Last updated on June 23, 2025
Last May, I decided to book tickets for us to Stockholm, Sweden for my birthday weekend. Why Stockholm? Firstly, I found cheap direct flights from Berlin (435 EUR for the four of us). Secondly, we’ve been wanting to explore more of Scandinavia for a while and Stockholm was at the top of the list. Stockholm is also just a 1.5-hour flight from Berlin. And finally, although Stockholm is usually pricey for accommodation, I found us 4 nights in a 2-bedroom apartment for less than 200 EUR (total!) using the home exchange app Related. Read more for our Stockholm itinerary and how to spend 72 hours in Stockholm with kids.
Use home exchange instead of a hotel or Airbnb to save money
Scandinavia is known for being incredibly expensive and for that reason we always thought that Stockholm was unapproachable for us. Even with cheap flights, spending $1,000 on an Airbnb for a weekend isn’t worth it. Then I discovered it Related. It’s a home exchange platform that makes traveling truly affordable. Once you sign up, you will receive 5 credits for up to 5 nights at another member’s home. You don’t have to make a direct exchange. For example, we stayed with a member in Stockholm, but they did not stay with us. When you host others, you earn credits that you can then use to stay at a member’s home. All homes are worth the same number of credits, no matter how big or small they are. It was great for our family, because we stayed in the home of a young family with two children the same age as us. So there were high chairs, the house was baby-proof and there were lots of toys and books to entertain our 2 children. I would highly recommend giving Kindred a try! You can use my invitation code to get 5 free credits.
Our 4 night Stockholm itinerary
Day 1: Fly to Stockholm. We flew with Eurowings. The great thing about flying with Eurowings with children is that you get a 23kg checked suitcase for free! The fastest way to get to central Stockholm from the airport is by Arlanda Express. It’s cheaper if you buy return tickets (and also cheaper if you buy multiple tickets in one transaction). The price ended up being EUR 84.60 in total (children under 7 are free). We checked in with our relatives and then went to dinner nearby Restaurant Gothenburgwhich was within walking distance of our apartment. It was a great place to watch the sunset over the canal, and they had really great seafood!
Day 2: Take the ferry to Green Lund amusement park and spend the day there. My advice for navigating the ferries is to… SL app and use their navigation tools and purchase your tickets there. When purchasing tickets, make sure you use the ‘Group’ tickets if there are two or more of you as they offer deep discounts. Make sure to check the ferry before boarding! Not all ferries are part of the SL network; So if you buy an SL ticket it will be wasted on other ferries and you will have to buy another ticket. Check your route carefully and check the ferry providers!
Day 3: Visit the ABBA Museum. We had a blast! Our almost 5 year old loved it too! It’s very interactive and if you like ABBA music (or at least the Mamma Mia soundtrack), you’ll definitely have a great time. After the ABBA museum we took the ferry to Old townthe historic center. To be honest, I was very impressed with Gamla Stan and found it overly touristy and not incredibly charming. I’d say limit your time there or skip it altogether.
Day 4: Take the ferry or bus to Vaxholm Island. We ended up taking the bus but this was because all the ferries were not part of the SL network and we had already bought the 72 hour SL tickets and didn’t want to spend extra on another ferry company. Again, plan your route and your tickets carefully. It was still a nice bus ride to the island, but I’m sure it would have been a nicer ferry ride. It took us just over an hour to get to Vaxholm from Henriksdal, where we were staying. We had dinner at Florentine Italian restaurant in Södermalm, which was fun and very family friendly.
Day 5: Take the bus back to Stockholm Central Station and from there take the Arlanda Express back to the airport. Have one last fika at the airport. Say goodbye to Stockholm!
How to spend 72 hours in Stockholm with kids? Take them to the Gröna Lund amusement park
When we were researching things to do in Stockholm with our 4 year old and 1 year old, an amusement park was one of the first things on the list. Green Lund is a Tivoli amusement park: the same one we had visited in Copenhagen about 5 years ago. In addition to an amusement park, they also have concerts there. You can check out their website to see upcoming events, buy tickets and plan your visit. We bought the ‘Ticket to Ride’ for all of us (our 1 year old was free), which included entry and unlimited rides. If you don’t think you’ll be doing that many rides, you can also purchase individual rides once you get to the park. We were lucky somehow; the weather was very bad the day we went so we never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride. A plus for a visit on a rainy day! Included in the Ticket to Ride pass are 2 fast passes, but we never even needed those. One side of the park is specifically aimed at younger children with a carousel, roller coaster for kids, etc. Isabella, our then 4 year old, did all the rides there with ease. Some rides our 1 year old could do, but not many, to be honest. I think 3 or 4 years is the minimum age to really enjoy the rides. Also keep in mind that many rides require an adult companion, so one adult will also need a ride pass.
