Our Knowledgeable Guide Made this Tour Memorable! I appreciated that OUR WAY Tours provided a knowledgeable guide for this tour of the VASA Museum. Katrin Lindén's impressive knowledge of the history of Sweden & Stockholm made for a wonderful and valuable tour! In the old town, Katrin provided interesting insight about the history of Sweden's leaders, royalty, wars, etc. We are grateful to have had Katrin as our guide through the Vasa Museum. It is quite extensive, and her educational highlights were super interesting and helpful! I highly recommend this tour and Katrin from OUR WAY! read more

A feast on the eyes that Chester Copperpot died trying to experience! Walking through the doors of this modern building, you are instantly transported into that scene from the Goonies when Mikey first casts his eyes over one-eyed Willie's Galleon. It really is breath-taking. The while museum is constructed around a huge ship that was built in the early 17th century and sank on its maiden voyage due to bad design and not enough ballast. The ship sank whole and it is our good fortune that it sunk in oxygen starved mud and was remarkably well preserved. I think around 95% of the ship is actually original! Salvaged and raised in the 1960s, the ship is the centre-piece in the museum. Galleries have been built so that you can look in at the different levels and there are workshops, information points and hundreds of artifacts, all nicely presented and explained in an effort to submerge you in the era of when this ship was built. The entrance price is not overly expensive, and you can spend a fair few hours just wandering about and marvelling at 2 astonishing feats of engineering: firstly the 17th century build, and secondly the 20th century project to raise and preserve the entire thing. Truly remarkable. read more

It's an enormous ship. It's beautifully preserved. It's been the focus of groundbreaking international research for decades. It's got a fascinating history of building, sailing (1500 meters), sinking, rediscovering, and restoring. But none of this would mean anything if the museum weren't so SUPERBLY CRAFTED. You could have the coolest ship in the world -- heck, the coolest *anything* in the world -- and make it look boring just because the signage or lighting or layout of the display is poor. The Vasa Museum, however, does everything right. (Except that it's hard to tell which way to walk when you first circle the ship. Pro tip: head right and circle counterclockwise.) The models showing how it was raised from the sea bed, three models in a row to show the successive stages, are intricate and informative. One corner of the ground floor vaguely recreates a 17th-century city street as a venue for the story of the shipbuilding, situated in the historical context of the Thirty Years' War. Don't care about all that? There's something for you folks too, for instance the big colorful map of Europe showing cartoony ships and natural resources, all hand-hewn out of wood (see photo). Just ogle it and move on -- perhaps to the diving bell, a replica of the one used to raise the ship's canons, which you can go inside if you don't mind feeling like you're suffocating inside an iron birdhouse. Or check out the replicas of the wooden sculptures, represented in the full glory of their original paint jobs -- newly discovered after years of scientific analysis! This is breaking news, people! And that's just the ground floor. Above there are two more floors with lookout galleries and signage diagramming the parts of the ship and what they're for. (Written in more than five languages, I think: Swedish, English, Russian, Finnish, French...and maybe others.) From musket gallery to latrines, it's all clearly indicated and short-and-sweetly explained. Down in the basement levels are displays on the scientific research. Sadly (to my mind), at least half is dedicated to speculative reconstruction of the facial characteristics and personal histories of the people who died onboard the ship when it sunk. The assumptions are too great for me to appreciate the "science" behind it, but perhaps other visitors will like the personal connection offered by the stories. An intensive section on the chemistry of preserving and restoring the ship is more empirical, and not for the weak of heart. Finally, don't miss the cafe! They put dessert first (six or so various sweets at the front of the line) but also line up sandwiches for the taking and soup served on the spot (both ~95 kr). Other more elaborate entrees are also available, most including special Swedish things like moose and lingonberries (~100-160 kr.). The view from the seating area is a perfect slice of Stockholm seashore. According to my own personal ranking of museums worldwide, the Vasa Museum is near the top. It is outstanding. Once I devise an objective Unit of Awesome I will let you know...until then, five Yelp stars will have to do! read more

Vasamuseet - Replicas of wooden sculpture on the Vasa ship, restored in full color - Museums Near Me - Stockholm, Alberta

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If you have time to visit one museum in Stockholm, Vasa is the one to see. Walking in to the museum you are overwhelmed by the size of this shipwrecked warship. They have excavated some of the casualties found in the ship and have some skeletons and recreations of what the people looked like. Scientists are always working on and around the ship trying to keep it from decomposing. I highly recommend taking the 20 minute speaking tour. It was incredibly informative, is included in the entry fee, and is especially useful if you do not have a lot of extra time. read more

An amazing museum! Beautifully designed to show off this massive vessel. Don't miss the uncanny wax heads on the bottom floor!

