Travel

Wandering Around Skansen - The Ultimate Folk Museum From Stockholm

Having enjoyed only days before the charming Den Gamle By in Aarhus and the quiet Old Bergen Museum, we were curious to see the Swedish version of them. So after exploring Stockholm's canals, we took one of the cute historical trams and went to Skansen. However, it didn't take us much to realize Skansen was like the ultimate Scandinavian folk museum, mainly because it is huge comparing with the other two, and second because it also hosts a zoo.

We needed about 6 hours of going up and down the hill trying to see everything. Although we were given a site map at the entrance and I'm pretty sure there is a more economic route than the one we followed, truth is, appealing options presented in front of us at every step of the way and we just enjoyed getting lost on purpose.

One of the first stops we made was at the glass blower's workshop, a truly fascinating place. I couldn't resist temptation and buy a little souvenir, a vase. Also I could have spent hours looking at the girl making delicate pieces of awesomeness. I might be wrong, but this looked like a very clean and serene handicraft to me and watching the girl's workflow was almost hypnotic.

Next we hit the bakeries. And I must admit it was even harder to leave them than it was to leave the glass workshop. The smells that wrapped us and dragged us into the shops, and the mouthwatering cakes were a God sent since we ignorantly skipped lunch that day eager to see as much as possible before the attractions closed around 6PM, in spite of the long summer days.

Skansen opened at the end of the 19th century and back then it was quite the novelty. Nowadays, walking from the entrance up the hill is like traveling through the whole yesteryear Sweden from South to North in one breath.

It is quite interesting how the architecture of the houses changes from one region to the other and how nature has something to say in all people do. Many houses have a green roof, which apart from looking great (not sure anybody really cared about how it looked back in the good old days), has some quite amazing insulation properties.

Also, many interiors were opened to the public and staff in vintage clothing were going for the daily chores. After visiting just the right number of folk museums, one starts to see the similarities between people. And I find this fascinating to say the least. We think of ourselves as inventors, when all we do is react to natural needs.

I loved the handcrafts decorating the old Swedish houses, and the repetitive flower themes. So pretty and refreshing!

Some of the houses belonged to rich people, others to not so fortunate ones. Also the historical periods changed from house to house and the characters inhabiting them did a wonderful job at bringing back to life the spirit of the past eras.

We also enjoyed some spectacular views over Stockholm's canals from Skansen.

It is amazing how incredibly green Skansen can be. Tall, tall trees surround every house, and guard every alley. We passed rose gardens and vegetable gardens, churches and haystacks. It was beautiful and relaxing.

For the youngest of visitors, there were vintage games to enjoy and some cute Dala horses to ride.

But the cutest inhabitants of Skansen are however to be found on top of the hill. They were a bit shy when we visited, most probably due to the heat. I was however extremely happy I could spot a reindeer family, as this was the very first time I saw them in person. Though, to be honest, it wouldn't hurt to do a better job at keeping the environments smell free, because after visiting Bioparc in Valencia, I know this is more then possible.

The squirrels ran freely through Skansen and their favorite food seemed to be the caramelized almonds, visitors generously shared with them.

However, in all his fluffiness, this bunny was the cutest little thing in Stockholm.

For more Stockholm travel tips and ideas, check out VisitStockholm.com

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You can also see our month long Interrail itinerary and read our tips for traveling Europe with an Interrail pass. Have you used an Interrail pass before or are you planning an Interrail trip in the near future? Please leave us your feedback. It means the world to us.

We’d like to thank Interrail for providing us with two complimentary global passes for our 1 month Eastern Europe & Scandinavia tour. Though we used the Global Pass for our journey, it's worth noting that single country passes are also available.

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