A note about navigating the ferries in Stockholm
Before purchasing public transport tickets, I consulted with ChatGPT and was advised to purchase the SL 72 hour ticket. The SL network includes buses, trams, metro and ferries. You will probably use all these modes of transport while in Stockholm. The only thing that confused us a bit was the ferries. For example, when we traveled to Gröna Lund we took the Ressels Rederi ferry, which we later discovered was not part of the SL network. The ferries that are part of the SL network to Gröna Lund include ferries 80 and 82. If you don’t want to pay extra and have already purchased your SL ticket, pay close attention to which ferry you take! The other mistake we made is that I bought two 72 hour tickets through the SL app. I should have gone to the ‘Group’ ticket section and made my purchase there. It would have saved me 20 EUR! Oh well, listen learned.
How to spend 72 hours in Stockholm with kids? Visit the ABBA Museum
On our second full day in Stockholm we took the ferry again, this time to the ABBA museum. The ABBA Museum is located almost next to the Gröna Lund amusement park. We bought our tickets in advance Receive your guide. JC and I mainly know ABBA’s music from Mamma Mia! (the musical and film). The museum is fantastic! We learned a lot about the history of the music group, but the museum was also very interactive. You could put on headphones and listen to interviews and performances. There were also karaoke booths to sing along to ABBA music. We also did an experience where you could design your own pop star avatar. The highlight, however, was performing on stage with digital projections of the members of ABBA and singing Mamma Mia!. I did it with Isabella and she had a blast holding the microphone and dancing along. After the museum visit, Isabella continued to sing Mamma Mia! and as soon as we got home, we looked for how to watch the movie (it’s available for purchase on Apple TV).
How to spend 72 hours in Stockholm with kids? Visit Vaxholm Island
Stockholm is an archipelago (i.e. an extensive group of islands). For my birthday we finally had nice sunny weather, so we decided to take a trip there Vaxholm Island. We originally wanted to take the ferry there, but since none of the SL ferries seemed to be running, we took bus 670 instead. The whole trip took just over an hour Henriksdalwhere we stayed. The island of Vaxholm is very quiet and picturesque. Because it was only mid-May when we went, not everything was open yet. That’s where we wanted to go, for example Vaxholm’s Homestead Café but it wasn’t open for the season yet. So we went to Camille’s Garden & Café instead of. After the cafe we walked around and saw the fortress from far away, and went further for an ice cream Ice Cream on the Cornerwhich was delicious! For lunch we went to Bistro magazine with a great terrace overlooking the water. JC and I both had the seafood stew, which was quite good. We then walked through the main street of Vaxholm, played a few rounds of corn on the cob in the square (they also had a huge chess board) and then took the bus home. Overall, it was a very relaxing outing and good to spend a few relaxing hours. But don’t expect to find a ton of activities, museums, etc. on Vaxholm.
Eating out in Stockholm with children
Overall we had a very pleasant time eating out in Stockholm with kids. For my birthday dinner we went to Florentine Italian restaurant and it was very kid friendly. They had high chairs and gave Isabella crayons and paper to color with. Moreover, the food (pizza and pasta) is super tasty for children. For example, for other nights after a long day at the theme park we were happy to get takeaway food and bring it back to the apartment. We ordered Indian takeaway twice Indian Streetfood & Co and it was delicious. If you’re in the area (seems like they have several restaurants), I would highly recommend it.
And what about the Swedish Fika?
When we came to Stockholm we were definitely curious about Swedish fika. We had heard a lot about it and were very excited to experience it for ourselves. Simply put, fika is a time during the day to get away from it all with friends or family. This usually happens with a cup of coffee and a very Swedish cinnamon roll. We made sure to eat fika (can you use it as a verb?) at least once a day. You can eat fika anywhere in the city, so you don’t have to plan that much in advance. Just take a moment out of your day, whether it’s morning or afternoon, to take a break, eat something tasty and enjoy the moment.
And so we spent 72 hours in Stockholm with kids! Do you have any tips for top places to visit in Stockholm with children? Or recommendations for your next destination in Europe with children? Let us know in the comments below.
