Last Updated on October 26, 2026
After wrapping up our incredible five days in Copenhagen, we packed our bags, hopped on the train, and headed north to Sweden to continue our Scandinavian adventure. (When we were planning this trip, we talked about heading to Oslo vs. Stockholm and ultimately chose Stockholm! More on why below…)
Spread across 14 islands connected by more than 50 bridges, Stockholm is often called the “Venice of the North,” and it immediately stole our hearts. It offers that quintessential Scandinavian blend of historic cobblestone charm, world-class museums designed specifically for little hands, and an effortlessly family-forward culture. When we started talking about a summer trip, we first talked about Venice. But knowing how warm it gets in Italy in August, we quickly pivoted North to Scandinavia and instead planned on a visit to the “Venice of the North!”
If you are thinking about pairing Copenhagen with Stockholm or planning a standalone trip to Sweden with your family, here is our complete 5-day Stockholm itinerary, including the highlights, our favorite stops, and a couple of travel hiccups you can easily avoid!
Getting to Stockholm from Copenhagen
The Train Journey
Getting from Copenhagen to Stockholm is surprisingly simple by rail. We took the Öresundståg over the iconic bridge to Malmö, Sweden, and made an easy transfer to the SJ X2000 high-speed train straight into Stockholm Central Station. One thing I love about Europe is how easy it is to travel by train! It’s so much easier for the kids – they can get up and walk around, bathroom stops don’t add time to the trip, and my kids love a good bistro car.
- Travel Time: Around 5 hours total from Copenhagen Central to Stockholm
- Mom Tip: Book seats near the Bistro Car! Taking little walks down the train car to stretch restless legs and grab mid-trip snacks made the 5-hour ride fly by without any meltdowns. We brought some of our own food, because I never know what they will have on the train, but just going for the short walk helped make the trip fly by. (As did bringing along some of our favorite travel toys!) Make sure you do not book the quiet car.
Getting Around Stockholm with Kids
Public Transit & Strollers
Stockholm is exceptionally walkable, but its public transit is where it truly shines. Between the clean Tunnelbana (Metro) and the public SL commuter ferries, getting from island to island is an adventure in itself. We didn’t use a car once in Stockholm, except on our way from the train station to the hotel the first day and then again on our way to the airport on our last day.
- Strollers (and the adult pushing them) ride free on city buses (which helps the driver keep boarding smooth), and most of the metro stations are equipped with elevators large enough to hold at least one stroller.
- Strollers generally enter city buses on the middle car, where there is a designated stroller parking.
- We relied on our lightweight travel stroller and let the older kids take turns on Dad’s shoulders when long days of walking caught up to them.
Food Options in Stockholm for Kids
Obviously, what you eat will depend on where you are. When we travel we typically expect that the food will not be like it is at home, and there may not always be an option for chicken fingers or macaroni & cheese – two foods that are pretty much staples for an American family. One of the foods you could find almost everywhere in Stockholm is the traditional Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries (which taste almost like a cranberry). Our kids didn’t love it, but they tried it (win!). Any time you travel internationally with kids, you need to expect the food to be at least a little different from at home. And if your kids are super picky, just be aware and choose restaurants that have foods they will eat (check the menus for pizza, for example)!
Day 1: Train Transit, Check-in & Neighborhood Play
After a smooth (ish- you’ll have to see the YouTube video vlog for more details on that!) midday train ride, we pulled into Stockholm Central, caught a quick ride to our hotel, and got checked in.
Whenever we travel with the kids and they have to sit for a long time during the travel day, we have to find a spot for them to burn off pent-up energy. Luckily, our hotel had a fantastic public playground directly across the street. Having a park within sight of your lobby is an absolute game-changer… it gave the kids space to run around with Dad while Mom (hi, that’s me!) hung out in the hotel and unpacked essentials.
We kept dinner simple and casual at a neighborhood spot right near the hotel, literally two doors down, letting everyone unwind and rest up for a full day of sightseeing.
A note about where we stayed: We loved our stay at the chic Villa Dahlia in the Vasastan neighborhood. It was easily walkable to the train, had quite a few restaurants (and a supermarket) nearby, and had plenty of green space and playgrounds for the kids.
Day 2: Gamla Stan, Royal Palaces & Skansen
Morning: Gamla Stan & The Changing of the Guard
We fueled up with a hearty Scandinavian breakfast at our hotel (European hotel breakfast buffets are unmatched) and took a short walk to the metro into Gamla Stan (Stockholm’s Old Town). With its narrow cobblestone alleys and warm ochre buildings, it feels like stepping straight onto a movie set. This was a bit of a slow morning for everyone, as we had packed a lot into our 5 days in Copenhagen and I wanted the kids to be able to relax a bit.
We timed our arrival at the Royal Palace (Kungliga Slottet) for midday to catch the Changing of the Guard. Complete with marching guards, a band, military fanfare, and horses, it held all three kids completely captivated. While we arrived about 30 minutes early before the ceremony, people were so kind and made sure that everyone’s kids could see what was happening, letting them go to the front.
After the ceremony, we headed inside to explore the palace state rooms and ventured down into the Treasury Vault. Seeing the glittering Swedish royal crowns, swords, and orb scepters was a huge hit, especially right after admiring the Danish crown jewels in Copenhagen! Some of the palace rooms were beautifully ornate!
Afternoon: Ferry to Djurgården & Skansen Open-Air Museum
After grabbing a casual lunch in Gamla Stan, we walked down to the docks and caught the ferry across the water to Djurgården, Stockholm’s lush museum island.