Just Love this place! Literally fun for the whole family... Very cool to see the ship in this setting - and there are fun little areas for children to play and learn about the story. The place is massive, so it never feels over crowded. We bought the Vasamuseum book - it's great, highly recommend! read more

So amazing to learn about the blunder of project management and fault of engineering that was this huge boat with two decks of canons. How did it stay so intact? The polluted sewage water kinda preserved it. Down on the lower floor there's several skeletons they recovered with backstories of who they were pieced from evidence found. Really it takes some time to learn what's going on here but take the time. Or just look at the carvings and woodwork. Your call...but it's a fantastic museum based on a ship that only was sailing for 15 minutes. read more

Extremely impressive museum because of the sheer size of the ship alone, how often do you get to see a 17th hundred state of the art warship in almost mint condition? The exhibit itself was a bit hit and miss. We did not find any specifics about why and how the ship sank, maybe we just missed it, but it was very fascinating to learn about the raising of the ship, how the preservation of the ship is still being improved and worked on and about the people who died onboard. Life in the 1600's was no picnic. read more

Twice I've been, and never again. Okay .. maybe again when my kids are old enough to understand the value of history and historical items. Until then, probably not. I know people that go once a year and unlike them I can't understand what gets them to go once a year. So, okay, if you don't know the story then here's a quickie. The Vasa museum is a museum with a big ship inside it. The ship, vasa, sank on its maiden voyage. Then it was taken out of the water and brought to land and voila, this museum came about. Yeah yeah, there is a lot more to the history than that but that is the main thing. The ship itself is really cool to look at and all the details are insane. It's really impressive (but not impressive enough for another visit). But this is what stockholm people do, we visit museums. So maybe one day I'll eat my words when my son decides that ships are his favorite thing and want to go see vasa once a week. I can see that happening. I can't give it a bad rating because of my own preference. If you are in Stockholm then please go learn about this piece of history. It is absolutely worth it. read more

Take the free tour, watch the film. Both are really informative. The gift shop has some unusual souvenir items, which I like. Visited June 2012 read more

What, I should go see a big boat in a building when I go to Stockholm? Yes! I had no idea what to expect and probably would not have thought of going here, but the concierge at the hotel says this is his number one response when people ask him, "What should we not miss when we are in Stockholm?" What an experience. The ship is in terrific shape for having sat at the bottom of the Stockholm harbor for 333 years. 95% or so is original! This would be pretty interesting by itself, but the museum has seven floors with information about the era, the building of the ship, life on a ship, why it sank, and even some of the skeletons found with the ship. Lots of information and artifacts. I did not spend a lot of time at the 'Face to Face' portion of the exhibit, but this is where several skeletons that were found on or near the ship are displayed. Through modern forensic science they were able to determine a lot about the people who sailed (and died) on the Vasa including; appearance, diet, sickness and some general information about their lifestyle. It was fascinating! When I go back to Stockholm I will make sure to block of at least a half a day to go back through this exhibit. There is a restaurant there too. I did not eat there, but my friend did and said the Swedish meatballs were alright. read more

It's still funny when I tell people about the story of Vasa. :) It's fun to visit inside of the ship, feel people's lives hundreds of years of. The smell of history! read more

Incredible museum! So many exhibits, you can easily spend a whole day here. As a history nerd, being able to see and learn about sooo many artifacts, especially the ship itself (which is strikingly large and relatively well preserved) and the collection of skeletons from victims of the sinking, was absolutely fascinating. Probably one of my favorite museums in Stockholm-and there are a lot!! A must see on your visit. read more

Way better than I expected. It is an old boat that is literally falling apart. The story, the salvaging, and the upkeep are all interesting. If you truly enjoy it you will be here for hours. Times visited: 1 read more

Interesting story about that Knäckeboat sinking at it's first ride. Nicely arranged exhibition. Little overcrowded for my taste. Would like to give 4 stars but the admission price holds me back somehow. read more

Fellow Yelpers have done a great job in the way of reviews. Guess the only thing I have to add is the delightful book I've picked up at the gift store entitled the "Vasa Grisen", i.e. the Vasa Pig. Long story short, it's a fictional story of a pig who was destined to be butchered on the Vasa but miraculously escapes thanks to the ship's untimely sinking. It's an easy read, comes in English, and the kids will love it. read more

