space for children based on the books written by Swedish authors. Here, you will walk around Pippi’s house: step into the kitchen where she rolled out cookie dough right on the floor, find her suitcase filled with gold, and climb to the rooftop only to slide all the way back down.
Pettson’s house is also here, with its cute little kitchen, chickens drinking coffee outside, and Findus on the rooftop. Karlsson’s house is right nearby, too. A separate, soft room is dedicated to Moomins and is a great space for kids to run around.
Kids can touch everything, open doors and cabinets inside their favorite characters’ homes, climb, run, and overall just be kids without you as a parent having to constantly say stop, don’t, can’t and other silly things.
There’s a story train that takes you on a journey through Astrid Lindgren’s books. As the train slowly moves from room to room, you are observing extremely detailed miniatures based on scenes from the books. The audio narration you hear is the last text Astrid Lindgren has written and if you listen in Swedish, it is her voice reading the text. Apart from Swedish and English, audio is available in 15 languages.
All in all, you can easily spend half a day here. There’s a cafe where you can grab lunch or a cup of coffee and cake, there’s an ice cream stand outside. As Junibacken is located on an island, the views from the room where Pippi’s house is located are incredible. Ok, somebody stop me, because I could write another 3 pages about how I love this place.
Junibacken is located on the island of Djurgården where you will find many major museums. Steps away are Vasa Museum and Nordic Museum. A little further away — Abba Museum and Skansen. Rosendals Garden and Cafe is a bit less than 30 minutes walk away (or 18 minutes by tram).
Now that you’ve been to Pippi’s house, time to see the actual house of the writer who created her. Astrid Lindgren lived in the apartment building at Dalagatan 46 for over 60 years. It is in this apartment that she wrote her most famous books, including Pippi Longstocking, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, and Mio, My Son.
You can only visit the apartment, which is preserved to look exactly as it did when Astrid Lindgren lived there, on a guided tour. You should book the tickets way way way in advance. Tours in English are limited. New spots open on the first of the month for the next month.
I was in Sweden rather spontaneously, so booking a guided tour was not an option. However, no one stops you from finding her house and waiting till someone walks in or out through the front door, so you can at least see the foyer (which is beautiful), the winding staircase, the old-school elevator, and the door of her apartment with the sign “A. Lindgren”.
Vasaparken is right across the road from Dalagatan 46, so you can combine visiting the Vasaparken playground with Astrid Lindgren’s house. Cafe Pascal at Odenplan serves great coffee and pastries. Odenplan metro station might not be the prettiest in Stockholm, but worth taking a look at.
One of the best examples of how kids are integrated into daily life in Stockholm is the Nobel Prize Museum. I was genuinely planning to skip it all together because exploring a museum with two little boys is not for the faint of heart, until I learned there’s a dedicated space for children inside.
The workshop is a room located on the lower floor of the museum where children can learn about physics and chemistry in a fun, hands-on way. For example, we tried drawing while looking into a mirror instead of the paper, we learned about magnets, we made twirling paper planes.
Important to know: there are people in the workshop who will help kids with conducting experiments, nevertheless a kid should be accompanied by an adult. While my husband stayed with our boys, I explored the museum, then we switched. The workshop is open every day during summer and only on the weekends during the rest of the year. Double-check the hours here. You need to buy tickets for adults, kids do not need a ticket.
After exploring the museum, head to Bistro Nobel, a cafe on the ground floor of the building. Here, you can order the ice cream that was served at the banquet for Nobel laureates for decades. Apparently, ice cream was the only dessert allowed from the first banquet in 1901 all the way until 1999. Today, pastry chefs have creative freedom and desert changes every year, but you can still try the famous ice cream at the Bistro Nobel. Vanilla ice cream is served with black currant sorbet, raspberry jam, cotton candy, and a dark chocolate Nobel medal.
Afterwards, you can play a fun game of finding a chair in the cafe signed by a Nobel laureate of your choice. The tradition of signing the underside of the chairs has started in 2003 I was told by the museum staff (but online sources say 2001). So you can only find a signature of someone who won the prize afterwards.