Our afternoon destination was Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum. It combines historic Swedish farmsteads and village buildings with a native Nordic zoo. You could spend a full day there, but we were only there for about 4 hours before we had to head back.
The kids loved seeing:
- Moose, brown bears, seals, and reindeer in real life.
- Costumed interpreters showing what traditional Swedish village life was like centuries ago.
- Wide-open grassy paths where toddlers can wander freely without vehicle traffic.
Day 3: Archipelago Day Trip to Vaxholm & An Honest Blunder
Morning: Ferry to Vaxholm Fortress
Stockholm’s archipelago contains tens of thousands of islands, and you cannot visit without getting out on the water. (If you’re likely to get seasickness, bring some non-drowsy Dramamine. I don’t do well on trains or planes but I was completely fine on these ferry boats!) After breakfast, we took the metro to the harbor and boarded an archipelago ferry out to Vaxholm, known as the gateway to the archipelago, and then took a small water taxi over to Vaxholm Fortress (Kastellet).
The fortress dates back to the 16th century and sits on its own tiny islet. Walking along the massive stone ramparts and looking out over the water felt like a true adventure. It was a memorable fortress to visit, but if you need some down time, this is the one thing from our Stockholm adventures I would skip.
The “Oops” Moment: Here is our honest travel lesson for the trip… after exploring the fortress, the kids were getting tired, and we thought, “Let’s just call an Uber to take us back to the hotel quickly.”
Well, we waited and waited, only to realize that ride-share services don’t pick up out on the island fortress! We were a little annoyed but decided to just take the public ferry back to the city center, and all was well in the end. We did have to miss a couple of spa appointments but we were able to rebook for another day.
Evening: Gamla Stan by Night
Taking the ferry back actually turned into a blessing in disguise. We arrived back in Old Town just as dusk set in. Walking past the Royal Palace lit up at night was breathtaking and completely different from the daytime bustle. The illuminated stone facades reflecting off the water made the accidental detour totally worth it.
Day 4: The Historic Vasa Museum & Downtime
Morning: Vasa Museum (Vasamuseet)
We took the ferry back over to Djurgården to see one of Sweden’s most visited sights: the Vasa Museum. Entry here was free for children under 18, which is always an added bonus to find out!
In 1628, the massive royal warship Vasa sank in Stockholm’s harbor on its maiden voyage, just minutes after setting sail. It was salvaged almost entirely intact 333 years later. This is one museum I absolutely would not skip! Walking into the museum hall and standing in front of this colossal, intricately carved 17th-century wooden ship is jaw-dropping for adults and kids alike. Everyone was captivated by the ship – it’s huge! – and they have presentations in many different languages, as well as a dedicated children’s presentation.
They have fantastic interactive displays, a kid-friendly film featuring a pet pig, and scale models showing what life was like aboard the vessel.
Afternoon: Park Play & Slow Pace
Travel fatigue can be real days into an international trip. Rather than packing the afternoon with another major attraction, we headed back toward our hotel and spent a couple of relaxed hours letting the kids climb, swing, and run wild at the playground across the street. I stopped into a local supermarket and bought some candy to take home, and then we had dinner at a fabulous Italian spot nearby. I was impressed at the quality of the Italian food we had throughout Stockholm: It was so good! (Though I did make sure to try some of the local favorites, and I became a fan of the Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and lingonberries that nearly every tourist area served.)
Day 5: Museums & Our Final Evening
Morning: Kids Museum & Tekniska Museet
For our last full day, we started our morning at a children’s story museum on Djurgården called Junibacken – known as Pippi Longstocking’s house (or, more accurately, the world of Astrid Lindgren). Our kids adored the interactive play stage and dressing up in costumes, and the Story Train ride; but their favorite part was exploring the imaginative “winter room.” It was exceptionally crowded the morning we visited (a weekend morning), so once the kids had played a bit, and after getting a quick lunch there, we decided to pivot to somewhere with more breathing room.
We headed over to Tekniska Museet (The National Museum of Science and Technology). This ended up being a phenomenal stop: It is massive, interactive, and filled with hands-on experiments, robotics, gaming history, and space exhibits. You could spend a full day here! It gave the kids endless room to touch, explore, and problem-solve without feeling packed shoulder-to-shoulder. The museum’s playground out front was a huge hit with all three of the kids!
Evening: Hotel Dinner & Packing Up
For our final night, we decided to dine right at our hotel restaurant inside Villa Dahlia. The meal was unbelievable: fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. We literally looked at each other and said, “Why on earth didn’t we eat here sooner?!”
While Mom headed upstairs to pack our suitcases for the morning flight, Dad took the kids across the street to the playground one last time to burn off their final burst of vacation energy. Then it was back to the hotel for one last Stockholm sleep.
The next morning, we were up bright and early, hopped into our car to the airport, and boarded our flight back home. We very much enjoyed our time in Stockholm, and it’s safe to say that we will be back!
Why Stockholm Works So Well for Families
Pairing Copenhagen and Stockholm created the ultimate Scandinavian family vacation for the five of us. Traveling with three young kids is never completely effortless, but Scandinavia makes it as smooth as it can possibly be. We loved Stockholm! With the scenic ferry rides, castles, lush green parks, playgrounds everywhere, and welcoming culture, it easily earns a spot on any family travel bucket list.
Have you visited Stockholm with your kids, or are you dreaming up a trip to Scandinavia? Let me know in the comments below! And if you’re looking for other travel guides or itineraries for family trips, head over to my Family Travel Hub.
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