Basically it's a museum built around, literally around, a 17th century wooden war boat called 'Vasa' which sank 25 minutes or so after setting sail from Stockholm 300 and somethings years later they re-discovered it and raised it from the mud and restored it The museum and boat are awesome, there is so much information to take it and the information boards provided are really well done. There are short, 30 min-ish, guided tours in English running at various times throughout the day which are a great way to get a good understanding about the history of the boat before taking on the museum Easy to get to from the centre of the city, a must see if you are spending some time in Stockholm read more

The vasa is an experience not be missed. This museum left nothing out and made every section with beautiful attention to detail. This is more than viewing a 17th century ship, it's stepping back in time, it's gettin to know stockholm almost 400 years ago, the people and there skills. Really worth the entry fee! I spent 2 hours here and found it a really fulfilling experience. Don't miss the 20 min video! Make sure to go to each floor! read more

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A highlight in Stockholm! The old ship is in good condition and you can get an impressive feeling of the old times. There are additional information about the ship, the catastrophe, and the recovery (available in many langauges). read more

Oh, what a mighty gallion! What a mouth-gaping joy to have her proudly displayed on the island of Djurgården. The museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged (due to some nautical wood-chomping little bugs) happily absent in the Baltic. The warship, Vasa, comprises sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The Vasa Museum opened in 1990 and, according to the official web site, is the most visited museum in Scandinavia, as our heroic tour guide Elisabeth Daude proclaimed 'look at the queue!". Together with other museums such as Stockholm Maritime Museum, the museum belongs to the Swedish National Maritime Museums (SNMM). An absolute must-see, the size of the Vasa is worth the admission price alone. read more

Don't let the not-so-appealing exterior of the building fool you (it's not the prettiest or the biggest building). Though, once you go inside, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how they managed to fit this ship inside this small museum. I didn't think there would really be much to see, given that the museum is mainly about one thing, the Vasa. However, the musem has 5+ floors, which all show a view of the ship in addition to displays about life in the 17th century. To be honest, I didn't find the ship that impressive when I first walked in. It was only when I went up each floor did I realize how big this ship actually was. It was great to be able to see it from all angles of the entire museum. My favorite exhibitions were the Three Sunken Ships and the preservation exhibit at the ground floor. That was really fascinating to me, definitely the highlight of my experience. Very unique museum to visit if you're ever in Stockholm. May be the only one of its kind at this point. Highly recommended for boat/ship enthusiasts and for families with kids. For all others, you get to learn about a very interesting part of Swedish history. read more

This was one of my main objectives during my four days in Stockholm. In the middle of January I walked from my hostel (near central station) to this museum and it was worth the walk. I'm one of those people who are into ships and things of ages past. The Vasa ship was most impressive and the short film you get to watch as part of the guided tour was very informative. I would put this on your must do list for Stockholm but, only if you can appreciate old sailing ships and the tales that go along with their history. read more

Very impressive for many reasons. The fact that the ship was built in the 17th century was quite an accomplishment by the Swedes. I thought it was even more impressive that it was under water for 333 years before it was painstakingly brought to the surface and restored. Museum is very well done and informative. Even though the ship was basically a failure in that it sank after about 1500 meters on its maiden voyage, it is still an impressive thing to see. The craftmanship was incredible, and it must have been a sight when it was first unveiled. Definitely a must-see in Stockholm, for sure. read more

This museum left me speechless. The old ship is so well preserved that it's like you've travelled back in time. The ship is displayed beautifully and there are so many historical facts and interactive displays that you could easily spend half the day here. Another wonderful museum in Stockholm and a must visit attraction. read more

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Been to just about every National Park museum and monument in the US. When we landed in Stockholm I can't say I was in a rush to see this old ship they pulled out of the mud. But as luck would have it, there was no line as we approached the front door. Family advisers who are local to the area advised us we had better take the opportunity and head in. So we did. I was impressed and regretted not having at least a few hours to really explore this Stockholm landmark. Magnificent. Truly. Kids of all ages will have a blast. Little ones should be kept close. It is dark and shadowy inside. This helps to recreate the feeling of being below deck in addition to preserving the ship itself. The ship if much larger than one might think unless directly familiar with the history. The self guided tour starts off 'at water level' looking at the hull. There are placards every few feet around the ship to describe a particular function or item. From there, take the stairs up to the next level and repeat. There are more 'levels' then I had expected so by the time we made it to the top floor I was getting tired. Not having been properly prepared for what was awaiting us. We had spent the day walking Stockholm. The sights and views just get better and better as the history of the ship increases and the sheer mass of the ship really sets in. Tips: Yes, Stockholm has a lot to offer a visiting traveler. BUT! This is a destination. Don't rush through it the way we did. 1. Make time for the Vasa. Set aside half a day or 3+ hours. 2. Have a big breakfast or lunch before heading in. 3. Bring a few small pock sized snacks (pack it in pack it out). 4. Bring a few SEK to spend at the gift shop. Lots of neat items that can make good gifts. 5. Snacks and coffee shops are nearby outside but I would hit up a supermarket beforehand. 6. Have a place to rest and eat picked out for afterwards. You may feel like you just took the SAT after gym class when you get out. One of our most memorable destinations over our trip. read more