The chairs have numbers on the back and you can ask the staff at the ticket counter what number you need to look for, if you want to see Barack Obama’s signature, for example. However, the chairs are not located in logical order, so it’s not uncommon to see people lifting and turning the chairs to find the right signature.
The Nobel Prize Museum is in itself a great thing to do for adults, but its location is unbeatable: right on Stortorget square in the Old Town. Here you can see the colorful merchant houses and then continue exploring Gamla Stan (Old Town). The Royal Palace is steps away.
Kulturhuset is an enormous cultural center right in the heart of the city near T-Centralen station. While it features 9 theatre stages, it’s a great place to explore in Stockholm with kids even if you are not planning to see a performance. Here’s what to do here!
First of all, go to the ground floor to see Stockholm in miniature under the glass floor. It’s a 3D model of the city covered by a thick layer of glass that you can walk on. The boys had fun crawling around and looking for our hotel and major attractions. You can find more information here.
Take the escalator (or elevator if you have a stroller) up to the 4th floor where you will find a children’s library. There are books in over 50 languages and plenty of cozy corners to relax and read.
Right nearby is an art workshop for kids. They have multiple events daily, you just need to book a spot in advance here.
Important to know: the library has different opening hours from the Kulturhuset as a whole. Currently, it is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 5pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 11 to 4pm.
Finally, go up to the 5th floor where you will find Gallery 5, home to temporary exhibitions. During my trip the impressive Omfamnad (Embraced) was on show. This is more of an adult thing, but my kids really enjoyed exploring the exhibition with me.
There are also several cafes and restaurants at Kulturhuset. I haven’t tried any, but Dotter Voltaire on the 5th floor looked really promising. They have a terrace with a city view, too.
T-Centralen station is steps away, check out the blue line. It is considered one of the prettiest metro stations in Stockholm. The King’s Garden is 7 minutes walk away. One of the coolest things you can do in Stockholm is checking out the building at Norrmalmstorg 2 (also 7 minutes walk away on foot) which is where Stockholm syndrome was born. Now, you will find Acne Studios in place of the original bank on the ground floor (another thing to do if you are into fashion and don’t mind splurging).
This place made my heart sing! Rosendals Trädgård is a beautiful garden on Djurgården island, a short walk from many major museums.
Here you will find an organic farm, a small vineyard, flower beds, vegetable plots, and most importantly a gorgeous cafe set inside a row of greenhouses. My goodness, this is the most beautiful thing! And the table with all the cakes and cookies inside? I took about 350 pictures of the table alone.
The prices are actually not too bad for Stockholm, with mains under €20 (yes, in Stockholm that’s a good price, gasp!) You can always come for fika, a coffee and cake will set you back €6-7.
The cafe is relaxed and lively, which I find perfect for a meal with kids. There’s plenty of space and it’s quite loud too, so you won’t be disturbing anyone. Before or after the meal, the kids can run around in the garden and see how vegetables and flowers grow.
Skansen, an open-air museum showcasing different parts of Sweden, is the closest attraction nearby. Abba Museum is 20 minutes away. Junibacken and Vasa Museum are a little further away, but can be accessed by tram within 15 minutes.
Whenever I travel with kids, food halls and markets are my favorite places for a meal. Everyone can choose exactly what they want to eat, there’s plenty of space, it’s loud. Overall kids can be kids and you don’t need to worry about disturbing other diners.
I have to say, Östermalms Food Hall is not your regular covered market, busy and noisy, rather it’s an upscale destination for food connoisseurs. My plan was to try a few bits and pieces from different vendors, but we ended up having a sit down meal at Lisa Elmqvist, one of the most beloved seafood restaurants in the city that takes up at least half of the market. The business was established in 1926 (it started off as a fishmonger) and is one of the oldest and most respectable institutions in the market hall. Not to mention that it is a Royal Court supplier.
