Stockholm Royal Palace - What To See

The Royal Palace in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan is the official residence of the King & Queen of Sweden. It’s an absolutely huge building and is one of the largest palaces in Europe. Although a palace has existed on this site since 1697, this one is 18th century in design. Whilst on the outside, the palace isn’t particularly attractive, on the inside there are sumptuous reception rooms, the Hall of State, the impressive Treasury, the Armoury and the stables to see. There are many museum areas inside and a range of tickets available depending on what you want to see.

Kungliga slottet, Stockholm. Interiör från Karl XI:s galleri.

The main museum areas inside the palace are…

The Royal Apartments – This is the part of the palace which contains the luxurious state rooms, many of which are a feast of colour. Amongst the many rooms here you’ll find guest apartments, Gustav III’s bed chamber, a banquet hall and the Hall of state. This is the central part of a visit to the Royal Palace and we would consider the extra museum areas listed below to be optional additions that you may or may not wish to see. The Royal Apartments are closed for functions on occasion so do check ahead before visiting.

The Treasury – This collection of crowns and important jewellery is held in the Palace vaults. Amongst the items on display are Gustav Vasa´s sword of state, Erik XIV´s crown, sceptre and orb and Lovisa Ulrika´s crown. We’re not big on state jewels so this part of our visit was quick, but still interesting.

The Tre Kronor Museum – This museum is all about the Kronor palace which was destroyed in 1697.

Gustav III Museum of Antiquities – Gustav III was really interested in art and antiques and he ammassed an impressive collection of sculptures. The museum (pictured above) allows you to see what he collected displayed in two galleries. This museum is usually only open in the summer months.

The Royal Palace is open daily from mid May to late September from 10am to 5pm. At other times it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 4pm. Adult admission to the Royal Apartments, Treasury & Museum is 180 SEK (2025 prices). Tickets are sold in the museum or at the Ticket & Information office in the outer courtyard during normal opening hours, or you can buy online in advance. Guided tours occur in English several times a day and a different ticket is required for there costing 230 SEK. Outside the palace, look out for the changing of the guard which occurs daily.