You don't see things like this very often. An almost perfectly preserved ship from the 17th Century. The ship itself is an incredible work of art. The exhibits surrounding it were fascinating as well as educational. read more

The ship itself looks very impressive. There are documentaries about how the ship lifted from the sea. They are offered in different languages which is a big plus. read more

This museum was amazing! My husband & I were there for hours. It was so awesome to see how well intact the ship was. All of the information was thorough and easy to undertsand. Highly recommended! A must see! read more

Great museum. Use student card if you have one. Also worth waiting for the free guided tours read more

Vasamuseet - Museums Near Me - Stockholm, Alberta

I was impressed. The enormity of the ship itself, the history, and the eerily life-like sculptures and skeletons to "show case" the condition and last moments of those individuals lives. As well as the history of the ship itself. I liked being able to walk in a recreation of the cannon deck as well as replicas of the towering look out platforms. read more

Very well presented Museum of the Ship Vasa. Pleased I've seen it but needs something else to become a must see. read more

Vasamuseet - Museums Near Me - Stockholm, Alberta

A must-visit if you're in Stockholm. The centrepiece is an exhumed ship that was intended to be the pride of the Swedish navy, but which sank due to a fundamental design flaw. Around the ship are several floors' worth of artefacts and presentations, including a short film about the resulting trial that was held after the ship sank (shown in several languages including English) and some glimpses into the historical context of the event. A fascinating, well laid-out museum that will appeal even to those with only the slightest interest in ships! read more

An old viking boat. You have to see it if you are in Stockholm.

I came here because a colleague recommended it. No expectations except for that it was interesting. I spent 2.5 hours walking around and really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it. It was amazing to see the boat and how it has been restored but most of all, I loved learning about life and the people back in the 1600s. I highly recommend seeing this museum if you are in Stockholm. read more

Vasamuseet - Museums Near Me - Stockholm, Alberta

Loved it! I was not so keen on going...a museum about an old boat that sinked after few matters...but wohahahahahah amazing place. I recommend anybody going to Stockholm to stop by the place. read more

Vasamuset is a very different kind of museum. The focus is on this TREMENDOUS ship... The Vasa, and it is dazzling in so many ways. The story goes that on its maiden voyage this unbelievably striking ship, capsized, and then sank off Stockholm Harbor back in 1628, a mile or so from shore. And, some 333 years later (in the 1950s) the ship was finally discovered in a busy shipping lane and rescued. (Crazy, huh?) It is the most beautiful vessel I have ever seen, the detail is amazing... almost magical. It's a must see. It really is. read more

A must see if visiting Stockholm. Equal parts history, science, and culture - truly an incredible place.

The Vasa Museum is the embodiment of the Herculean effort of finding, raising, restoring, then building a six story building around a 17th century wooden warship that sank on her maiden voyage. The scale of the enterprise, and the archaeology, engineering, and architecture involved, will make you thrilled to be a member of the human race. What a fantastic and uplifting experience! read more

Amazing fun interesting museum. Keeps your attention with skeletons and items from pre-Viking times. Great short guided tour for free. Gift shop was so-so. read more

This is the best museum I have ever been to. The story of the Vasa is so funny and tragic all at once. Here it is retold with tasteful artistic license, through artifacts, film and interactive exhibits. The charm of the Vasamuseet, however is not even in the massive one-of-a-kind sunken, dredged Viking warship and its custom building, but in the story of the country of Sweden recognizing this national treasure and coming together to preserve it. This is an especially great place for the mechanically inclined. There are terrific lessons on shipbuilding and fluid mechanics that can be tailored to meet different levels of understanding. Alternatively, you could focus just on the artistic aspects of the ship- the detailed carvings, and the natural sources of paint used. Or, if you are a literary buff, you could spend your whole time identifying the historic and mythologic figures and creatures that were depicted in the carvings, and understanding related symbolism. The museum is enormous, but reaches capacity early during tourist season- go early in the morning to assure you get in without wasting your day in line. read more