We did ok with the kids, but I’d say given the high prices and elevated vibe, Lisa Elmqvist is better suited for a date or a special occasion. We tried the famous shrimp toast and risotto, which cost us almost €90, but were absolutely impeccable. Next time I explore Stockholm with kids, I would stick to my original plan and get a few little bites from different counters at the market.
The food hall can be easily combined with other attractions I mention on this guide for Stockholm with kids: Krubbans lekplats and Humlegårdens playgrounds are both nearby (more about them below). Kulturhuset is 15 minutes walk away. The Stockhom syndrome building I mentioned above is also within walking distance.
Checking out the prettiest metro stations is a great thing to do whether you are exploring Stockholm with kids or without. Metro in Stockholm is clean, convenient, and easy to navigate. The most beautiful stations that everyone visits are located fairly close to each other, many along one line (the blue one). Most of them (do double check before going) feature elevators so you can easily access the platform even with a stroller.
Basic safety rules have to be followed, of course, but overall I find metro hopping a fun thing to do with kids in Stockholm. Make sure you avoid traffic hours. We did it on a Sunday morning and, as you can see on the pictures, there were barely any people. The most popular stations are Kungsträdgården, T-Centralen (specifically, the blue line), Stadion, Tekniska Högskolan, Solna Centrum, Radhuset.
Alternatively, instead of hopping from one station to the next, you could plan your day in such a way that you explore attractions located near the most beautiful stations. For example, if you get down at T-Centralen you can visit Kulturhuset I mentioned above. Radhuset is 10 minutes walk away from the City Hall. This way you will see the stations one at a time throughout the day instead of doing all of them at once.
Depends on the metro station where you get down.
This children’s bookshop is not a destination in itself, but makes a wonderful pitstop while you are exploring Stockholm with kids. Most of the books are in Swedish, but they have a choice of most popular stories like Pippi Longstocking in English and German. Besides, you can find toys, puzzles, and postcards based on characters like Pippi and Moomins.
In the back of the shop is a cute little cafe so parents can have coffee and cake while kids browse through books.
Bokslukaren is located on the edge of Mariatorget park that features a fountain and a tiny playground. Johan & Nyström nearby makes great coffee and pastries. Monteliusvägen walkway with a view is 7 minutes walk away.
You will find some sort of a playground pretty much on every corner while exploring Stockholm with kids, but there are a few that are particularly spectacular. Here are the ones we visited and loved!
Vasaparken is a gorgeous park in Vasastan district in central Stockholm. The park alone is worth a visit if you travel with kids. There’s a football patch, a mini-golf course, a jungle gym, and a cafe. But the best of all is the playground located on top of the hill.
This was the very first playground I visited upon arriving in Stockholm and my jaw quite literally dropped. Part of the playground is modeled after a school with gigantic stacks of books, a pretend classroom, and a huge abacus. There are separate areas for toddlers and kids, a slide and a life-size truck which I couldn’t photograph, unfortunately, because children are all over it at all times.
Here’s the location — Vasaparken playground
This playground is very close to Astrid Lindgren’s house. Odenplan metro station, considered one of the most unusual in Stockholm, is nearby. Cafe Pascal at Odenplan is a great spot for fika (coffee with pastries).
Located in the Södermalm neighborhood, this was one of our favorite playgrounds, not least because of the fantastic view. This playground, too, is located on top of a hill close to water, and the view you get is of Gamla Stan (Old Town) and Stockholm City Hall across Riddarfjärden Bay.
Ivar Lo’s Park is named so after a popular Swedish author Ivar Lo-Johansson, who lived in the neighborhood and wrote about life in rural Sweden. The playground is inspired by his works and is a recreation of a farm, with a wooden horse, a real tractor, a little stable and a toy milk shop. While our kids played, my husband and I sat on the bench and enjoyed the magnificent view.
Here’s the location — Ivar Lo’s park
Just outside of the park is Monteliusvägen, a walking path along the edge of the hill. If you walk in the opposite direction, Bokslukaren, the bookshop I mentioned above, is 5 minutes walk away. Within 10 minutes walk is Johan & Nyström, a great coffee shop.
Another farm-like playground that is meant to replicate Södermalm neighborhood, in which it is located, as it was back in the 19th century. There’s a textile factory, a workshop, a wooden horse with a buggy, and a wood shed.
There’s also a coffee shop right on the premises of the playground that serves freshly made waffles, sandwiches and pastries (not to mention coffee, obviously). See what I mean when I say Stockholm is family-friendly? The kids pretend-play to look after a farm while parents sip on a cappuccino. Where else have you seen something like this? I certainly haven’t.
Here’s the location — Bryggartäppan playground
Café Pascal in Södermalm is great for fika, Café Pom & Flora is perfect for breakfast and brunch, Meatballs for the People is one of the most popular cafes to try traditional Swedish meatballs. All in all, I was in this neighborhood to eat, as you might notice. But if you don’t mind a walk, Fotografiska Museum is about half an hour away on foot.
While most playgrounds we visited with my boys were located in parks, this one was situated right on the street corner. It was a perfect pitstop as we walked from Junibacken to Östermalms Food Hall for lunch and gave the kids (who asked me about 7 times a minute when we would be there) a little break.
To understand this playground you need to know a bit of history. While most kid spaces follow a theme, like circus or fairy tales (if there’s a theme at all), this playground is based on the history of the neighborhood. Kvarteret Krubban, where the playground is located, has seen it all: over the past centuries it was home to a luxury estate, a windmill, horse stables, and an Esso gas station, to name a few.
So what looks unconnected and random at first sight is actually a clever mix of art and history. The first thing you’ll notice are horses breaking out of their stables, there’s also a tiny gas station, and the climbing structure connects the facades of the buildings from different eras.
I wish I could appreciate it while my kids were playing there, but I learned all of the above only after returning home.
Here’s the location — Krubbans Lekplats
Östermalms Food Hall is 10 minutes away. Junibacken, Nordic Museum, and Vasa Museum are all 15 minutes away.
Humlegårdens playground is located in Humlegården, a historic park in the Östermalm neighborhood. While this playground doesn’t have the imaginative structures like other playgrounds I mentioned above, it was something else that impressed me here. More specifically: how convenient it was for me as a parent.
First of all, the playground is huge and is divided into zones for smaller and older kids. But that’s pretty standard. Moving on. There’s a little house with a toilet, a changing table, and a staff room right on the premises.
Apparently, Sweden has this concept of a playground (parklek) where hired staff organize games and activities for kids. While we didn’t experience it ourselves, there was a person on premises who explained to me where everything was, including the restroom, free drinking water, and coffee. Yes, they have coffee! It’s not your third wave coffee shop, but for 10 Krona you can get a cup of filter coffee.
There were also bicycles and cars for the little ones to ride, free of charge. You could easily spend several hours here. All in all, one of the coolest things to do with kids in Stockholm!
Here’s the location — Humlegårdens Playground
Östermalm Food Hall is 10 minutes away. If you are into urban planning and architecture, one of the coolest things I did in Stockholm was walking around Lärkstaden, a planned neighborhood created by Per Olof Hallman. It’s quite small, but distinctly different from the larger neighborhood of Östermalm where it is located. You will find winding streets, hidden courtyards, and architecture inspired by Medieval European towns here.
We stayed at Generator Stockholm, a massive hostel near the central station and about 20 minutes walk away from the Old Town. Even though it’s a hostel, we booked a private family room with a private bathroom, so it felt more like a hotel stay. To be completely honest, Stockholm is a very expensive city, so this place felt like a good affordable option.
The location is great: we walked everywhere and only took public transport occasionally. The room was basic, but clean, with a bunk bed for our boys. On the ground floor they have a nice lobby, with arcade machines and a shuffleboard table that our kids loved.
I write stories about food, travel, and my life as a mom of two boys. Home is Russia, but somehow also Sri Lanka and Hamburg, Germany. Go figure.
@2025 That’s What She Had - Food and Travel Blog | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
Designed by wpauthors.com
